Bhakti Shastri Chapter 3 V 22 - 43 by HG Radha Krsna Prabhuji

V22- There are so many people who want to follow Krsna and hence Krsna does prescribed duties even though he isn't supposed to do anything and no rule or regulations bind him. Otherwise common men would follow him as he is seen as an authority. Sometimes, he performed leelas so he could show miracles to his devotees. He sometimes became a charioteer to show that sometimes you have to take the humble position and we need to follow these instructions.

V24: Here Krsna is counteracting Arjuna's argument about varna Sankara. Here Krsna is actually stating that if you actually don't do work and prescribed duties, the consequence is that it creates unwanted population. Hence, he tells Arjuna fight and perform your prescribed duties.

V25: Ignorant don't know what is good for them, but those who are learned or advanced they act in the same way as the ignorant but they aren't attached to the results. We shouldn't do it for our sense gratification but for Krsna's pleasure (Ex - cooking for Krsna, do it with cleanliness, purity and quality) Do it so we are competent to do devotional service but at the same time we do things which are normal but just for Krsna's pleasure.

V26: Krsna's point is ignorant man don't understand what is good for them but only thinking about their sense enjoyment. Learned men understand it is for the pleasure for Krsna. Detachment from Krsna can't take place, but engage people in the service of Krsna.

V27: We think we do all the activities by ourselves, but that isn't correct. The spirit soul sitting inside our body only desires and when we desire the Super soul in our heart makes the 3 modes of material nature to make those desires come to life. Our body is just an instrument to fulfill those desires by the Supersoul's mercy and the work is carried out by the 3 modes of material nature. Hence, just purify our desires and the Supersoul will help us achieve those desires for Krsna. Desire to serve Krsna purely.

V28: Detached worker - He knows what is work in devotion. He knows his DESIRE is for Krsna's satisfaction. In the purport - He understands to get out of this material world he needs to please Krsna. The only way he can attain true happiness is by performing devotional work and he won't be attached to the results of this material world. What does he do - He engages in KC activities and the more he does KC activities the less he is attracted to material desires. The more you do material activities the less you do KC activities. Hence purify your desires so the Supersoul sitting in our heart can help us achieve the goal of life in this lifetime to achieve LOVE of Krsna and Radha. Use this lifetime itself to reach Krsna.

V29: Krsna here is merciful so we don't disturb the ignorant of the work they are doing, as it will waste our time. We should just engage in our KC activities. But the devotees of Krsna understand the real mood of Krsna which is to unite everyone to him and they still take risks and preach to bring all of them favorably to Krsna. Our situation is like the guinea pig running on the wheel, the pig feels he's moving very fast and we feel the harder we work we can enjoy later but actually we aren't going anywhere. Another ex - donkey feels when I go home the master will give me grass but actually on the way there is so much grass. Same way when we chant, the holy name is everywhere, but we just need to be KC to eat it with greed and taste it.

V30: One verse in the BG which indicates the purpose of the BG - do it enthusiastically for Krsna. Very imp verse, we need to do our prescribed duty and all instructions our SM gives us.

V31: Without envy - envy of who; envy of Krsna. We are meant to serve Krsna. When Krsna expanded into the jiva souls, still we don't want to serve him even though he gave us life. We feel we can enjoy ourselves and that is our envy. The only way to get rid of envy is to serve that person and when you keep serving someone then you find that this person is very nice. Just like SM - As you keep serving your SM, you notice that your love and relationship with your GM grows and you also notice your love for other devotees also grows. Otherwise envy will make you suffer a lot and won't allow you to progress at all. Even in the most difficult situation we should never give up faith for Krsna and association with devotees and your Guru.

V32: What happens who doesn't have any faith? Have envy to Krsna what happens - Bereft of all knowledge,defooled and ruined of in their endeavors of perfection. We need to uproot this envy towards Krsna, if we have this envy, this Divyajnana will never be revealed to us. We will see all around us people are progressing and we are right there! Hence, we need to work very hard to fix our desires so the Supersoul can help us to be laser focussed only in pleasing Krsna and uproot this envy from within our heart. If we die in this type of situation, envying Krsna, Krsna will cast us into the lowest of life forms and we are perineally in this cycle of birth and death.

V33: When you have a particular nature and have some prescribed duty. Also we have a particular nature and we should study ourself so we understand our flaws to correct ourselves and also to understand our nature of work - so we can perform it to the best of our ability to please Krsna. Also the only way to cleanse our self is to perform service for Krsna. Apart from chanting we need to do physical service for Krsna, that is very important. Just theoretical knowledge won't help - it's not going to get us out of the material nature. Do our duties properly and also doing dev service, serving spiritual master, going out for book distribution, physical activity for Krsna (cooking, etc.) We have to be practising KC for a very long time and then Krsna gives us knowledge to understand Him to get out of these modes of material nature.

V34: We shouldn't be attached or averse to something, because if we are then our mind is always agitated thinking about it. We should be very equipoised in our discharge of our duties and not be attached or averse, just perform your duty for the pleasure of Krsna.  Sense gratifications makes us identify with the material body and we feel that we are in control. Hence we should follow the rules and regulations so we can curb our senses and don't go astray. We need to be careful, as even when we are careful there may be mistakes. We should feel, even if I don't go back to Krsna, we serve someone who is doing really well so they can go back to Krsna. If we develop this kind of attitude, Krsna will have mercy on us and help us to grow spiritually.

V35: This is always our tendency. When we are told to do something, we feel we can do something else better!!! That is sinful to do something else which aren't meant to do. Everyone has to cleanse his heart gradually and not abruptly. Even if we feel we can do some service we are not purified or not advanced to do that service, hence just do what GM has asked us to do and serve him well. The prescribed duties are just for us to help us in our spiritual journey. When we are told to do, we should admit that we can't do but still try to do it to the best of our ability and if we do it well, then the spiritual master will be very pleased to give us mercy.

V36: Why do we still do such activities which are sinful even though unwillingly.

V37: MEMORIZE THIS VERSE - Lust is the ultimate enemy. It is born out of the modes of passion. When we come into this material world, we are in this mode of passion and we then get lust to satisfy our senses. Lust means - very strong craving for something we desire even if we can't ever get it. We hanker it even though we can never get it. When lust isn't satisfied we can't get it, we get angry and therefore wrath is transformed into illusion and when illusion happens our intelligence falls down and then we again fall down and get entangled. A person can be very lusty and they can hide it, but wrath is when they become so angry that they must have some kind of lust in their heart. Lust is all devouring and it is very difficult to control it and that's why Krsna says that it is because of Lust that such activites that are even sinful are done by people. It is born out of contact of material. Anything which increases our mode of passion we should avoid - seeing, eating, smelling, touching etc - anything and everything we should very carefully avoid and don't try to get agitated.

v38: Different degrees of lust - 3 types of covering smoke and fire - consciousness of the living entity and is compared to living entities; mirror and dust - compared to birds and animals; embryo in the womb - reflected to the trees they can't do anything the embryo can't do anything; When lust is so strong, the knowledge is covered of the real truth. How can we get rid of these coverings - just by engaging in KC and devotional activities just to please Krsna activities. example - manigriva and kulavera were engaged in lusty activities and Narada muni helped them by cursing them as trees. We help the living entities by giving prasadam to these living entities to help them come out of these coverings. For ourselves, we should come out of these coverings by practicing KC activities carefully.

V39: Such kind of lust is never satisfied and it keeps burning like fire - Just to stop fire we need to stop giving it fuel we need to stop our lusty desires by just stopping giving fuel to these lusty desires. Just stop doing these activities + start doing KC activities so you start getting a higher taste so we can change our lusty desires. Sex enjoyment is the biggest enemy and how do we control this enemy? next verse

V40 - From 40 to 43 Krsna helps us understand how to conquer the sitting places of this lust. - Senses, mind and intelligence are all sitting places of lust. Mind has all kinds of ideas on how to enjoy senses. Intelligence is the next door neighbor, but because intelligence isn't pure, the mind and senses overcomes the intelligence - lusty intelligence is there. Then he gets addicted to this real kind of lusty desires! In the end of this purport he speaks how there are chains to bind us to this material world.

V41- How to attack them? 1. Curb the great sin - symbol of lust by regulating our senses 2. slay this destroyer of knowledge and self realization. Senses are the easiest to control, they are the weakest link how to control - vaidhi sadhana bhakti by rules and regulations control the senses and at the same time purify our knowledge by hearing and reading and chanting - listen to Guru, Sastra and classes. Practice regulations to control our senses.

V42: Soul is higher than intelligence. Lust is in the senses, mind and intelligence so we need to work on all the sitting place of these lusted. When you keep doing work for Krsna, mind is always thinking how to serve Krsna, how to do this particular type of work better for Krsna - mind is constantly engaged by thinking of Krsna - If, therefore, the soul is directly engaged with the Supreme, naturally all other subordinates, namely, the intelligence, mind and senses, will be automatically engaged. And as we improve our intelligence by listening and hearing then all the sitting places of lust can be cleansed - do vaidhi sadhana bhakti, do our duties to serve Krsna so mind is engaged in Krsna activities and improve intelligence by understanding the philosophy. Mind is like a child, if it finds something superior and better then it will like doing it hence try to engage ourselves in this kind of activity. Focus is - chant nicely, don't do vaishnava aparadha - this way we can control our senses and mind and we can use ourselves in the service of Krsna. Unless we control our mind we will fail - so try to develop a higher taste so the mind can take over to help us get good desires just for Krsna's pleasure. Soul is superior to all.

V43: We should understand the soul is higher than the intelligence, mind and senses and when we understand we are the soul and not this body only then can we destroy this lusty behavior. We need to have strong intelligence. Desire for overlording and for sense gratification is the greatest enemy of the conditioned soul; but by the strength of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can control the material senses, the mind and the intelligence. One may not give up work and prescribed duties all of a sudden; but by gradually developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can be situated in a transcendental position without being influenced by the material senses and the mind – by steady intelligence directed toward one’s pure identity. This is the sum total of this chapter. We are minute parts and parcels of Krsna and we are personal. We should be willing to be trained by the high intelligence by our spiritual master and authority - jsut follow his instructions.

BG Chapter 13 Verse 8-12 by HG Shyamsundar Prabhu

Aspiring to live in a solitary place - Wherever materialistic people are coming together it is like an assembly of crows. Devotees like to be in the presence of swans or saragrahis. People who have understood the essence of everything - Solitary place means simply to stay away from non-devotees or not to take their association.Example - Bharat maharaj, got attached to a deer, had he been in the association of devotees he wouldn't have gone through what he went through. We just need to be associated with devotees of Krsna ex - Gaura Kishore babaji maharaj, he didn't want to associate with non devotees so he went to the latrine and chant Hare Krsna. We should discuss the BG very scruitinizingly - all the concepts of Gita should be discussed. We should focus our time in understanding these topics - what is soul, what is Super Soul, how and why and what is Bhakti Yoga. Bhakti or dev. ser. is eternal. Service of the individual soul to the Supersoul is eternal or nityam. Knowledge - that's why SP says:
"Beginning from practicing humility up to the point of realization of the Supreme Truth, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, this process is just like a staircase beginning from the ground floor and going up to the top floor. Now on this staircase there are so many people who have reached the first floor, the second or the third floor, etc., but unless one reaches the top floor, which is the understanding of Kṛṣṇa, he is at a lower stage of knowledge. If anyone wants to compete with God and at the same time make advancement in spiritual knowledge, he will be frustrated. It is clearly stated that without humility, understanding is not truly possible. To think oneself God is most puffed up. Although the living entity is always being kicked by the stringent laws of material nature, he still thinks, “I am God” because of ignorance."

Sometimes we need to talk to non-devotees and we need to be very alert because maya devi might enter there. Vaisnava etiquette is hence very important and our sadhana. These will protect us. When interacting with non-devotees just do the needful and not more than that, if more than that then just giving them Krsna. When going to work we are actually entering the war zone of maya and hence we need to be very very alert. If we don't chant our round sincerely, we are guaranteed to fall victim to maya that day. Hence chant properly so it's our shield for the day.

Bhakti Shastri Chapter 2 v 50-72 (End of Chapter 2)

Memorize 50,51,52 - for exam - here Krsna is saying with these three verses, it will take his out of misery and raise him to Vaikunta and also there is no sin in doing work for Krsna.

V 50: By devotional service, one can ascend over the vedic reactions and just through dev service, we can go out of this life and death cycle. He also tell Arjuna that your sinful life item isn't valid and he breaks down that argument from v50 onwards. "A man engaged in dev service rids himself of karma even in this life. Therefore strive for yoga which is the art of all work" - If you have good or bad karma you still have to take birth in this material world, the process of dev service is a purifying process. It purifies the actions. It is a very important aspect of devotional service. If we are acting for Krsna we shouldn't be attached to the results. If we are attached to the results then we are bound to the material world. Simply renouncing our activities is like Jnana yogis, just by doing activities for Krsna we are not attached to the results of these activities as everything is being done for Krsna's pleasure. Ex - When using mercy by a Aryudevic doctor, they are able to purify it and is used as a medicine and it is actually very toxic.

V51: Continuing the emphasis of dev service in this verse by Krsna. Place of all liberated entities = Vaikunta. It is inclusive of all spiritual planets. padam padam yad vipadam - at every step there is difficulty in this material world. In this material world people are generally not happy. We have surges of happiness and surges of distress - most of the time we are miserable and not happy. In life we are miserable and happiness is the interruption of this misery. So what is the trick to void all this - just by devotional service. We are spirit soul and our constitution is to always serve Krsna. We are always meant to serve Krsna. The devotees understand their position and hence they take up devotional service in trying to please Krsna. As we serve in devotional service we realize that we are detached souls and hence we worship the Lord to guide us and then we become qualified to go back to Godhead. 

V52: Krsna's point here is that dense forest of delusion is the different vedic rituals described in the vedas. Just study books and take prasadam - just be doing these two activities Krsna helps us by giving knowledge and hence our devotional service becomes better. Neophytes (Neo = new) they need to take up sadhana bhakti (they need to follow rules and regulations) but we need to know the goal which is Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead - doing it as a service to please Krsna otherwise it is JUST A WASTE OF TIME. No ADVANCEMENT is done - just mouth goes on chanting but no cleansing happens - just a waste of time. So do every task to please Krsna. Moha Kalilam = is the dense forest of the Vedas. Persons in KC we transcend the limit of sabda brahma (range of Vedas and Upanisads)

V53: You will come into Samadhi or concentrated meditation is when you have crossed into this divine conciousness when you have realized your divine relationship with Krsna. When mind is always fixed in the trance of Krsna then you are in Samadhi. When we do dev service day in and day out properly and we are fallen souls who have forgotten Krsna then we can immediately feel that we should give up our attaction to these material things. We are practising devotees but we feel we are devotees! We aren't devotees yet, but only when every act, thought is only for Krsna's pleasure and 0only by dev service can we go to that level. Everyday we are seeing what all things are being offered to us by the material nature and in the same way we need to understand that we shouldn't be taking up unnecessary endeavors thinking that it will provide us what we need and only then we can do devotional service. Of course basic needs to be covered so we can start dev service. When we study our own lifestyles, on a day to day basis on all circumstances we are serving somebody - family members, boss - we are always serving, we are doing something to please the other person. Or we are trying to please ourselves. By studying this nature that we are always serving others or someone, that is our constitutional nature and hence we should understand that we are here to always serve the Lord - Serve Krsna. So the highest level is to realize that we are eternally the servant of Krsna and that is our only business! One way to do this is to do service - service at Temple, book distribution and by service we realize that that is our nature to always serve Krsna's mission. By performing such activites we directly come to Krsna directly. Just by following this and instructions of your spiritual master you can come directly to samadhi. This is a blessing of Krsna and SP says one is sure to achieve results by such activities and attain conclusive knowledge

V54-72: Discusses the Samadhi state and the sadhu who is in that state, Arjuna wants to know more about that sadhu's symptoms. Speech is the most important quality of a man, as soon as someone speaks we know who knowledgable a person is. Only speak of Krsna and matters relating to Him.

V54:  Questions from Arjuna - 1. How does he speak 2. Language 3. Sit and 4. Walk?

V55 - Generic qualities 56 - how he speaks 57,58 - how is he sitting and 60-72 how he walks.

From these characteristics we can look at other devotees and we can understand where each devotee is and we can look at ourselves to see how much advancement are we making!

V55 - General symptoms - Very nice thing Krsna says to Arjuna - We can all relate to this - due to our uncontrolled desires these are all artificial desires for our senses. Our mind tries in various ways to make us feel that we will be happy with different kinds of sense gratification - Mental Concoction! In our practice of chanting we see that all the anarthas come up - mind runs to something everyday we see our mind is doing something, anarthas are trying to come and stop our pure chanting. We need to see how we can check our mind to stop these anarthas and we can't, we should pray to Guru and Krsna to help us to stop these anarthas and chant purely. We try to do activities connected to Krsna and for pleasure of Guru, Krsna and devotees. By that our own senses will be dampened by the service to others. We can only curb our anarthas by doing service to other Vaishnavas because only by doing service can we dampen our own material sense desires - hence pray to Radharani to help us engage us in her service so when we serve then we lessen our own sense desires. Are we happy with what we are? Are we contented - just thinking about this answer can we figure out whether we are making tangible progress or not.

V56 - Sage of steady mind - Sthida dhih: when they are not disturbed in MIND even amidst all kinds of miseries of happiness then they are in samadhi because they only see Krsna and are not afraid of their lives. If they don't get anything they still aren't in anxiety. Such a person is fully KC. When we look inside we feel that we aren't advanced at all and book distribution helps us understand this as our false ego gets smashed. We are only instruments and don't take any credit. Success or no success a KC person is always steady in his determination.

V57- Same as 56, how does he speak - When we are mentally astute we understand that it is very difficult to live in this world. Due to KC we are on some extent on the path of purification and path back to Krsna. Our happiness is in the conciousness of whether he needs more, he needs less is he happy, is he cold, hot, does he need rest etc. When we are always looks to see how to please him then we are in Samadhi.

V58,59 (MEMORIZE) - Who is fixed in conciousenss - senses and mind - how does he sit? How is he controlling his senses and his mentality?  59 - How to control the sense of enjoyment by experiencing a higher taste. Just be restricting sense enjoyment isn't enough - we need to dovetail into a higher taste - When we feel this higher taste - kirtan, chanting, prasadam, service to Guru if we don't do these things properly we won't have such a sustained taste for Krsna. Such things are affecting our journey to Krsna. The person withdraws his senses from sense enjoyment and senses are like serpents. How much ever you give your senses enjoyment they are never satisfied. Hence they propose to the mind we want to do this what do you think. Mind thinks oh yes that was a good experience and when senses want to enjoy then they agitate the mind. But if our intelligence is strong then it can guide the mind that no that is not our goal of life and we are not the enjoyer but the enjoyed. Hence good intelligence should be higher than the mind. If we are practicing KC, we should be able to control the senses - HOW - by utilizing it only for the pleasure of Krsna's senses. How? By tasting the higher taste of transcendental lifestyles. Without a higher taste very hard to control our senses and this is another guide to see how we are making good tangible progress. This answer's Shilpa's question - are we making any progress or not? When we have a higher taste controlling senses is very easy but when we don't have a higher taste we lose and unbridled senses and a poor mind and intelligence makes us fall down! - Hence do your daily activities everyday and follow the daily activities very carefully.

V60- Krsna here says - this happens to all of us even to a man of discrimination who is endeavoring to control them. How do we experience higher taste everyday? Esp when we are working - solving some work problem? No - highest taste is when you see the deities in your temple. At the end of the day when you are able to appreciate the wonderful gifts Krsna has given you and honor prasadam with devotees and speak about good Krsna things only then we can curb our senses. Unless we develop KC completely we will never be able to control the senses. Great Yamunacharya - Whenever I think of sex life with a woman, my face at once turns from it and I spit at that thought - That is someone who is very fixed in KC. Maharaja Ambarish conquered the great yogi Durvasa - Durvasa muni when he came Maharaja Ambarish was Ekadasi fasting and when muni went to take his bath Maharaja drank water but waited to serve Durvasa muni and then Sudarshan chakra came out and drove Durvasa muni everywhere and then finally he came to ask for forgiveness from Maharaja Ambarish. 

V61: Man of steady intelligence - Highest yoga perfection is KC - Control one senses, mind and conciousness. If someone can do all this upon Krsna that is a man of steady intelligence. Maharaja Ambarish tolerated all kinds of distrubances and that is what a devotee does - just tolerate. Even between devotees we will have all kinds of disturbances and just tolerate. Learn to excuse devotees and tolerate all kinds of disturbances only for pleasing Krsna as they are all devotees of Krsna trying to please him as well. Mat paraha - How to become mat -parah in relation with Krsna how can we become always in the relation with Krsna. The senses can be completely controlled only by the strength of dev service to Krsna. We might have shortcomings but if our thoughts and acts are genuine then Krsna will himself help us to improve our service to Him. 

V62,63 - Please MEMORIZE - Show us how we fall down these are called the fall down verses can we used for preaching. Draw a chart of this. 

Contemplating the objects of senses - Someone you want to dominate, attracted to a beautiful girl, something you want to eat. When you start thinking of this day in and day out then you become attached. Hence contemplate on Krsna. Make him your object of Contemplation always think of Him.

When attachment like this happens so much that becomes Lust. But when you can't enjoy somehting that you have attachement so much and lust is not fulfilled anger arises!

When you become very angry you cannot think straight it clouds your intelligence - and hence complete delusion arises.

When such delusion arises - they get bewildered and they have no memory why they are fighting, why they are saying these things no memory.

When memory is bewildered, intelligence gets lots and hence when no intelligence, we can't guide our mind which get agitated by our senses. So most important item is to always keep your intelligence powerful!

V 64-72: He discusses how does a man Walk - how does he engage his senses.

V64: Regulative principles of freedom are - 4 regulative principles. How does he walk - how does he engage his senses and utilitze it in KC. A KC person is free from all attachement and aversion and able to control his senses. Unless senses are utilized for Krsna's pleasure there is no use. A person firmly on the KC plane even though in the material sensual plane they aren't attached to the sensual activites. Example - Ramananda Raya - he taught and bathed and dressed small girls for the pleasure of Jagannatha, Someone from the outside might think wow he is so luck, but Raya's mood was I'm doing this service for pleasure of Krsna as by dressing them, cleaning them and teaching them how to dance Jagannatah is going to be happy. Sometimes we might have to do service not very nice, but if our mood is to serve Krsna even in that plane we will not be connected to the sensual pleasures. Just by having prasadam our senses get inoculated and then we are able to control our senses. 

V65, 66 - This is what will happen when we aren't satisfied in KC - can't develop transcendental intelligence, steady mind and we won't be peaceful and how can there be happiness when we aren't peaceful. When we are waiting for our exam results we aren't steady and mind is not peaceful. Very important to think about these things and reflect on this to make progress. We are always helping Krsna to enjoy and we are servants of Krsna. We are always helping Krsna to enjoy. A person who is in full conciousness knows that he is the Supreme. How can there be any happiness withougt any peace of mind. When our mind is running behind so many sensual pleasures how will our mind be peaceful. When our mind is set on Krsna then automatically it will become peaceful and hence we become happy. This is highlighted in the 6th chapter by Krsna more.

V67- Even ONE OF A ROAMING SENSE - carries away a man's intelligence - hence all the senses should be for Krsna's service just like Maharaja Ambarish. Hence we should try to control the mind by applying all our senses on Krsna just like Maharaja Ambarish.

V68 - A sadhaka must udnerstand that we are trying to control our senses - why - so we can get the right intelligence to know Krsna and our relationship with him and also to guide our mind when it gets agitated by the senses. And that is only possible by dovetailing our senses on KC and not otherwise.

V69- Two classes of intelligent men. One in material activities and other the introspective sage trying to awake their love for Krsna. Material people are always trying to see how they can please their senses instead of the bhakti yogis who are trying to develop their love for Krsna.

V70 - A person in KC is always happy, he is never disturbed he is always in devotion. When other things come he is never disturbed just like an ocean is always still even when lots of rivers are flowing into the ocean. A KC person's desires are fulfilled, it doesn't mean he doesn't have these inclinations for material sense gratification, but because he is always in the proper intelligence, he is always completely satisfied. He is very peaceful, because he is satisfied. But material persons are always running behind temporary things and are hence never happy.

V71: How to attain real peace - Maharaja Priyavrita - very qualified person - internally he was completely renounced. Always his mind was fixed on Krsna. Example - if a bag of flour is fallen down animals take what they require but humans like to take it all, because we always want to enjoy falsely. We should understand that true happiness is only got when we understand we are parts and parcels of Krsna and are doing activities only to please Krsna. Krsna is telling Arjuna just fight to your best ability only to please Krsna even if you don't want to do it and only then you will attain real peace.

V72: Even at the hour of death - if we attain such a way of spiritual and Godly life a man isn't bewildered and one can enter into the kingdom of God. Sthitih Partha = Such a situation he is never bewildered, then he understands the goal of life and he is never bewildered. Krsna tells Arjuna - person who is not bewildered by all these material onslaughts that person o Arjuna is always in KC and then he understands we are parts and parcels of Krsna and we are here to serve Krsna, Our Guru and all parts and parcels of Krsna. When we surrender very nicely then immediately we are about to die we are able to go back to Krsna. Ex - Katvanga maharaj - just focussed his mind on Krsna, even situated at the time of death or we have to again go back through so many lifetimes again to come back to this realization on what we need to do. Hence please don't waste a minute of this life so we can go back to Godhead in this lifetime itself. Please take up dev service very seriously.

So how not to commit Vaishnava aparadha and always be able to tolerate others - CHANT VERY VERY SINCERELY. When you chant properly everything gets into order. How do you chant properly - WAKE UP IN THE MORNING and also Pray to Guru and Gauranga that I'm very fallen and please help me taste this Holy name. If we aren't able to still make progress, find devotees who have this taste for the holy name and serve them, when you serve them, they will give you the mercy to taste this holy name! WOW!!!

Also when you chant properly your mind is fixed on Krsna who will give you higher intelligence to actually help you understand that everybody around you in a devotee of Krsna, some have realized some are still in dormant stage but everybody IS a devotee of Krsna and your whole aim in life is to just help and serve this person. When that happens, and you realize it, then you are able to tolerate everyone and try to dovetail it in Krsna's service. Haribol! 

BG class BG 13.8-12 by HG Shyamsundar prabhuji

In this month of Gita Jayanti we should try to distribute as many books of Gita as we can so SP and all the acaryas can be pleased.

Detachment - SP gives an excellent solution and definition of detachment. If we understand this topic well, we can immediately get liberated. When wife, children are favorable, then we become favorable, if they aren't congenial or favorable, then family life should be abandoned. First lets understand how to make family life favorable? What this means is - we don't become hard hearted. Bhakti is actually to become soft hearted. When others are suffering devotee feels pain. If other living entities are suffering then he also feels pain. Like Arjuna, he was feeling compassionate for them, he was feeling pain for them. That is a true devotee. A devotee who has true feeling. Not having compassion for his family is hard heartedeness. We need to hence Krishnize his family life and then that is affection in the proper sense. If we don't Krishnize our family life then the affection is actually in the material platform. The goal is to how to come out of material bondage. How?

1. Chanting of Hare Krsna mantra vibration in the house
2. Everything should be offered to Krsna. Without this principle, in the name of good health some people take meat saying they want more proteins. Actually we have never heard that someone has died due to no protein, but due to excess of proteins they have heart attack etc.
3. Discussion of books like BG and SB - regular reading of BG and SB is very important for all family life. SB is so powerful that simply by the presence of this book someone can feel the shakti in the house. SB will actually drive our life. This book has transcendental sound vibration and when they are kept, they have tremendous power on all the family members.
4. Engage in deity worship. We bring deities of Radha Krsna and Gaura Nitai in our house and we take care of them completely. We need to feel, that this is their house and we are just their servants. We are their servants and we are only eating their remnants. If we are traveling, then we take them with us so we can take care of them. Deity worship brings the entire family together so the whole family comes together and prays to Krsna.

When the family comes together and does these 4 things together such a family there is no reason to renounce such a family. We should train the family members in this way. Hence, we need to become more serious in these 4 aspects everday and make it very important.

If family members are not favorable what do we do? We shouldn't abandon our family. Ex - SP's wife wasn;t favorable. He continued his spiritual life but still continued to take care of his family. That is what is meant by abandoning our family. We continue with more seriousness so we can set a great example for everyone and when they see us sincere, they will start automatically become soft. And at the same time serve the family to the best of your ability that kind of abandonment is what SP practiced and wants us to practice.

This material life is dukhalyam asaswatam - there is misery at every step of our lives and hence there is no moment to lose of this most valuable life. Follow the 4 reg principles and chant 16 rounds to the fullest. If we follow these principles, then we are truly following the right KC principles and then automatically we become equipoised and become happy internally and these small things won't agitate us. To reach that stage is unalloyed devotional service - NO MATTER WHAT, Follow your daily schedule to perform unalloyed dev service - pleasant or unpleasant, summer or winter we are still goin about what we need to do to serve Krsna continuously - think about them 24 hours a day - how are they doing, how can you take care of them, what is their mood currently. Bhakti to Krsna without any motivation, do devotional service without any personal motivation. Whether you feel good or not, you continue to keep doing your devotional service. Solitary place means - a place where Krsna Katha is going on in the association of devotees. Birth after birth, just continuously try to engage me in the service of Krsna all other work is just a ROYAL WASTE OF TIME.

As devotees we must also take this responsibility to encourage the KC and Krsna Katha. We should be detached from the general population of people - just disengage ourselves from the mundance conversation - it's just like croaking of a frog. But by the mercy of our Gurudeva, we go back to those general populace of people and give them the message of Krishna!