Chapter 12.17 - end of chapter 12 by HG Shyamsundar Prabhu

Bg 12.17 — One who neither rejoices nor grieves, who neither laments nor desires, and who renounces both auspicious and inauspicious things – such a devotee is very dear to Me.

Bg 12.18-19 — One who is equal to friends and enemies, who is equipoised in honor and dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy, who is always free from contaminating association, always silent and satisfied with anything, who doesn’t care for any residence, who is fixed in knowledge and who is engaged in devotional service – such a person is very dear to Me.

Krsna is describing the qualities in his devotees who are very dear to him. SP explains that one must acquire all these qualifications and how do you acquire these qualifications - no need of any extra way to acquire them but just carefully follow dev service and automatically these qualities will manifest in a devotee. On one hand he is doing his sadhana and on the other hand he is cultivating these qualities - you need to make the effort. Ex - equiposed in honor and dishonor - when one is in dev service one will get honor at that time we should not association ourselves this that honor and also during undergoing dev service we might have dishonor and still we should be affected by this. One has to tolerate - that effort to tolerate has to come from the devotee. The engagement in KC will give the devotee that strength - one has to be strong in sadhana and at the same time try to inculcate these qualities - why are they so dear to Krsna?? Why? They are dear because these qualities enable the devotee to engage in dev service to Krsna in a very steady way - if we get away from these qualities even one, we get away from Krsna and get pulled away from him. Hence, we need to get these qualities so we can always be steady in our service to Krsna, knowing that we are only his part and parcel and eternal servant to Krsna - even in heat and cold. If we are only a fair weather devotee then we aren't a pure devotee - drida nischaya - even when you are sick, even when you have an operation yet you are sincere in your devotional service to Krsna with all your senses. Trinad api sunichena - always surrender and humility.

Success or failure starts with the tongue. The key way to control the tongue is by taking Krsna Prasad! Very very difficult to control the tongue and only way to do this is by starting to eat Prasad. SPeech is the second thing - he speaks very carefully - unless you don't have control over mind you have no control over your speech. Vacho vegam. only by controlling your tongue can you become a pure devotee - Always remain silent - only talk sense and no nonsense. Sense = KRsna katha. Always just satisfied with what KRsna is giving to you.  

Come above the dualities and situate yourself in the mode of goodness. Only by mode of goodness can you engage yourself in pure devotional service. Devotees feel very close to KRsna then.

Bg 12.20 — Those who follow this imperishable path of devotional service and who completely engage themselves with faith, making Me the supreme goal, are very, very dear to Me.

The purpose of this is to engage in uninterrupted unmotivated devotional service to Krsna. Only then you have made our life successful. Otherwise we are doing something but we are constantly distracted and our surroundings are just distracting us. WE know our goal, but we feel yes but right now I want to do something else. This is maya devi. MOment by moment she tries to take us away and time is gone. Hence we must be very alert and make KRsna our goal of life. WHen we have made Krsna as our goal then everything aligns itself. What we do at this moment determines how sincere we are to Krsna. 

Humility is to understand whatever KRsna gives us we accept. WHen we accept Krsna is the supreme and understand that we are insignificant that is humility. Whatever happens and dished out to us - still we keep determined to do our devotional service with humbleness and determination. Seed of bhakti can grow only when we are humble. Glorify KRSNA all the time.

The only way to get this urgency that we are wasting our time is by reading Srimad Bhagavatam. SP's books and purport wakes us up. He clearly states there is no moment to waste - please utilize every moment in Krsna's service. Start this routine from tomorrow itself.

BG 12.12 by HG Shyamsundar Prabhu

BG 12.12: If you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind.

We are talking about dev service in this chapter and in this chapter in the starting Arjuna is asking which process is better and Krsna says Dev. Service is the best, just fix your mind upon me, your intelligence upon me and then you will be living in me without a doubt. That is the process but he is encouraging all kinds of people who are willing to get on the path of dharma. This teaches us a very imp lesson:

1. We should completely dedicate our lives to serve Krnsa. Just like ganga is flowing without any hindrance into the sea, same way let my mind cross over all obstacles and let if flow towards your lotus feet. When mind is completely fixed on Krsna then it becomes perfect.

We need to make Krsna our only goal.When we make something else as our goal then for that one thing we need to give up Krsna. "If we are expecting respect even from one person in this world then we are going to be left behind in this material world". If anything other than Krsna is of priority to us then we take on one thing after another and after this thing is over, I will become a serious devotee. It's always one little thing and that keeps us in the material world. Hence Krsna is urging us and SP also talks to us in the sense of urgency - this human life is so rare and by all means we should direct our energy to serve Krsna. Arjuna is directly on the platform of devotional service and that is the highest level - their challenges are should I pick Krsna or something else and in that war of maya the sadhaka needs to win by service to Vaisnava and just performing bhakti yoga.

How we view the world in the light of BG. Uttama adhikari is always seeing that everybody is engaged in nice seva. Krsna wants us to come to that level - that we give all respect to others and expect no respect for ourselves. When we feel all others around me are so advanced and I'm so lowly and just by Mahaprabhu's causeless mercy I'm here - without Krsna's mercy nothing is possible. Ultimately, goal is Krsna. How do we get to that stage by reading SB everyday. The words of SB bring the conditioned soul which is stuck in the cluthes of the material nature and by reading the SB we will like we have conquered material world.  We need to do in pure faith engage in this method and 

how

1. Reading SB everyday very sincrely.

2. Chanting the Hare Krsna mahamantra very sincerely. 

If we chant Hare Krsna sincerely and attentively, then we can actually remember Krsna at time of death.If you chant distinctly during your life then it is definitely possible that at time of death you can chant Hare Krsna maha mantra and make this life a success.  Actually this Kali-yuga you need to do vaishnava seva. Only then we get taste of the Holy name only when we do vaishnava seva - mood of trinand api sunecena. 

Become absorbed in chanting the holy name for 24 hours - kirtanaya sada hari - taking a humble position - Only when we are in the mood the holy name can penetrate our heart. This whole practise we are doing is only for one purpose to get the taste of the Holy name.

Ways to do vaishnava seva - most important ingredient is the mood. When we have the mood only then can we do our seva. In grahasta we should feel the family people are vaishnavas and if we can serve them very very sincerely then our life has become successful. Also those devotees who have dedicated their lives to preaching is wonderful, peer vaishnavas is also very important (even the fellow devotee) - just thinking you are the lowest of lowest and if you can serve everybody around you then you do vaishnava seva. example  - washing the plates of all the devotees ISKCON bombay. We should also engage ourselves in some very menial service every sunday to serve the Vaishnavas - clean the foor of the deity room, wash the pots - in one shot we can serve all the devotees. In this way when we have a balanced way of serving different vaishnavas in that way Krsna will be pleased with us. Prabhuji gave so many examples of devotees on our Thursday call how all the devotees are serving Krsna and the devotees. This made me feel so low that what kind of service am I doing compared to all of such great vaishnavas. Hopefully Krsna and Radharani can engage me in their loving service. Haribol!