Guest guest Posted November 11, 2002 Report Share Posted November 11, 2002 Hare Krsna,I am taking this From a post i have gotten from Nelish Prabhu,it fits so well on what is dharma,I had to relay this to this group!!Although we may have different opions ,This is What a Pure Devotee says in a Address given Awhile Ago,I hope You all Will Like This,krsnajoe(Jaya Kesava dasa) "Duty...Or A Waste Of Time" Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.8 April 22, 1974, Hyderabad --------- Prabhupada: Dharma (is) generally translated into English as "religion." I have already explained several times. The dictionary meaning of religion is "a kind of faith." But actually, dharma means occupational duty, or the characteristic. Just like a snake. The snake, its religion is to bite, and fatal bite. That is his dharma, occupational duty. Everything has got... Just like this microphone, it must work, it must expand the sound. That is its dharma. If it does not expand the sound, it is useless. So everything you take, there are characteristics. That is the meaning of dharma. Dharma is not an artificial faith. Faith you can change, but your occupational duty, you cannot change. So what is the occupational duty of the living entity? The living entity is now encaged in two kinds of gross and subtle body. Therefore, when he is situated in the bodily concept of life, his dharma is fruitive activities or sense gratification. When he is situated on the mental platform, then his occupational duties become speculation, imagination. And when he is situated in his original, spiritual platform, then his occupational duty is to serve Krsna. There are different types of yogis, but the first-class yogi is he who, now, mad-gatenantar-atmana, Krsna says, "who is thinking of Me always," mad-gata, sraddhavan, with veneration, love and faith. Bhajate. So to think of Krsna is also bhajana. There are different process of bhajana. To hear of Krsna, that is also bhajana. Just like you are hearing. And to speak about Krsna. I am speaking; you are hearing. Similarly, when the speaking and hearing is finished, then you think of Krsna, or by chanting Hare Krsna mantra, you think of Krsna. Krsna being absolute, all these different processes are also the same, one and the same. There is no difference between chanting and hearing or remembering or worshiping in the temple. That is the statement of the Vedic literature: the supreme controller, the supreme leader, is Krsna. Sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah. Krsna is not formless. When Krsna was present on this planet, He is not formless. He has His form. And what is that form? Sac-cid-ananda- vigraha [bs. 5.1]. Anandamaya-rasa-vigraha. Ananda-cinmaya-rasa. That is not this vigraha. That we have to understand. Our vigraha, our form, at the present moment, material form, that is not sac-cid- ananda. Sat means eternal, cit means full of knowledge, and ananda means full of blissfulness. So as soon as we think of one body, we think comparing with our body. So similarly, by our foolishness, if we think of Krsna's body like one of us, then we become mudha. Avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam [bg. 9.11]. Because Krsna comes in the human form like a human being, therefore we should not take Krsna as one of us. Then we become mudha, rascal, fools. Or in other words, one who thinks of Krsna having a body like us -- that is the Mayavada philosophy -- he is a mudha. Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah [bg. 7.15]. These are the statements of Bhagavad-gita. How you can misinterpret? This is plain thing, that symptom. Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah. These are the words used in the Bhagavad-gita. It is not our manufactured word. People may be very unhappy or angry, but we have to quote from these scriptures. These are the... Anyone who does not surrender to Krsna, he is within these categories. What are they? First of all duskrtina. Duskrtina means simply engaged in sinful activities. Krti. Krti means meritorious. But duskrti, badly meritorious. They are using their brain for something atrocious, simply planning how to do harm to others. That is called duskrtina. For his own sense satisfaction he is plan... That is called asura. Asuram bhavam asritah. Asuras, they are simply planning for his own sense gratification. And devotees, they are simply planning how to satisfy Krsna's senses. That is the difference. How Krsna will be satisfied. Both of them are planning, but one is planning for his own sense satisfaction and the other is planning how to satisfy the senses of Krsna. You have to become devotee. That is your success of life. But the warning is there, that as soon as you become a devotee, you become enemies of so many, especially nowadays. You know that recently I was refused entrance in Africa. The government did not allow me to enter. What is my fault? Because I am a devotee. This is my fault. So we are meeting so many dangerous position. In Bombay our temple construction has been refused by the commissioner of police. Why? Because we chant Hare Krsna. They have openly written that "The bhajana nuisance." You see? This is our position. Bhajana... Krsna says, Bhagavan says, that catur-vidha bhajante mam. This bhajana word is there. "Four kinds of people can be engaged in bhajana." Who are they? Sukrtino 'rjuna: "Whose background is very, very pious activities." Now, at present, bhajana is nuisance. Bhajana is stated in the Vedic scripture that it is performed by the pious man, and now, at the present circumstances, bhajana is nuisance. Satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drdha-vratah [bg. 9.14]. These are the statements of Vedic scripture. Who is mahatma? Mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah [bg. 9.13]. Satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drdha- vratah [bg. 9.14]. These are mahatmas. Nitya-yukta upasate. But at the present moment... Not at the present moment. From time immemorial this is going on. As soon as you become devotee, as soon as you are inclined to take part in bhajana, you will have so many enemies. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended that you tolerate. Still, you cannot give up your bhajana and Krsna consciousness. That is not possible. Tolerate. Trnad api. What is the process of toleration? Yes. So this Krsna consciousness movement we are teaching to become sukrtina, to make his life successful by understanding Krsna. And when you attain to the stage of bhakti, then your life is successful. This is the process. Therefore it is said that you may go on with your so-called occupational duties, but if you do not come to the platform of spiritual understanding, then it is srama eve hi kevalam -- it is simply waste of time. Simply waste of time. Because you do not catch up the ideal of your mission. Simply work like the animals and die. The bodily concept of li... Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [sB 10.84.13]. Simply thinking that "I am this body, and my only business is to satisfy the senses of the body. Not only my body, but my son's body, my grandson's body, my relative's body." This is going on under different names, Socialism, this "ism," that "ism" -- expanded bodily concept of life. Bhagavata says, dharmah svanusthitah pumsam visvaksena kathasu yah, notpadayet: "If you do not develop your Krsna consciousness, you are simply wasting your time." This is the verdict. So if we take it seriously... That is our propaganda. We are requesting not only the Hindus or Indians, but we are requesting everyone all over the world, "Take to this Krsna consciousness movement and try to understand." We are therefore publishing so many books. We are very fortunate. I am very glad to inform you that we are selling our books, not less than forty to fifty thousand rupees daily. So our books are being well received, because in the Western world outside India, they never heard of this idea that God can be approached personally, we can talk with Him, we can live with Him, we can play with Him. These new ideas, of course, novel to the Western world. Therefore they are taking very careful attention. So why not India? Do not waste your time this way, that way. And the process is very simple. The process is very simple. We are recommending the followers of Krsna consciousness... Just now I received one letter from Jaipur. They wanted my guidance. The guidance is not very difficult. It is very simple thing. First of all try to become sinless: no illicit sex life, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling. Observe these four regulative principles and chant Hare Krsna mantra as far as possible, at least sixteen rounds. Then see how your life changes. Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end) ----Original Message Follows---- s_v_c_s <no_reply> Be empty of all mental content Mon, 11 Nov 2002 17:39:34 -0000 The window is the absence of the wall, and it gives air and light because it is empty. Be empty of all mental content, of all imagination and effort, and the very absence of obstacles will cause reality to rush in. - Nisargadatta Hari Aum !!! Your use of is subject to _______________ Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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