Fire of Bhakti - Part 5

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev.

This is in continuation of the transcription of Maharaj's nectarean class in London on the topic, "Fire of Bhakti". In the previous offering we heard from Maharaj:

1. With Krishna we are heroes; without Krishna we are zeroes.
2. Fortune and bliss follows when we are with Krishna.
3. Taking care of children is devotional service and never neglect it.
4. Spiritualise your work.
5. Stick to Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam.
6. Potency of Mahamantra.
7. Be fiery in bhakti.

Now let us continue to hear more nectar from Maharaj,

8. Way to get liberation: (One devotee asked Maharaj about how we can get liberation? Will performance of pious activities lead to liberation In reply Maharaj started to explain by singing a beautiful Gujarati bhajan of Narasi Mehta, a great devotee of Lord Krishna.),

bhūtal bhakti padārath moṭu brahmalokmā nāhī re
puṇya karī amarāpurī pāmyā ante chorāśīmāhī re

Doing devotional service on this earth is a great fortune (big thing), this is not available in heavenly planets. By doing pious activity one can achieve heavenly planets (Amarapuri) but they finally have to pass through 84 lakh species again.

Sometimes what happens, there is not enough understanding (knowledge) and we don’t want to take next birth. Then people donate for digging a well, or give some lakshmi for this program and that program and then feel that they will be freed from their karmas by doing this. Many times we request them to chant and we request them to donate lakshmi for this Rathayatra. They will say, "Take this donation and leave us alone." For them there is no other choice but to be in the circle of 84,00,000 births again. In the second para liberation (moksha) is explained very nicely,

harinā jan to mukti na māge, māge janmojanm avatār re
nit sevā nit kirtan ochchhav, nīrakhvā Naṅdkumār re

Devotees do not desire for liberation. They ask birth after birth human form to do always devotional service, always kirtan, always taking darshan of Nanda Kumar.

Everyday we need to serve Krishna, everyday kirtan is required and we must celebrate festivals. In Dwarka still it is good till date. Now they are establishing a big refinery in Dwarka so we don't know how long our culture will survive? The big demon in the form of refinery has attacked there. Till date they celebrate festivals everyday. Festival of putting flags on top of the temple, festival of Bhagavat Saptah for eight days and lots of other festivals. Day and night they play drums (Nagara). We must increase celebration of all the festivals related to Krishna. We organize Rathayatra in Dwarka once in a year and big crowd is gathered. Around 200 people come from Bombay and some from other places and around 500 people is gathered there. So we need to book guest houses and owners (local residents) of guest houses eagerly wait for these kind of festivals. They often ask when rathayatra is going to take place. Otherwise normally their guest houses are empty. That's why they ask everyday (laughter). It is his self interest. By doing this he remembers Krishna and asks when Lord Jagannath’s rath will go on yatra? So we must celebrate all festivals. This time we are thinking of grand celebration for Janmasthami. There is Gomati river in Dwarka. Gomati Ganga. When there is high tide in Gomati we shall take Radha-Shyamsundar on yatra and if we do this kind of celebration then millions of people will gather there. It is very blissful to celebrate such festivals. This is the main thing. We must celebrate all festivals. We should celebrate festivals related to acharyas or great devotees or Lord's incarnations. If we celebrate all these festivals then we will get liberation (mukti).

True meaning of liberation is to get mukti from doctors, Get mukti from this microwave, get mukti from refrigerator, get mukti from this bed. You want to have foam bed when you have back pain. Then you will have more back pain. Then you go to doctor and he will say "Put these wooden planks on the bed." You will say, "But we have this nice floor." But the doctor will say, "No, no, no this is advancement. This is orthopedic bed." You will have to suffer from back pain and moreover you will have to spend 1000 pounds for this orthopedic bed. And then again they will do operation. You will be asked to sit in the wheel chair. The welfare officer will come and ask, "How are you?" You proudly say, "I am alright" (laughter). Oh, you are sitting on the wheel chair and cannot even walk but you say, "I am alright." Then welfare officer will ask, "You can claim benefit out of this." Man, first they cut you and now when you are in wheel chair they give you benefit. And this is called, 'welfare state.'  There is nothing like ‘welfare state’ in this world. (laughter) Our Vaid (Ayurvedic doctors) they never cut. If you are going to die, they will let you die.  But there is nothing like this ‘welfare state’.  Few relatives come. They take you to cremation ground. They will burn you and then they will take tea and go back. Nowadays they don’t take bath in Ganges but take tea. There is no water in Ganges (laughter). We are going in a very wrong direction. There is no other meaning of ‘mukti’.  We have to come out from all so called advancement.  Buy dhoti. Leave trousers for sometime. Wear dhoti. “harinā jan” – Devotees of lord Hari – they don’t care about clothes, trousers, shirts or dhoti - harinā jan to mukti na māge, māge janmojanm avatār re - Devotees do not desire for liberation. They ask birth after birth human form to do always devotional service, always kirtan, always taking darshan of Nanda Kumar. Our life is sinful and we never stop doing sins. So our next birth is certain. So atleast we must pray, "Please Lord give me Your mercy, even if I will take the next birth, please engage me in Your devotional service."

Krishna willing we shall continue with more nectar from Maharaj in the subsequent offerings. Maharaj had spoken in Gujarati in many places in this lecture. Our heartfelt thanks to HG Govindang Prabhuji and HG Tungabhadra Mataji for translating the same in English.

Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev,
Sudarshana devi dasi.