Start Lecture Transcribe:

Verse:
“svätma-våttaà mayetthaà te
suguptam api varëitam
vyapetaà loka-çästräbhyäà
bhavän hi bhagavat-paraù”

TRANSLATION
Prahläda Mahäräja, you are certainly a self-realized soul and a
devotee of the Supreme Lord. You do not care for public
opinion or so-called scriptures. For this reason I have described
to you without hesitation the history of my self-realization.

PURPORT
A person who is actually a devotee of Krsña does not care
about so-called public opinion and Vedic or philosophical
literatures. Prahläda Mahäräja, who is such a devotee, always
defied the false instructions of his father and the so-called
teachers who were appointed to teach him. Instead, he simply
followed the instructions of Närada Muni, his guru, and thus he
always remained a stalwart devotee. This is the nature of an
intelligent devotee. The Srimad-Bhägavatam instructs, yajnaih
sankirtana-präyair yajanti hi sumedhasah [SB 11.5.32]. One
who is actually very intelligent must join the Krsna
consciousness movement, realizing his own self as an eternal
servant of Krsna, and thus practice constant chanting of the
holy name of the Lord—Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna
Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare
Hare.

Start Lecture by His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja.

A learned powerful person must realize that the material

existence is illusion. This is only possible by self realization. A
self realized person, who has actually seen the truth, should
retire from all material activities, being situated in self
realization. Prahläda Mahäräja, you are certainly a self-realized
soul and a devotee of the Supreme Lord. You do not care for
public opinion or so-called scriptures. For this reason I have
described to you without hesitation the history of my self-
realization. Sometimes, it is said, it takes one to know one. We
have many sashtrik references which explains the qualities
attributes of the self realized soul. And if we are sincere due to
our great desire to approach Krishna,
“éçvaraù sarva-bhütänäà
håd-deçe 'rjuna tiñöhati
bhrämayan sarva-bhütäni
yanträrüòhäni mäyayä”
Bhagavad-Gita 18.61

Krishna within the heart, directs us to the great soul, to their

lotus feet. But factually the only person who could truly know
the real qualities of self realized soul, is a self realized soul. We
may study the sashtra and get all the information, who is a self
realized soul? But factually it is only by the causeless mercy of
Krishna that we can ever attained the lotus feet of such a great
personality. It is not due to our understanding the qualities. But
if we do not strive to understand the qualities then Krishna will
not take our sincerity very seriously. So, therefore, it is only by
the causeless mercy of Krishna that we attain the guru. And it is
only by the causeless mercy of guru that we attain Krishna.
Sometimes people ask, so many people have so many
interpretations of what a self realized soul is, and so many
people have so many interpretations of what the scripture say
what the self realized soul is, so who to believe. Ultimately,
Krishna describes that one should receive his information, if he
wants to be guaranteed, through the parampara system of the
Lord. But ultimately, it is only by the mercy of Krishna. He is
the source of all of our intelligence. But in truth it takes one to
know one. So here this great brähmaëa Avadhuta, he
understands due to his own self realization, the glorious infinit
qualities of Prahlada Maharaja. And he is speaking here very
deeply. His prayers of Prahlada is not based on some superficial
characteristics that Prahalad Maharaja may posses. He is
explaining to Prahalada that you are a self realized soul and you
are a true devotee of Lord. Why? Because you have no false
ego. Because you could not care less about public opinion and
you could not care less about the various apparent contradiction
of the scriptures. You are simply fixed in the service of your
spiritual master and you are simply fixed in the glorification of
Sri Krishna. This is really the criterion that the advanced
devotees see in others. We have been explaining this principle
very often in our classes. Because it is the most important
principle. We have to understand what Krishna Consciousness
is and what Krishna Consciousness is not. There are very few
devotees, who even understand this. Generally, because we are
so externally oriented, we consider a person’s material
qualifications to be a sign of spiritual advancement. But
factually material qualifications have nothing to do with
spiritual advancement. Spiritual advancement is being
explained by the Avadhuta brähmaëa in this verse. A neophyte
person sees oh! this person is very good singer he must be so
advanced. But there are so many good singers, who are
completely puppets in the hands of maya. Or someone may
think, oh! this person is such good cook, must be very
spiritually advanced. But how many good cooks are there at
Tajmahal Hotel. They do not even know ‘what is Krishna’ and
‘Who is Krishna’. They are simply cooking for money. Or
someone is thinking oh! this person is so brilliant and
intelligence, must be very spiritual advanced. But how many
professors and how many politicians are manipulating the
world with their intelligence. And many of them are demoniac,
what to speak of spiritual advancement? Another may think ‘O
this person is so successful, this must be a sign of his spiritual
advancement. But by material standards how many successful
people are there in America, Europe, and they are all addicted
to all sinful activities. Oh, this person is so pious; he must be
very spiritually advanced. But piety is simply a mode of
goodness. Mode of goodness leads to another birth in this
material world. So you see, immature people, they are
considering devotees by their material qualification, to be very
advanced and they take shelter of such persons. But to the
degree a devotee actually is spiritually advanced, to the degree
a person captures what is the essence of self realization, he
confirms what this great soul is here expressing. Because he
has seen and considering (11) the whole world, this man. He
has seen the all material qualifications. And he has completely
rejected them all. Avadhuta brahmana is describing how he has
gone through the cities, he has gone through the towns, he has
gone through the villages, he has gone through the agricultural
fields, he has lived in the forest, he has lived in the jungles, he
has seen everything, and he has tried everything. By performing
tapasya, austerity he has challenged his own false ego, he has
challenged his senses and his mind, all the external coverings
that are inflicted upon his soul. His realization is “Prahalad, I
adore you, I worship you, and I love you”. Because I know you
are a self realized soul. Because you do not care for public
opinion or so called contradiction of the scriptures. In another
words because Prahalad you have no false ego. Although Lord
Narashima deva personally incarnated just to protect you,
although Lord Narahari Himself, personally put you on the
throne of the universe, although Brahma, Siva,Indra, Vayu,
Surya, Varuna, and Candra - all the greatest, most exulted
personalities in the entire universe - they all came to worship
you and perform the auspicious ceremony to make you the
King of the universe, you never considered yourself to have any
qualifications, whatsoever. You always considered yourself to
be the most insignificant unworthy servant of the servant of the
servant of the servant. From the bottom of your heart you are
considering everything to be the mercy of God. You never
expected anything from anyone. You are always the humble
servant of all living creatures. Because you have that
qualification, I see you spiritually advanced. Without that
qualification, whatever you have, the great soul like this
brähmaëa will not take you very seriously, spiritually. How can
it? Everything else is coming and going, coming and going, but
the desire to be the servant of the servant of the servant of the
servant in our eternal constitutional position. So this quality of
Prahlada which is most exulted of all his qualities, here is being
glorified by the Avadhuta brähmaëa. And we must understand
what it is that we should be looking for, when we want to take
shelter of the devotee of the Lord. Then we should also know
very clearly, what it is within ourselves, that has to be purified
and rectified. What is the real goal of our spiritual disciplines in
life? To become the servant of the servant of the servant of the
servant,and not to become great. A devotee does not want to
become great. The devotee wants to make Krishna great. A
devotee wants to make his spiritual master known for their
greatness. That’s all. The devotee is empty of any desire for his
own aggrandizement. And therefore Krishna will always tests
His devotees. And those tests for the advanced devotee, they
only glorify their greatness and for a neophyte devotee those
very tests give him a proper understanding of what Krishna
Consciousness should be. Every morning we pray “väïchä-
kalpatarubhyaç ca kåpä-sindhubhya eva ca, patitänäà
pävanebhyo vaiñëavebhyo namo namaù” The devotees are like
the desire trees, because they fulfill all our desires, they are full
of compassion for the conditioned souls. It is Krishna through
the devotees, that He is showing His compassion. So sometime
we think, why is this devotee dealing with me in this way? The
fact is, if he is a vaisnava, he is simply an instrument in
Krishna’s hands to purify your heart. That’s why he was
dealing with you in that way, it is not him, it is Krishna. He is a
desire tree. If you have a desire to become Krishna
Consciousness, he is come to fulfill your desire. Try to
understand Prabhupada’s position. Here he was, at the age of 70
he traveled all the way to the United States of America simply
to fulfill the order of the spiritual master, because his guru
maharaja had the burning desire that the people of the west be
given a chance to understand Lord Caitanya’s message. So he
risked his life, he risked his everything; he accepted such
hardships and inconvenience to go there. And then he finally
got there, he saw that this is such a degraded civilization,
everyone utterly tucked in the modes of passion and ignorance.
How I am possibly be going to bring them to the platform of
becoming a pure vaisnavas? How am I going to possibly give
them understanding of brahmanical culture? Therefore he had
to adjust many rules and regulations just to give Krishna
Consciousness to these people. He gave brahmanical initiation
to those who are borne in the families of mlechhas and javans.
He even gave sannyas initiation to such persons. And when he
came back to India, of course many people could understand his
glory and they were giving him great respect, but there was
another class of men who simply had nothing but the stones of
blaspheming to throw at him. Saying “what is this nonsense
man, he is ruining the Vedic culture, he is initiating the mlechas
and javans with the sacred thread. He is giving the Holy Name
to people who are undeserving. He is giving sannyas to people
who are not born in brahmana families. Not only that he is
allowing men to live in the same building with women. Not
only that but he is performing marriage ceremonies as a
sannyasi. They had nothing but criticism for him. What to
speak about untrue things they said about him? And
Prabhupada said in this regard, He said “the dogs would bark
but the caravan will carry on”. He did not care. He prayed for
the soul of these unfortunate persons. He was undisturbed. Lord
Jesus Christ and His followers, my god, what they said about
them? This is a fact, this is in history books. I have seen. When
Jesus Christ ===== (19) they would have meetings. There was
a class of priests, who were against them. They would say that
they are coming together to have illicit sex and horrible parties
based on horrible sinful activities. The people in general said,
what! they are doing like that. But the sincere, Krishna will
protect. So this is historically, always the case. Therefore, a
devotee who is disturbed by true or untrue things that is said
about him, according to the Avadhuta brähmaëa, is not very
much to be taken, his seriousness, as an advanced devotee. A
devotee is simply fixed in glorifying Krishna. A devotee will
give his life to defend another vaisnava. But he only will give a
second to defend himself self. Because a devotee knows that as
soon as pride enters into his heart nothing he does has any
flavor to Krishna. In this story the principle is very nicely
illustrated in the Madhya Lila of Caitanya-caritamrita, where
Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was traveling to South-India.
And he was staying in the home of the Kurma brähmaëa. Now
he stayed there for several days and some distance way there
was a devotee who was suffering due to a severe infliction of
leprosy. This devotee was very anxious to just get a moment’s
darshan of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So he came to where
Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was. When he got to the place
of kurmakestra he found that Caitanya Mahaprabhu had already
left. So he was feeling greatly unfortunate, due to his sinful
activities he missed the opportunity. But of course, please
understand, it is not by our own material attains that we can
ever attain the darshan of Sri Krishna or great souls. It is only
by the causeless mercy. Lord Caitanya knew the heart of this
devotee and therefore he reversed his travel and came back to
that place. This devotee was so humble that he did not consider
anything of himself. He only considered how he could serve
others. Even the most least significant creatures, he put those
living entities before himself in every respect. And how did he
show this? It is easy to talk about it, but to actually perform
sacrifice for the sake of others, that is the test. Anybody can
give nice dissertations describing how we should be very
compassionate and we should be very selfless. But who is
actually willing to do it. Who is actually willing to suffer to
help others? The kurma brähmaëa, due to his advanced
condition of leprosy, he had just uncountable worms eating
away his body. And when one of those worms would fall to the
ground the Kurma brähmaëa would think so much compassion
to that worm – how is will survive, how will he eat? So he
would pick up that worm with great care and place it back on
his body. Thinking, this body is not meant for me, this body is
meant for you to enjoy. So come back. This was the degree he
was compassionate to the least most insignificant creatures, and
he was willing to suffer and sacrifice his very life for those
worms. We are talking about this true story. This is the reality
of consciousness of such great souls and the extent of humility.
So when he came to meet Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu he felt oh
my god, you are so kind. I do not deserve to have your
association. But you are just so merciful (patita pavana) even to
the most fallen, look at how sinful I am. And he began to offer
beautiful prayers to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And then Lord
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to embrace him. And Vasudeva
was feeling very ashamed. How can the lord embrace me with
this body, which is full of sores, full of pus and full of blood
and full of worms and full of disease? But you see Krishna does
not see the external appearance of anything. Krishna only sees
the humble devotee. Therefore he embraced the body of
Vasudeva and instantly upon the touch of Lord all of his
leprosy vanished. And his deformed horrible body became
munificent and effulgent like that of a demigod. Now you
would think when you are suffering in such a condition,
obviously very close on the path to death, if you are healed you
are going to feel very happy. Would you not? Just like, many
times we have seen, in the west there are Christian healers and
they actually have mystic powers, and people who have had
diseases for long long times and suffering for long times, bring
them up on the stage and they say “Lord heal this person” and
the person just throws his crutches away and he starts dancing.
And the person so happy, haaa just see the Lord has healed me,
now again, I can work, I can play, I can do everything. He is
very happy. So when a person in a desperate miserable
suffering condition is relieved from that condition, generally
they feel very grateful, very happy. The kurma brähmaëa was in
the most extreme condition of suffering. And when he was
healed he did not feel happy. He felt afraid. He said “my dear
Lord just see the mercy I have received from you”. You have
healed me form such a disease. Now what’s going to happen. I
am going to become famous.
Every where I go people are going to recognize me as vasudeva
(28.)32 _ aparadh - Vasudev who received the life giving nectar
of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Who is the recipient of such
special mercy of the Lord. Now my lord if I start thinking I am
special to you, than I am going to get proud. And if pride enters
into my heart, for any reason, then my entire service to you is
spoiled, it is meaning less. It’s useless. I would rather be
suffering and inflicted by being eaten by millions of worms in a
condition near death with leprosy. Understand my humble
position and offer me service. And I have a beautiful golden
body being praised by others and being proud that I am an
advanced devotee.
29:29

So my Lord with tears in my eyes I am praying how in this

condition of receiving such especial benediction form you, I
cannot be free from pride which will ruin everything. Then Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu told him to always chant the holy name
“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare
Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. And who ever you
meet you be their humble servent by telling them about Krishna
Consciousness. Through this humble service you will never be
inflicted by the greatest enemy, the greatest disease of pride.
See, leprosy is not a very serious disease because it is simply
something that temporarily inconveniences with body. But
pride is the most serious disease, because it infects the very
essence of the existence of the soul. Keeps ……. (30) from
Krishna. So therefore, those personalities who have overcome
this great obstacle they are worshipable by all living beings.
And Krishna, so kindly, will put us in predicaments to facilitate,
first of all, we see how much pride is within our heart. And He
also puts us in that situation so that we can have the opportunity
to overcome it by becoming the humble servant in our
predicaments. Another most illustrious example was Lord
Nityananda. When Jagai and Madai were approached by Him,
they simply insulted Him. They were saying the most horrible
blaspheming words about Him. Not only verbally but they
considered him such a low class fool that they took a pot and
smashed His head with it. A blow that should have killed Him.
Lord Nityananda did not feel that they had committed any
offence to Him. In fact Lord Nityananda was simply praying for
their salvation. But Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he was very
angry. He was ready to kill them. He called the Sudarshan
Chakra and His eyes red like hot coals He was about to give
them their ticket to the abode of Yamraja. But Lord Nityananda
said “no, no my Lord please be kind upon them, give them
mercy, forgive them, as I have forgiven. This is the quality of
great souls. They can accept any amount of personal abuse but
they cannot see, they cannot tolerate seeing any other devotee
abused. Of course a neophyte devotee, when he is abused he
becomes very offended and starts abusing others, even to pure
devotees. That is the tendency within all of us, isn’t it? We feel
ourselves abused, so we just want to abuse others, and we feel
perfectly justified ourselves. This is not the way Lord
Nityananda has taught us. He was willing to accept the worst
abuse and simply pray for the welfare and be the servant of
those who abused him. But that same Lord Nityanda and
Caitanya Mahaprabhu also, when Ramachandra Puri came to
Jagannath Puri and he simply made so many lies about Lord
Caitanya, untrue things. He said, Lord Caitanya is simply
overeating, he is a sense enjoyer, He is a bogus useless sannyasi
and He would just take things out(34.26) of contacts. People
would cook for Lord Caitanya, although He was a sannyasi, He
thought I have to reciprocate with my devotees. I have to accept
their offerings. As a sannyasi may be I should not, but I have to
do it. So they would cook for Him, they were so anxious to give
Him their love through their preparations and He would go
there and He would eat, out of humility, out of service, out of
compassion for them. And this Ramacandra Puri came in and
said “nonsense, useless sannyasi look He is eating opulent food.
Sannyasi should only eat just remnant of rice. So Lord Caitanya
said alright from now you just give me a hand full or rice. And
even after that one day he saw some ants in His room. He said
“just see these nonsense ants”. Basically a fault finder will just
find the slightest excuse to confirm that this person is a rascal.
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, his devotees, they were just ready
to do just anything to this Ramachandra puri. Lord Caitanya
said, “no no he is my senior, I am his servant, he is a
respectable person to me. We must offer him always respect.
And at the same time Caitanya Mahaprabhu was a very humble
restless -----.(35) He will never defend himself, but when
someone criticizes his devotees, His eyes were like red fire and
took His Sudarshan chakra and ready to kill them. This is
because He is in the mode of the servant of the servant of the
servant of the servant. He had no false pride. He was willing to
accept all abuse like the tree. “tåëäd api sunécena
taror api sahiñëunä
amäninä mänadena
kértanéyaù sadä hariù”

Caitanya Mahaprabhu has taught us that we should expect

absolutely no respect for oneself that offer all respect to others,
according to what they deserve. This is a most important
instruction that Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given. He claims this
verse is the most important of all verses. To be more humble
than the grass, to be more tolerant than the tree, to offer all
respect to others and expect none to one self. So we have to
understand that this is the real Krishna Consciousness meaning
is. And we have to evaluate in our own selves this is the real
qualifications that makes my service pleasing to Krishna. And
in others we have to understand that although I am a servant of
all vaishnavas, the real vaishnavas who are worshipable and
advanced are not, could be the simple illiterate sweeper of the
temple floor. If he has these qualities, he is most advanced. But
if he has big big position with power and control and he does
not has this spiritual qualities, I will offer him all respect to the
vaishnava. But I’ll not take very seriously his spiritual
advancement. Because spiritual advancement means, being the
humble servant of the servant of the servant of the servant.
There is no other qualification, that is pleasing to Krishna.
Everything else is like so many zeros. Unless that humble
serviceattitude which is the ‘ONE’ that is placed before these
zeros, all those zeros have no meaning and no value to Krishna,
or to the advanced devotees who are his servants.

So the verse today we are reading explains, “Prahläda

Mahäräja, you are certainly a self-realized soul and a devotee of
the Supreme Lord. You do not care for public opinion or so-
called scriptures. For this reason I have described to you
without hesitation the history of my self-realization”. We see
because this great brähmaëa could see the glorious humility in
Prahlada Maharaja, there was naturally an intimacy. And in that
intimacy he felt very free to reveal this most confidential
thoughts within his heart, to respond. Actually the spiritual
master, he reveals the true essence of Krishna Consciousness to
his disciples, to the degree his disciple is submissive.

End of the transcription.