Date: February 12, 2009
Verse: Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.23.52
Speaker: Bhakti Dhira Damodara Swami

brahman duhitrbhis tubhyam
vimrgyah patayah samah
kascit syan me visokaya
tvayi pravrajite vanam

TRANSLATION

My dear brahmana, as far as your daughters are concerned, they will find their own suitable husbands and go away to their respective homes. But who will give me solace after your departure as a sannyasi?

PURPORT

It is said that the father himself becomes the son in another form.

The father and son are therefore considered to be non different. A widow who has her son is actually not a widow, because she has the representative of her husband. Similarly, Devahuti is indirectly asking Kardama Muni to leave a representative so that in his absence she might be relieved of her anxieties by a suitable son. A householder is not expected to remain at home for all his days. After getting his sons and daughters married, a householder can retire from household life, leaving his wife in the charge of the grown-up sons. That is the social convention of the Vedic system.

Devahuti is indirectly asking that in his absence from home there be at least one male child to give her relief from her anxieties. This relief means spiritual instruction. Relief does not mean material comforts.

Material comforts will end with the end of the body, but spiritual instruction will not end; it will go on with the spirit soul. Instruction in spiritual advancement is necessary, but without having a worthy son, how could Devahuti advance in spiritual knowledge? It is the duty of the husband to liquidate his debt to his wife. The wife gives her sincere service to the husband, and he becomes indebted to her because one cannot accept service from his subordinate without giving him something in exchange. The spiritual master cannot accept service from a disciple without awarding him spiritual instruction. That is the reciprocation of love and duty. Thus Devahuti reminds her husband, Kardama Muni, that she has rendered him faithful service. Even considering the situation on the basis of liquidating his debt toward his wife, he must give a male child before he leaves. Indirectly, Devahuti requests her husband to remain at home a few days more, or at least until a male child is born.

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Bhakti-dhira Damodara Swami

Hare Krishna. My humble obeisances to all the wonderful senior devotees sitting here and to all the older devotees. When I was asked to speak this morning, I was not feeling comfortable because I was thinking there are so many of uncles and fathers and mothers and teachers who are present here. It would be unfair to speak in their presence but out of duty I accepted so I beg for forgiveness from all of you.

There are two classes of devotees. One is a cheating disciple. One is the sincere, straight- forward disciple. The cheating disciple, he or she will ask for all the material possessions, or material facilities and a guru will give him or her but he or she will not get bhakti. A serious devotee, he or she will not want material possessions but because of his or her sincerity he or she will get bhakti or devotion.

Devahuti was born in very wonderful family. Her father was the eighth baron of the whole universe. And it is said that Devahuti’s beauty was so wonderful that one day she was playing table tennis on top of her father’s palace and the demigods were flying in their airplanes and they saw her beauty and they fell from their airplanes. Her husband, Kardama Muni was a great mystic yogi. He created an airplane that can travel in the sea. The husband took her to all the planets and enjoyed the facilities, which are meant for demigods without hardship.

So she has all these wonderful facilities but she has complained, “I am full of fear because you are going to leave home. What would be my protection? How am I going to be protected? How am I going to be maintained after your departure as a sannyasi?”

Despite all the facilities that she has, material facilities can never give satisfaction to the soul because the soul is never material. The soul is completely spiritual therefore it requires only spiritual things to get satisfaction. That is Krishna consciousness.

Prabhupada mentioned in purport that Devahuti is requesting for spiritual instruction. This is what she is requesting for. She is requesting for spiritual instruction. And Prabhupada said here that the duty of the spiritual master is to reciprocate the services rendered by the disciple. A spiritual master cannot accept services from a disciple without awarding him spiritual instruction.

In the Second Canto, Chapter Eight, Text Seven, Srila Prabhupada mentioned in the purport that it is illegal for a spiritual master to accept disciples if he cannot give them Krishna consciousness, the perfection of life. A spiritual master that cannot deliver his disciples is illegally occupying the position. In other words Srila Prabhupada is saying that we should not as a leader accept a position without being responsible. It is cheating. Accepting the pleasures that is available but not being responsible for that position is cheating.

So Prabhupada has created the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to make gaura priyas(?). Gaura priyas will continue the work of the spiritual master after his departure. Every householder must have a son. Without a child there is no meaning to married life. Married life without a child is abominable. Means that the parents in their past life was so sinful. Similarly the spiritual master or a guru that takes service from a disciple but cannot award the disciple perfection in Krishna consciousness is a cheater. He is cheating.

The rituals of sitting in the class or the rituals in giving the class, the rituals of chanting or keeping the regulative principles, that some of us have been doing for many years but devotional service which is given by the guru to the disciple should be experienced in the life of a devotee who is practicing Krishna consciousness.

In the Bhagavatam it is said devotion, direct experience, direct perception of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna, and detachment from all material things that have nothing to do with Krishna is a natural experience for a devotee just like one who is engaged in eating every spoon diminishes hunger and brings satisfaction and nourishment. For one who is engaged in eating hunger diminishes with every spoon that he takes. Nourishment and satisfaction will replace hunger. For a devotee who is practicing Krishna consciousness to have experience of what is devotion or what devotional life is means that we should have experience of what we are practicing. Our fears should be diminished by now, our lamentation, ignorance should be destroyed.

tesam evanukampartham
aham ajnana-jam tamah
nasayamy atma-bhava-stho
jnana-dipena bhasvata (Bg 10.11)

Jnana-dipena bhasvata, dipena, light. “I, dwelling in their hearts,” of all living entities. Krishna is sitting in the heart to destroy the darkness born of ignorance. The devotee’s ignorance should be destroyed by Krishna consciousness and realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead should come, otherwise we are lamenting like Devahuti, “I need a son who will protect me before you leave.” We should have a bona fide… after preaching and preaching and preaching we should be able to have some devotees who will be able to push on the movement and make the movement progress positively and potently. This is Krishna consciousness. We will be able to liquidate all our debt as leaders if we have somebody who is going to represent us after we leave. Then our life is successful in Krishna consciousness. Hare Krishna.

Question: It seems to me that the act of awarding liberation is a spiritual activity that would reach beyond material designations like gender, like male or female. So why is it said that, if I understand correctly a male child is required to liberate parents?

Maharaja: Devahuti said here that as far as her daughters are concerned, they would eventually get their respective husbands and leave the home. The son will not leave the home. The son will stay because he has a duty. Everyone has his respective duties to perform. Women get married and stay with their husbands but a son will continue to stay. Prabhupada mentioned in the purport: “It is said that the father himself becomes a son in another form,” meaning that the representative of the father is the son. The father cannot leave the home without the son to continue his duty. It is illegal.

Therefore we must become God’s sons if we have a worthy father.

Question: So therefore physical proximity is required to liberate the parents? The son must actually be there in the home to liberate them?

Maharaja: You need a spiritual leader to give them guidance. If a spiritual leader is not required what is the need of the spiritual master? The need is necessary for us to understand things. It is required.

Question: Maharaja, thank you for a wonderful class. You did mention that householder life without children is abominable. How would you look upon a marriage where perhaps the couple is not blessed with children but they are together and propagating Krishna consciousness and making spiritual children?

Maharaja: Spiritual children can help us as much as possible. Biological children when we don’t have means that in our past lives we were very sinful. Now somehow or the other we have come to Krishna consciousness and we are making advancement in Krishna consciousness. That is a different thing. The karma we carry before that in the current life we have no child that is a fact that we were not so pious in our past in the past life.

Question: Thank you for the class, Maharaja. I want to make a point. You mentioned there are two kinds of devotees, devotee who takes the spiritual master and wants to surrender and the other devotee who takes benefits like this story of Bhagavatam. My question is Prabhupada created this movement to become pure devotees, develop love for Krishna. So how we can distinguish who is a real Vaisnava and who is not even if they have position in the society, facilities, etc. but what is the real symptom they have love for Krishna? That is what Prabhupada wanted. It is clear, the question?

Maharaja: Cheating disciple is only concerned with position and the facilities, the money, the power. There is no bhakti. He is full of anxiety. In the society of Krishna consciousness, he is still insecure. He is always afraid. His life is full of anxiety because motive brings fear and insecurity with all the material attractions. He wouldn’t be satisfied, wouldn’t be happy.

A sincere devotee who is not interested in material things but he wants bhakti from guru, he may not have position, he may or may not have position, but he has bhakti. The guru gives him bhakti. Such a devotee is always satisfied. In all circumstances he is satisfied. He is concerned with how to please guru and Krishna. He is not concerned about what he or she can achieve and get position, not self-centered.

Now we are seeing so many self-centred devotees who are considering sense gratification as spiritual life. Therefore, we have no potency. Srila Prabhupada said, class, not mass. Class not mass. We shouldn’t think that mass means success or advancement that we are progressing. Class, the duty of the guru is to plant Krishna in the heart of the disciple. When Krishna is in the heart of the guru he can transplant that. When Krishna is not there he cannot give. If Krishna is there he can give and that is what we should be. We should have Krishna in the heart so that we can be able to give Krishna, distribute Krishna.

Those who are distributing Krishna, they have Krishna in their heart. And you can see. Either they preach or they don’t preach but their presence, their qualities alone will affect others on a deep level. People come in contact with us, they are happy, they are encouraged, and they will be enthused in Krishna consciousness. Not that our position we are using to victimize others, make others insecure in their own Krishna consciousness. That is not Krishna consciousness. So see if we are satisfied, we are happy, or we are still insecure. Insecurity is not Krishna consciousness. It is maya. Hare Krishna. Thank you very much. Srila Prabhupada ki jai!

Questioner: Thank you.

[Applause] END.

[Special thanks to Madri DD from South Africa for completing the transcription]

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