Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev.
This is in conclusion of the partial transcription of nectarean Bhagavatam class given by our beloved spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj on Srimad Bhagavatam verse 3.9.5 in Sri Sri RadhaNeelMadhav dham, Rajkot. In the previous offering we heard the following points from Maharaj:
1. We must digest the shlokas and not just 'know' them.
2. We must be attached to Lord's lotus feet and not to our funeral ceremony and samadhi.
3. We should keep devotional service simple and not complicate it with electronic items.
4. Things perceived through mind are illusion.
5. Smell the aroma of Bhagavatam through the ears.
6. Minimise your necessities.
Now let us continue to hear more nectar from Maharaj.
7. Fill the ears with Krishna-katha: We should try to habituate ourselves to smell the aroma of lotus feet through our ears. tasmin mahan-mukharitā madhubhic-caritra- pīyūṣa-śeṣa-saritaḥ paritaḥ sravanti - This nectar is flowing like a river. That nectar, we should try to smell through the ears. The constitution of the ear is worth under-standing. Three parts of ear we have. One is outer ear, which does the work of disc. You know telephone tower, it uses a disc. So outer ear just performs the work like that disc. And it is a very expert arrangement of the disc. Our material disc is like a saucer. Ear is not like a saucer. There are different depths and different instruments are there to accept the different waves. Please understand this. Spiritual knowledge cannot be sucked by disc, but could be captured only by the ears. Aroma cannot be smelled by ear if it had shape like disc. Ear has a definite constitution and because of the curves present in it, different reactions to the waves of the sound is going on. Every sound has a different reaction. If wife comes, without seeing we know that wife has come, because we are familiar with that sound wave. The thing is we immediately recognise all our familiar sounds. In the same way, the transcendental sound vibrations have different effects and those sound vibrations are subtle. Subtle vibrations goes through the channel, that is the middle part of the ear. It is like a tube. In that channel also, there are thin hairs, which filter the sound again, the transcendental sound also. Then in the end part again we have a tiny hair which react according to sound vibration. They send the pleasing signal or unpleasing signal, either we are happy to hear or we are not happy to ear. And these signals all goes on very subtly and every second of our existence, these reactions are going on. And we are now just thinking about one organ which is created by Krishna. And without His attention, by His energies, these organs are running. So why can't we get attached to these things than to get attached to things which are not going to take us anywhere really?
Whether we have a big hall or small hall, whether there is hut or no hut, why we are worrying about these things? The whole world is completely misdirected. Prabhupada very nicely says that Bhagavatam is meant to create a revolution in the impious life of the world's misdirected civilization. The whole civilization is misdirected. Can we not understand these things and propagate to the best of our ability? May be hearers will not be there. Hearers will never be there. Our expectation is not for the hearers. We go on for our own understanding. And please try to keep your eyes open and your hearts completely open wide, to imbibe these vibrations, which are coming from Prabhupada's books. Please try to utilize those vibrations and try to scrutinize. As soon as scrutinization is there, the essence will go inside. And this is attachment. This attachment must increase. Otherwise we are wasting our time. Please not for any other living entity, for our own sake, we have to do these things. Otherwise we are really wasting our existence.
8. Read and Write: We should not "Maya"ise the things. We should "Krishna"ise the things. This is the way to 'Krishna'ise. It is very easy for me to say. But every second of our existence is a test. That is why constant vibrations should go on. Prabhupada realised this and that's why he has given us Bhagavatam classes, Bhagavad Gita classes in the morning and evening, in between seva, chanting, distribution of books. Write something about it or think about it. Don't waste your time unnecessarily. Please have a Bhagavatam set with you, Prabhupada's set. And you will require years together to understand that. So write something. Always read and write. Read and write. Please, even if one verse you have to prepare, write it. So that you will have some reference for reading. We may read and forget. Writing will give you the reminders. Notebook, I can take anywhere. Whole set, I cannot take anywhere. And even if I have computer, I have to find out the plug and this and that. So computers are also useless. But your diary will be useful. So please prepare notes in your diaries. Don't study without the diary. And you should write. Once when I was reading from my diary, one devotee asked me, "Maharaj, Can I xerox your diary?" I told him, "You may xerox, but you will not understand anything, because that is my preparation." So please don't xerox anybody else's diary. You prepare your own diary. You will have to study yourself. You know what is to be understood. Krishna is situated in everyone's heart. So according to your tendency He will show you the mercy. He will give the intelligence to write. So please by your own hand writing, you should do it and don't delay these things and then aroma will come from there. I have taken notes since 1970 and even now when I read those notes, I get so many nice verses, stories, everything is there. Please try to maintain these things. In future we will not be habituated to write. So continue writing habit. So everybody should see that you are writing by pens or pencils or whatever. Use nice diaries, nice handwriting and make it clear, so that anybody reads, they will understand. Jai! Srila Prabhupada ki Jai!
Our heartfelt thanks to Maharaj for these practical instructions and we pray at his lotus feet that we practise the same in this life.
Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev,
Sudarshana devi dasi.
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