Better Be Safe Than Sorry (part 1)

Kadamba Kanana Swami and I left Mayapur and arrived at Chowpatty temple at 7pm last night. This morning Maharaja led the Kirtan and then lots of enthused devotees came to the temple for the Srimad Bhagavatam class and question and answer session.
Stay Tuned for more transcripts of the class!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Chowpatty, 11th Dec 2010)
In the human form of life one is responsible for one's actions therefore the king was responsible for acting in this way although somehow or other he was cursed by a great sage.
It is a fact we see that in the description of Ajamila, the Yamaduttas are about to take Ajamila and the Vishnuduttas stopped the Yamuduttas from doing so because Ajamila had chanted the Holy Name.
Therefore the Vishnuduttas ascertained that Ajamila was sinless and subsequently the actions of the Yamuduttas was highly inappropriate - in due course of time Yamaraja personally came and begged pardon for the actions of his servants - because one is responsible for the actions of his servants and even if one's servants are not acting appropriately then one has to take reactions.
Saudasa had servants. When you have servants then there is the risk that you become involved in all kinds of possible reactions even although you, yourself have no intentions to act in such a way, you get the actions of the degraded actions of your servants.
In this case a somewhat extreme case, a servant starts to feed human flesh to a sage like Vaisista and that's not something that happens probably every-day! But the risk is there that the servant will misbehave - Therefore one who wants to have comforts in life has to also be prepared to take risk of having the reactions. So many people have servants - it's common also here in Mumbai we don't have to go quite far to find servants who have some function - some are in the kitchen, they are cooking. But even if they don't add human flesh to whatever they cook still if it is not offered to Krishna, then it is simply only sin...


It is only that which is offered to the Lord, that's what is required, that can free us from sinful reactions. Therefore a devotee is very careful in who is cooking and will not just take anything from anywhere, knowing very well that one becomes contaminated by eating food stuffs by a person who is impure…
We can see also in the Mahabharata, the situation where Bhishma was in the assembly of the Kurus and it was that time when Draupadi was mistreated and Dushasana tried to disrobe Draupadi and - Bhishmadeva, the upholder of Dharma, the best, the topmost of the Kshatriyas, one who was completely the defender of Dharma didn't do anything to protect Draupadi.
How was it possible? The explanation is offered that, Bhishmadeva was also been given some contaminated food stuff and his consciousness became effected. So it's very interesting that we may eat here and there, eat this and that, what can be done. Hungry, hungry!!!. When the need arises then we go for it, but such things have an effect on our consciousness. One may read the labels and it says the ingredients are all vegetarian -but it is not the best.
One of our life members had a chips factory and he had insisted once on taking me to the factory. There was the production line, there was a truck coming in with the potatoes and that was going into some big bins and there it was sprayed and cleaned and then the potatoes went on to the conveyor belts they were going over roles, they were pealed and next moment they were dried and sliced, then the slices went under hot air and next moment into a hot dip and spices were blown by hot air and then fresh spicy chips and then ………..there were the workers crunch… crunch.. crunch eating those chips!
Next we are going to offer them to Krishna!
What if someone walks in the kitchen and sticks his gruby fingers in the preparations that we are trying to prepare for the Lord, and just puts it in his mouth, what will he do with it. We can't offer it to Krishna, it's un-offerable, we throw it to the dogs, isn't it - but chips we offer it every-time. So in this way we must be very conscious of our activities not only in the field of eating but in general we must be very careful and diligent to secure that we are safe on the spiritual platform.... (contd in part 2)


(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Chowpatty, 11th Dec 2010)

 

 

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Devotees Also Have The Right To Exist

A story about a wolf who went to the stream to drink the water, and this little lamb also came to the stream to drink some water. So the wolf said;

" Hey you dirty little lamb! What are you doing?! How dare you stick your filthy snout in my drinking water!" (laughter).

"No…..no Mr Wolf! I'm drinking from down stream from you so the water that I'm drinking is not at all contaminating your water."

"Now listen. First of all you stick your filthy snout in my water and the next thing you give me lip as well…and you did the same thing last year!"


" No Mr wolf. I wasn't born last year"

"Now that's enough - for this nonsense I will eat you!"

So, we see how envy includes the fact that we don't let someone exist. You can be here in the temple – but you cannot exist: You cannot be your self: You have to be an exact copy of me… but in a more humble version (laughter). And in this way you have to behave exactly according to my world, because I am senior and I won't let you exist. So a lot of people in relationships do not let others exist. They impose so much upon them with their ideas. As a result they oppress others, but in the vedic culture there is the concept of prajās – that one which has taken birth has the right to exist!

Just like we have a field with grains – and the birds they come to eat. And of course some farmers stand there with their guns……..mimicking " You birds you come close to my grains. You better watch out right!"

So the birds they fly away at a distance …….and make fun of the farmer, and they will get their grains anyway. But the birds have a right to grains. The birds can take grains. It maybe that the farmer can make some arrangements to chase them away a little bit. He can put one of those scarecrows. You know with the scarecrows it's already clear that the crows already sits on one of those (laughter). So it's not very impressive. But it's a comfortable sort of landing from where you can survey the grains (laughter) "Which one shall I have first?"

So we don't have a right to kill the birds or chase away the birds. The birds have the right to exist. Devotees also have the right to exist, that's even more difficult than birds right? Other devotees in the temple they have the right to exist.


(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Melbourne, October 2010)

 

 

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