Let Krishna Take Charge - Part 4

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

This is in continuation of the previous offerings transcribing the wonderful class by HG Devakinandan Prabhuji in Abu Dhabi on Srimad Bhagavatam verse 4.20.31.

In the last offerings, we saw that the reason we are not peaceful and really happy is that we are separated (khanditah) from Krishna as we chose to be independent. Because of this we are unable to have darshan of Krishna and so if we want to have darshan of Krishna, we should do the following:

a) Completely depend on Krishna and then 
b) Be in line with Krishna 
c) Not to run after material happiness. 

In this offering, we shall see the second and concluding part of the verse. 

2. Let Krishna Take charge: Now the best and the easiest way to connect with Krishna is given in the second and concluding part of the verse and that is why Prthu Maharaj prays in this beautiful prayer, "Please do not ask me to take material benefit from You." He is praying very hard for it. Now as devotees, very often we all have some material desires in our heart but Sukadev Goswami tells in Srimad Bhagavatam verse 2.3.10:

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣaṁ param

A person who has broader intelligence, whether he be full of all material desire, without any material desire, or desiring liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead.

This is an important verse for us to bear in mind when we read Srimad Bhagavatam verse 4.20.31 because the question can be raised that if we should not be asking Krishna for anything then why Sukadev Goswami is saying, "if you have a desire, you should ask Krishna." The overriding principle for devotees is first, not everyone can be born and become overnight pure devotees. We are all struggling. Frankly speaking, at the beginning of our connection with Krishna, it is better to include Krishna in every facet of our life than to be totally divorced from Krishna. I know a devotee, who when he first started devotional service, always used to tell us that whenever he wanted to pray for something material, he would go somewhere where devotees do not see him, pray to some Devata to please give him the material desire and after that he would come to Krishna and say, "I prayed for something but I am not telling you what it is!" But Krishna knows everything. Whoever that we are praying to, apart from Krishna, can only give us what Krishna has put for us. They can only facilitate. They can't go beyond that. So frankly speaking, Sukadev Goswami and all the acharyas are putting forward to us that even if we have something in our mind, better we tell to father than to tell uncles. Uncles may confuse us. But father is only one. So we should always be with father. Uncles may be there. Sometimes they may guide us. We must respect them, but uncles can never become father and father should not be demoted to become uncle. This is the relationship between us and Krishna. If we have that mood, then we should slowly, as time goes, absorb the mood of Prthu Maharaj because how long we are going to ask Krishna for the material things, when we know that actually, the material things don't bring us happiness. If we want Krishna to take charge, we should realize the following 

a) The three results of being engaged in Krishna's service. 
b) Unmotivated devotional service leads to uninterrupted devotional service. 
c) Our main aim should be to glorify the Lord. 
d) We should take pleasure in others doing devotional service. 

We shall see the explanation of the above points. 

a) The three results of being engaged in Krishna's service: We know that when we are in the congregation of devotees, right now, three things cannot touch us. It is very nicely stated in SB 4.30.35:

yatreḍyante kathā mṛṣṭās tṛṣṇāyāḥ praśamo yataḥ
nirvairaṁ yatra bhūteṣu nodvego yatra kaścana

Whenever pure topics of the transcendental world are discussed, the members of the audience forget all kinds of material hankerings, at least for the time being. Not only that, but they are no longer envious of one another, nor do they suffer from anxiety or fear.

(i) When you are hearing Bhagavatam, there is no material hankering. Whatever hankering we have, they are outside this door. We may be hungry for prasadam, but that is acceptable. Apart from that, nothing else is there.

(ii) We are not envious of each other when we are listening to Bhagavatam. We are not envious of each other when we are doing service for Krishna. Why? Because we have no time to be envious. For us to be envious, we must have time. As Maharaj used to say, to fall sick also we need time. We need time to fall sick, we need time to see the doctor; we need time to take medicine. Devotees do not give time for themselves to be envious of each other. Imagine this was a wedding function. In a wedding function, everybody is looking at each other, how nicely he is dressed, how is he talking. At weddings, it is all social. But here we are all gathered. But frankly speaking, nobody is looking at each other. Everybody is concentrating on Krishna Katha. So the point is when we are with Krishna, there is no envy.

(iii) There is no fear. Na udvegah - otherwise every day in this material world, our constant companion is fear. Fear that something will happen; fear that we will lose something. 

Prabhuji's explanation on the other points shall be transcribed and offered in the upcoming mails, Krishna willing. 

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