TEXT 41
“saumyänuçoce tam adhaù-patantaà
bhrätre paretäya vidudruhe yaù
niryäpito yena suhåt sva-puryä
ahaà sva-puträn samanuvratena”
Srimad Bhagavatam 3.1.41
Synonyms :
saumya—O gentle one; anuçoce—I lament; tam—him; adhaù-patantam—gliding down; bhrätre—on his brother’s; paretäya—death; vidudruhe—revolted against; yaù—one who; niryäpitaù—driven out; yena—by whom; suhåt—well-wisher; sva-puryäù—from his own house; aham—myself; sva-puträn—with his own sons; samanu-vratena—accepting the same line of action.
Translation :
O gentle one, I simply lament for he [Dhåtaräñöra] who rebelled against his brother after death. By him I was driven out of my own house, although I am his sincere well-wisher, because he accepted the line of action adopted by his own sons.
Purport :
Vidura did not ask about the welfare of his elder brother because there was no chance of his well-being, only news of his gliding down to hell. Vidura was a sincere well-wisher for Dhåtaräñöra, and he had a thought about him in the corner of his heart. He lamented that Dhåtaräñöra could rebel against the sons of his dead brother Päëòu and that he could drive him (Vidura) out of his own house on the dictation of his crooked sons. In spite of these actions, Vidura never became an enemy of Dhåtaräñöra but continued to be his well-wisher, and at the last stage of Dhåtaräñöra’s life, it was Vidura only who proved to be his real friend. Such is the behavior of a Vaiñëava like Vidura: he desires all good, even for his enemies.
The qualitative nature of a genuine vaisnava is here so exclusively exemplified by Vidura. It is said that the greatest service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is to show compassion to others living beings. And the extent by which one control compassion to those souls in illusion, is here portrait by the life of Vidura. Dhirtarashtra was his own brother. Yet how Dhritarashtra personally participated in abusing Vidura. Dhirtarashtra knew very well that Vidura was his only real friend. He understood that throughout his life Vidura gave him, excellent guidance. But due to his attachment to the material bondage of Father and son relationship, he went against Vidura. To the extent that he was a part of conspiracy of threatening Vidura’s very life and exhaling him from his home and from his kingdom. What was Vidura’s fault? Only that he loved Dhritarashtra. If he did not love him, he would not be try to help him. But sometimes people who are in illusion they do not understand because of their bondage to material attachments. Attachment to materialistic people or people who are too much associating with materialistic ideas, is a source of great bondage. And he could even create an atmosphere where you make offences against those who really care about you. No one can say that they have been abused by any one as much as Vidura could say that he was abused. He was literarily thrown out into the forest without even allowed to be taken anything with him and he was terribly insulted with the most cruel and harash words and obviously it is quite clear that the kingdom of Hastinapur the innocent citizens must be thinking the great Vidura, where did he go? Why he was exiled?
Duryodhana with the consent of Dhritarashtra surely must have told everyone, all kinds of blasphemes and lies to justify him being kicked out of Kingdom. What could be more painful than that? Even his own family, he was separated from the rest of his life. Vidura was remembering not only the offences that were committed against him but also against other devotees. Pandu was the well wishing loving brother of Dhirtarashtra and Vidura. And what greater offence can you make against somebody then going against that person’s will in shouting him and betraying that which that person loves most after his death. Usually even if you do not like someone but after they die you have some nice things to say about them. After they die, you try to think nice about that person because after all he can no longer harm you. So, why not. It is just the basic respect of human civilization.
Pandu and Dhirtarashtra were always friends. There was no competition amongst them. They work together in so many ways for their kingdom and Pandu is life and soul where his five children, Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. They were born of great great devatas to his wife Kunti and madri. And they were the oceanic minds of good qualities. They were small little children and Pandu loved them so dearly. A man in this world, when he comes to close to death and he knows the inevitable was about to happen, usually they start thinking about their children. What can I do for them? There is much I can do for me anymore. Of course he could chant Hare Krishna and go back to godhead. But materialistic people they think in terms of their extensions, which is their children. Man lives through his sons and daughters. So in the world today we see people are going to lawyers and making their last wills and testaments that this factory I give to this son and this house I give to this son and this jewelry I give to this daughter and all of that. Then there will be no question of the children fighting because everyone knows who’s who. Then a man could think oh, at least I am doing something good for my children. So I can rest in peace. Then he dies. That’s the way the world is. But it is natural. You want to make sure that your children, your wife those who are dear to you are well settled and well protected before you die.
So Pandu obliviously he loved his children perhaps we can love our children. If your child is Maharaja Yudhisthira, how much you love him? Hare Krishna. Even if we have child, who is just spoil brat, we love him. What to speak a lying cheater? What to speak you have a child like Arjuna or Bhima? Such noble virtues pure saintly people, who are so qualified and so talented and who will make the name of family famous for ever. How much will be attached to that child? So how would a person honor and show their respected love for Pandu. How have their honor and respect to his children after he leaves, that’s the oblivious human behavior. So Vidura is remembering, how after Pandu left. He was the well wisher of the Pandavas. He knew their glory and greatness. He knew how pleasing with be to Pandu for him to be like the father to them and take care of them. Actually that was what was expected. That Dritarashtra would be the foster father and take care of these beautiful young children in the absence of the Pandu the brother.
Duryodhan, he understood the Pandavas were very qualified and he was envious of them. He was the very personification of envy. In Pandus presence he had very little scope to exercise his envy. But in the absence of Pandu, he understood his father’s weakness was his attachment to him. The greatest weakness in all of existence is material attachment. And maya knows that. Therefore maya knows that she could conquer you to the extent you have material attachemtn. She could put you in illusion to the extent you have material attachments and family life in one of the greatest attachments. Unless it is purely exhibited and expressed in Krishna Consciousness. It is naturally to be attached to the members of the family. But if we are not attached to them, in a way that diverts our attention away from our service to Krishna. If we are attached to them in including them and getting them to participate in service to Krishna. Then that attachment is good for you and good for them. But if that attachment creates a situation, where detached you from Krishna where the line of dharma then that attachment is the great weakness that maya will play with just to make you fall into her hands. In those clutches you are where about will be unknown.
So this is something that all intelligent people should understand. Real strength is detachment and real weakness is attachment. People can be very very strong physically and very strong intellectually and very strong courage but if they have attachments, how maya makes them fall. There is a story of Anthony and -. Anthony was a great general and a great hero. He was beloved by everyone but somehow or other maya just personified his life as this adoption mataji. Then he lost everything. He engaged in terrible coward’s activities and he lost his reputation, he lost his fame, he lost his position in Roman society. And ultimately he was so frustrated and he lost his life. He took his own life. He was in the top of the world but one attachment and everything was spoiled. If you look at the history of humanity and if you look at the history of fall downs of great personalities, it’s because of attachments.
In the country of America, Srila Prabhupada would often use the example of President of that time Mr. Nixon. Maya mixed him. She mixed Nixon and how did he mixed Nixon, because he was attached. He was a president but he was attached to that position. So he arranged all kinds of divisive cleaver ways to hold his position. What was the result? He was condemned, he was criticized, he was insulted, and he became very embarrassment of the nation for ever. It is the greatest embarrassment to the United States in the history of the office of the president and he knew. He would to live with that for the rest of his life and nobody wanted to even look at him. That is only for the cause of attachment.
Sometimes people do their work and they get old and they cannot really do it any longer but they just hold on because of their attachment. Then everyone just was ruining everything this person. Jut retired, just get out. Then everything a person builds up his whole life to be great because he won’t give it up everyone just condemns him at the end. This is material life. And we have seen so many people. Sril Bhakti Siddhant Saraswati Thakur, one time one of his disciples, he left Krishna Consciousness because of attachment to his wife. Bhakti Siddhant Saraswati Thakur began to cry. He said, “It is my fault. I was not able to save him”. Any material attachment you have is your weakness and Maya is definitely going to utilize that weakness to try to get you to compromise the principles of real devotion and drag you away from Krishna. Not may be but definitely. You may not know, how she is doing it but she is already doing it and to continue to do it. So therefore we have to purify our attachments. Either we should use them for Krishna or we should give them up. But somehow or other we should always utilize whatever attachment there are naturally with us in this world to help us become more attached to Krishna and to help others become attached to Krishna. If one is detached, one has unlimited strength. Because what can anyone do to you, if you are detached.
In the western world there was Socrates, he was just the philosopher. He was a Greek saddhu. He did not have much but he had just his philosophy. He was bold. He could speak anything to anyone and at any time because he was not afraid of death. He was not afraid of loosing anything. He had nothing to lose. So the rulers, they did not life his philosophy because people become too intelligent that you cannot control them, manipulate them, or exploit them. So generally powerful people they like to keep others in ignorance. They may start so many universities, so many educational systems just to perpetuate ignorance because the more complex you are in ignorance, the more difficult is to get out ignorance. A person, who is illiterate living in a farm and who does not know anything and you tell him, “Do you know you are in ignorance?” He says, “Of course I know”. Would you like knowledge? You are not this body and chant Hare Krishna. “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.
But a person who has gone through eight years of preliminary school and four years of secondary school and four years of college, university and two years for master’s degree and other four years for Phd. and as reads so many books and so many degrees. You say, “Are you in ignorance”? He will say, “How dare you say that?” Just look at my certificate. Do you want to know, what is knowledge? I already know what knowledge is. I know what the knowledge is. Knowledge is “I am my body and those things in relation to my body are mine” that is knowledge. Then you ask to chant, chant, and chant. I can’t, can’t, and can’t. I am too busy.
So therefore Maya through material civilization creates wonderful, wonderful ways to keep people in ignorance and the best way it is to think you know. So materialistic leaders of civilization they want to keep people in ignorance because of they understand the truth and become detached there nobody can control them. So Socrates was like this and he was giving people intelligence. He was threatening the whole kingdom. So they captured him and they had him in prison in chains. They had poison and they said, “Drink this poison we will kill you”. He said, “You want to kill me. First you have to find me”. They are looking at each other and saying, “We already found you”. But he meant as “I am not this body. I am the soul and you find my soul and kill it”. Try it. He did not mind. But when his disciples were lamenting, “Oh, you are going to die”. He said, “Why are you dying? I am not this body. Why are you crying”? So he happily drank his poison. Because he was detached.
So detachment is power and attachment is weakness. Here we find that Dhritarashtra in the absence of Pandu, he was the king of the planet earth. He was the Raja of the kuru’s. But because of his attachment to his envious son, everything was spoiled. Vidura was trying to give him intelligence. But even despite all Vidura’s good wishes, how dhritarashtra completely betrayed and insulted his own brother’s good wishes. What was dearest to the Pandava’s, Dhritarashtra was in a conspiracy to assassinate to kill them, to burn them to death, to poison them to death, to insult them, to devolve their wife in public, and to exiled them to the forest to live like hermits. What an insult this is to Pandu. He was supposed to be carrying for the suns behalf of Pandu. What to speak the insult to Kunti Devi.
Kunti Devi was such a pure hearted mother. She could never think offensively take anyone. She did not have that in power of her heart. She was such a loving and forgiving woman, a helpless widow depending on Dhritarashtra to support her. But Dhritarashtra made arrangements to burn her life along with her sons. This is called Vaisnava Aparadh. Yet, Vidura is remembering Dhritarashtra with affection and compassion. Srila Prabhupada, so sensitively perceives the difference between, how Vidura is speaking about Dhrishtra and everyone else he spoke about previously.
When Vidura met Uddhava after long absence from all of his family member and friends, he was inquiring as to welfare of each of them. He enquired, “How was Krishna and Balaram, the life and soul of all living beings and how was their Vasudeva, how was Devaki, how was the great King Ugrasena, how was Krishna’s son Pradyumna and his grand son Anirudha, how was Yujudhan the great personality”? He was inquiring about Akrura that very very virtues devotee of the Lord. He was asking about the activities and the welfare of so many devotees and Krishna Himself. But when he wanted to Dhritarashtra, he did not ask how he was? Because there was no use of asking. A person who behaves in a cruel way and as offensive to the Lord’s devotees can not be good. All he could do is glide down to hell. For sometime Dhritarashtra was sitting on his throne with his crown and his scepter and the whole world at his feet. Duryodhana was the Yuvaraja. He was the prince that was meant to be the next king. For so many years it appeared like this but Vidura, he understood, there was no question that they were rightly situated. There was no question that there was anything good about their lives. Because they were offensive and they were gliding to hell. Whether the world could see it now or not it is just a matter of time.
Krishna says, “Time is I am”. In the form of time Krishna reveal everything to everyone, if you have the eyes to see. The truth always comes out in due course of time. Nothing can be conceived. You can conceal things in your heart; you can conceal things amongst friends. You can conceal things in so many ways but in due course of time you will be exposed. Krishna will do it in the form of time either in this life or later.
In the country of the united states, the first president was George Washington. Everyone was thinking, “He is a great man for so many years but then they later find out through all kinds of historical records that he had other affairs with other woman and everything. Now people will think of George Washington is a good fighter but not a very good person”. So what to do? Krishna reveals, “My devotee is beyond it”. “I am a fallen soul. Krishna, Mahaprabu you are patitapavan, please save me. I am fallen”. Rather, Oh, I am very great. Then Krishna reveals, if you are not very great. Therefore the great, never thinks they are great. The great, feel their fault. The great are grateful. Grateful means, if you are full of greatness spell differently. Because if you actually feeling your self really really fallen, anything and anyone gives, you are grateful because you feel, you do not deserve it. Any mercy Krishna gives you, if you think you deserve it, you are not grateful. If you think you deserve what Krishna gives you, you say, “Why this? Why not this”? Krishna gives you mercy or why somebody else gets better mercy than me. What is this? It is not fair. Why are you doing this Krishna? Do not you understand, who am I, what I have done? But a devotee, who thinks he is fallen, anything that if he gets or one little scrap of mercy, or if he gets one little chapatti, he is grateful.
A person, who thinks he is very great and you give him a chapatti. He says, “Why there is no ghee on may chapatti”. If you put ghee on his chapatti, he says, “Where is my subji”? Then if you give him subji and he says, “Where is my ladu and my halawa”? What is this? What kind of temple do you have? But a grateful person thinks, “I do not deserve anything. I deserve to be starving in hell and he gave me a chapatti. Such a causeless mercy, Krishna you are wonderful and your devotees are wonderful”. That person is great. A grateful person is full of greatness. But unfortunately a proud person cannot open his heart to receive the mercy of the lord. Therefore that person is in the greatest poverty. Because he cannot accept the great spiritual riches of Krishna’s mercy.
Vidura and Dhritarashtra, their relationship is a very very sacred lesson to the world. Dhritarashtra had big big position but Vidura only saw that he was most lamentable position and he knew it is a fact that it is just a matter of time to Krishna reveals everything. So what was the end result. We all know, Duryodhana died a miserable death and suffering terrible pain. All of his 99 brothers were destroyed. And Duryodhana knew it all my fault. He fought with Bhima, he had a broken spine. Can you imagine having Bhima hit you with all his mighty with his own club on the spiny of your back? Can you imagine what pain you would be having and live through it? Think about that. Sometimes we have a backache. We just laying down and saying, “I can not do any service today”. I cannot even chant my rounds today because my back is hurting.
Because with that same club, he was hitting elephants on the head and their skulls are cracking and blood was flowing and elephant would just fall dead. Hare Krishna. Not just ordinary elephants but the Kuru warrior elephants, the biggest most and strongest elephants in the world. Just one smashing elephant would die. With more strength he hit Duryodhan in his spine and in his thigh. He just laying there in so much pain and just thinking all these millions of people on the battle field were killed because of my greed and all my brothers are dead because of my greed. Whatever fame, I tried to protect throughout my life, now the whole world will always think of me for the rest of history as a demon, as an envious rascal. You know, how much he was suffering? Or he was laying there dying. Dritarashtra had to see that.
In the end Vidura, even after all these injustices, he was the one that came to Dhritarashtra in his hour of need. Yudhisthira was a similar great Vaisnava. Yudhisthira endured all the offences that Dhritarashtra created against him. Yet when Dhritarashtra was in helpless position, Yudhisthira said, “Please come and live with me”. He cared for him, fed him, and showed so much love and even respected him as a king. But Vidura, he went back to Dhritarashtra and he preached him. Same thing he preached him throughout his life to Dhritarashtra but after everything was taken away and his ego was crushed then Dhritarashtra was receptive. This time when Vidura preached him, Dhritarashtra said, “Yes, I’ll come with you to become Krishna Conscious and to purify my life”.
So Srila Prabhupada explains that only Vidura prove to be his real friend. Such as the behavior of a vaisnava like vidura. He desires all good even for his enemies.
“titikñavaù käruëikäù
suhådaù sarva-dehinäm
ajäta-çatravaù çäntäù
sädhavaù sädhu-bhüñaëäù”
Srimad Bhagavatam 3.25.21
These are the qualities of a saddhu or a devotee. He is the well wisher of every living being. He has no enemies. People may say, you as an enemy. You may attack a persons diseased conditioned but because you see every living being as part of Krishna. You only love and compassion for the person, the soul of every creature in earth. This is the quality of a devotee. He is always looking for the opportunity to help everyone.
Lord Nityananda Prabhu although Jagai and Madhai insulted him and Madhai even smashed him on the head and made his head bleed. Madhai’s desire was to kill him and Nityananda Prabhu’s only desire in reciprocation was to save Madhai and to pray for him, to risk his life to help him. If someone came and cracked you on your head and made you bleed profusely and he was about to hit again and again until you died and some one came to punish that person. Most of would say, yes and finished that rascal’s life. But Nityananda Prabhu said, “No do not hurt him. Please what ever devotion I done, whatever pious activities I have done, I’ll treat all in just to protect this person, give him bhakti and give him devotion”. The greatest reward, he wanted to give to this person, who tried to kill him. That is the glory of a vaisnava. Haridas Thakur was being beaten and blasphemed with only one objective makes him suffer and die that’s all. These people beating him, they only wanted him to suffer and die and make him look like the worst germ in earth before the people in general. And Vishnu wanted to shaver those demons heads. But He could not because Haridas Thakur was praying so intensely, “Lord Please forgive them and give them devotion”.
Those are the kinds of people we should make friends whit them. A real vaisnava is the only person who is a real friend. Not people who like you and help you because of some material attachment to you. We can have nice fun with this person. But if the fun goes away the person goes away. Who is our real friend? Those, who want only to help us to reunite with Krishna is the real friend. That is the definition of real friend. Those, who bring us, back to the ultimate supreme friend, Krishna. The devotees should become that kind of friend not only to the conditioned souls but with each other. If we are preaching this high message to others but we cannot be friends with each other in this level but at least aspiring to beyond this level. Then, what is our realization? We should cultivate this type of friendship with other vaisnavas. Husband and wife should develop this type of friendship between each other. Not sex partners like it is in the west. Not just were here together as a contract to raise these children somehow or other. Not like that. By the will of providence we are in the same cast, we are of the same nation, and we are husband and wife and we have these children and so, that is not. But the type of friend, who is willing to risk anything endure and anything to help you to be Krishna Consciousness, that is the real friend. That is what the husband and wife should be with each other.
That is how god’s sister and god’s sister should be with each other. Why fighting over, who should wash the pot or who said this about who, all these trivial thing come between our friendships, what nonsense? We can so easily turn against each other have affection with each other because some little things said against us. But they can say more things against you more than Dhritarashtra did to Vidura, more than Madhai did to Nityananda. And Kunti Devi she loved Dhritarashtra and prayed for his good wishes. What kind of lady is she should be? So god sisters should become such deep intimate friend. Not only god sisters in the sense of same guru but same tradition amongst vaisnavas. It begins there.
Within Srila Prabhupada’s family how a lady should be god sisters but real friend to each other on this level and how the men should be god brothers on this level. Amongst the brahmacaris. This ashram is going to be really a spiritually surcharged brahmacari ashram, it is based on this principle, that the brahmacairs make very very deep friendship upon the basis of serving others. Vidura did not want to be the master of Dhritarashtra but he wanted to serve him. Serve at any expense being willing to tolerate any injustice but somehow or other help this person to come closer to Krishna and be happy. No matter what comes in our life, we will never be separated. We will never betray each other.
Maya in this age of Kali Yuga is terrible powerful trying to create disintegration and segregation. This is the weapon of Kali to create quarrel, hypocrisy, conflict, and distrust therefore you cannot be a real friend. These things will come. You cannot run from it. All you can do is, go back to godhead. That’s the only way out or you can go back to godhead unless you become a real friend of the vaisnavas and accept the friendship of a vaisnava. So this kind of loving association is so important, amongst the brahmacaris, amongst the grishasta man with each other, amongst the ladies with each other, amongst the grihastha men with the brahmacaries, amongst the brahmacaries towards the women from a respectful distance. Because if you gets too closer you will no longer friends because if you gets too close, what happens, you are endangering that person. If a woman treats a brahmacari too closely and physically she is endangering that person’s vows. Therefore she becomes his enemy not as friend. It is not a sentimental friendship. There we just talking, talking and I just want to be your friend. I want to be a friend, help me and save me. Do not endanger my survival. So that we should be respectful in communication but it should be done with the love of a vaisnava as a friend. Never to be harsh. Never to be proud and think I am better. A real friend is a humble servant but not a proud master. So in this way the whole vaisnava society all are interactions should be based on love, trust, the real friendship with real integrity, and knowledge. This is how Vidura is teaching us.
You can have a friend like Vidura, you can be saved. You have seek such friendship. And if you can be a friend like Vidura, then you will see you have many friends like Vidura. If you be a friend of others, you will be amazed, how many friends you have. If you are not able to be a real friend to others, you won’t be able to recognize anyone is being your friend. Even people are so unconditionally trying to help you and if you are not trying to help them, Krishna will not even allow you to see the truth that these are my friends. That is reality.
Duryodhana could not see that Vidura was his friend. But Vidura could see everyone in a compassionate spirit and of course the definition of a true friend is to help your friend when that friend is in need. In this world everyone is in need and the only solution to our problem is Krishna Consciousness. The only means of attaining Krishna Consciousness is to follow the principles that Krishna has given us. Beginning with associating with devotees and when we are talking about association of devotees in a true sense we are talking about a society that is being described in this class today. That is the real association of devotees.
Association of people who really want to help each other and to be with Krishna, by hearing about Krishna together, by discussing Krishna together, by serving Krishna together, by uniting under the harmony of the will of guru together, by taking Prasad together, by giving gifts to each other, by serving each other and by coming together in the temple raising our arms dancing in great happiness and loudly chanting the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.
Is there any questions?
Question : Maharaja because of friendships the consequence is familiarity. So how to avoid familiarity breeding contempt?
Maharaj : We want to become very familiar but on the basis of Krishna, no in the basis of Maya. Familiarity breeds contempt, when our familiarity is scented around sense gratification gross or subtle. When our familiarity is scented around devotional service that familiarity breeds love. So what to we talk about, when we are together? What to do if we are together? Are we talking about other devotees in a sense gratifying way because everyone’s mind loves gossip and rumors. Unless they are very advanced. We like to hear because it is exciting, hearing about how devotees are deviated and fallen down and made mistakes. We cannot watch television but we can doubtable propensity to watch television to hear about the scandals amongst the vaisnavas. So for the crows garbage is very sweet. So that kind of discussion is not familiarity. That type of familiarity would bring contempt. Because now two of you are talking about somebody else but low behold the day will be that the person will be taking about you. Hari bol. And you will be talking about him or her. So that familiarity would breed contempt. And what will do together? Will going out shopping for the deities and you will become very good friends for ever. If you are going out shopping just so that you can look very glamorous and handsome together and let us fashion that type of familiarity will inevitably breed contempt. If Krishna is in the center of our relationship the deeper and more closer our relationship becomes the greater love will be unlimitedly grow between us. Therefore we have to really very very strongly tolerate these urges for unnecessary activities.
Question : Maharaja You spoke about the material attachment. Today we are living in the world where working environment is extremely competitive. There is the tendency that if you do not do well then you will loose your job. Now in such a competitive atmosphere there is the tendency that if I am not really attached to my job I cannot put my heart in whole into it and cannot do my job well. So how do we deal with this situation?
Maharaj : The attachment should not to the job. The attachment should be the purpose fulfilled through your job. And if you utilizing your job for the service of Krishna the fruits of your work for the service of Krishna. You have a family and you are raising your family in Krishna Consciousness and you are trying to assist Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada and the vaisnavas then actually you are working for that. You are not working for the employer. Directly it may appear that way but actually you are working for your family and you are working for yourself and you are working for whatever you are uses your money for. So the purpose of our working is service to Krishna then the attachment should be to the purpose. Then you work very hard is harder than any one. Arjuna and Duryodhana were both doing the same work and they were both attached. Duryothana was fighting that war with great attachment, do you agree? Arjuna was also fighting that war with great attachment. Therefore they were both working to their maximum ultimate capacity, both of them. But Duryoudhana’s purpose was his own selfish motivations and Arjuna’s motive was the service of Krishna. So you can do your job in the spirit of Duryodhan or you can perform your job in the spirit of Arjuna. Your attachment should be the purpose. You are fulfilling through that job. Anf if you are hearing about Krishna and chanting the names of Krishna sincerely and associating with Krishna’s devotees then we will become attached to the goal of life and then we will perform our job in pursuance of the goal of life. So you should work with attachment and you should work hard better than anyone according to your capacity. But the attachment should be to the Krishna and service to Krishna. Service to Krishna’s devotees.
Maharaja, when we are trying to cultivate somebody in Krishna Consciousness at that time people are receptive to certain things and not receptive to certain things. But something which are really hampering in their progress for Krishna Consciousness but at the same time they are not receptive to those things which are really hampering in that Krishna Consciousness progress. So in that none receptive condition, shall we perceive telling them about the same thing or just ignore this things and just tell him chant Hare Krishna. Then we cultivate someone in Krishna Consciousness. They are receptive to certain things and not receptive to other things, which is really hampering in their progress.
AM: You are asking, whether we should only tell them what they like or whether we should tell them everything?
AD: In the given condition.
AM: It is best for you to tell them what help them more advance in Krishna Consciousness. If you tell them what they do not like but they are willing to listen then that’s very good for them because they should know. If you tell them in a way that they trust you and they know you care about them and they do not think you are criticizing them, then they will listen. In preaching especially to devotees as well as to guest and the people in general, how you say it is as important as what you say? If a say in the mood that I am great and you are small and I am going to give you the qualification to following my footsteps. If you have that domineer people will not want to listen vary carefully but if you have the mood, whoever you are preaching to you, I merely concern with you. I am your servant. My guru maharaja has given me this wonderful message, I want to share with you. Please understand this. And people will listen.
When Narada Muni was speaking to maharaja Prachin Barihsat, he told him everything. All the things he did not want to hear. But he spoke in such a humble and gentle way that the king did not even know he was talking about him until the end. Then he heard all so it was too late. He pertained to be talking about somebody else. That is an expert preacher. An expert preacher is one who changes the person’s heart and raised the person’s consciousness and you should say the needful in such a way that you actually help that person. We should not be self righteous, we just beat a person on head with the truth until he is knocked unconsciousness and runs away. We should present the truth in such a way that will inspire enlighten that person’s heart and enthuse person to be Krishna Conscious. That is a preacher.
Question : In case of Vidura, he was humble, he was most concerned about the welfare of Dhritarashtra, whatever needed to be a preacher he had all these qualities and he was telling Dhritarashtra all throughout whatever was good for him and still he did not listen to him and he was continuing to telling him.
Maharaj : That means you cannot be attached to the fruits of your actions. He just perform the services the best way he possible can. Vidura told him the truth. Even though it was palatable to him. But he told to him in such a well wishing loving friend, immediately he did not take affect. But actually in the end he did. Because Vidura preach with such love and kindness to Dhritarashtra the truth throughout his life at the end Dhritarashtra actually knew that he is my friend. He cares about me and at the end he listened and became saved. So whatever Vidura did for Dhritarashtra, it was not just the end that happened. He built enough trust and love in the heart of Dhritarashtra toward his good intentions that at the end he could preach to him and save his life.
Devotee: So that we should keep trying till end.
Maharaj : Please, give hope to my life and keep trying. Someday the compassion and mercy of Vaisnavas like you there is a great hope for everyone.
Devotee: Maharaja, in initial stage, you mentioned about vaisnavas stand for all feeling qualities and compassion and you told, offences can be harmful to a person’s devotional service. To want extent and how far you can be compassionate to person who may be receptive or not receptive to your compassionate texture?
Maharaj : To what extent you be compassionate to a person who may not accept your service, that is the question?
Devotee: Yes.
Maharaj: There should be no limit to how much we are trying to help others become Krishna Conscious. There should be no limit. However sometimes we have to be expert enough to our own spiritual realization to understand what will actually help a person most. Because your question is very general and that can be approached in so many different directions. Sometimes compassion means to punish a person. If a person is misbehaving, sometimes it is good to punish that person. So that they understand they are leading the wrong type of life. Another words sometimes we chastise. You may have heard Srila Prabhupada’s stories about his chastising lilas. That was which as much as compassion as his nice encouraging lilas. Because his compassion was to somehow or other do whatever is necessary to help you understand and help you to overcome your weaknesses and your illusions. For compassion can take many forms but our motivation and our realization should be to serve that person and to help that person. If a person is not responding very much then it is a matter of time and circumstance.
If it is a devotee, who has given many years of life, we should give special attention into that devotee, knowing how dear will be to Krishna. If that person as done so much, we should try to give as much as we can to him or her but if we have limited time and other people are anxious to hear and you neglect them because you are spending all your time in trying to give compassion to someone who does not want it then that is not a very good utilization of our time. So it is very important to manage our time in very efficiently. Because there are so many people who need to hear this message and who need the compassion of the vaisnavas and therefore we should naturally if our time is limited we should put the most of our energy to those people who are willing to accept and receive it. Do you understand?
Devotee: Yes, I want to specific of on offenses in the sense, if somebody has committed an offence against you and mind is the way it cause pain to you and sticking that offense in your mind and keeps coming cropping after over time. Even you understand the fact and compassionate is the good quality to cultivate. It does not easily come by cultivation that quality gets somewhere manifested. So you are struggling with your offenses at the same time you want to be compassionate and then how do you?
Maharaj: If someone commits offense against you, you should be very willing to forgive that person immediately. You should think that I have committed so many offences against so many people in so many lifetimes that this person is just be deliver of my own karma. This person is not to blame. I am to blame. Hare Krishna. We should not take offences that people committed against us. We should take seriously offences, we committed against them. That is the sign of humility. If you are humble, you will think, “I deserve so much worse, you have spoken that against me but actually you should be shooting me with guns and stabbing me with knives and cutting me with hatchets and putting poison in my food and everything else. That’s what I deserve and you are just saying some nasty things. Actually you are very very lenient. Thank you”. We may not speak like this but this how a devotee thinks. If you have that humility, you will be not upset, if somebody say something against you. You will take it as an opportunity to make spiritual advancement. As we were saying yesterday, “A devotee in crises sees the opportunity to make spiritually advancement”. If someone mistreats you, you could think if I can respect and be nice to this person I’ll go back to the godhead. I’ll be so much advancement, if I can do that. Therefore this person is giving me such a wonderful opportunity for spiritual advancement. Here he may not know that he is doing this but Krishna is using this person as an instrument to give me the chance to become very very dear to the Lord. So you should see like this.
I remember one great soul, so many people committed so many offences against this devotee, very very senior vaisnava. He was senior to everyone and so many people commits so many offences. And I saw with my own eyes, when devotees beg forgiveness he began to cray. He said, “I am a criminal. You cannot make offence against a criminal”. Krishna will torture you if you commit an offence to such a person. But the person does not even thinks it’s an offence. When Gopal Chapal try to ruined Srivas Thakur’s reputation for all the people of Navadvipa. Srivas Thakur said, “You are right. He is right. Everything was said against me as correct”. So when people make offenses against us we should understand that this is actually Krishna giving us a wonderful, wonderful opportunity to make great great spiritual advancement. But when people make offenses against other vaisnavas or against our guru or against Krishna then we should be willing to fight. But when people committed offenses against us we should humbly accept for our purification and become purified. Hare Krishna.
“tåëäd api sunécena
taror iva sahiñëunä
amäninä mänadena
kértanéyaù sadä hariù”
Caitanya-caritamrita Antya 6.239
To be more humble than the blade of grass. How many offences people put to grass? They step on it, they spit on it, they pass urine and stool on it, they through things on it, they sit on it. How do you like the people stepping on your head, sitting on your head, spitting on your head, passing urine, and stool on your head? Would you consider that as offence someone did that to you? But if you are more humble than the blade of grass, you will you say, “As long as I helping you its go on and its alright”. That’s, what means to be more humble than a blade of grass.
More tolerant than a tree. We cut the trees, we hang on the trees, we do so many things to the trees. Trees still giving you shed, giving you heat. Tree can sit on the sun and cold but never complain and ready to offer all respect to others and expect no respect for himself. You are only offended when you want respect. If you do not want respect. Krishna may see someone has offended you but you won’t see that. If we have this consciousness offering all respect to others and expecting none in for ourselves. That is wonderful. If you are offering all respect to others and expecting none in yourself that means if someone offense you then you respect him, correct. If you have this consciousness and if you want this consciousness, if you pray for and strive for this consciousness then you can chant constantly the Hare Krishna mahamantra. “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.
