1. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are many local Supremes. A wife, sees husband as the supreme. Similarly
for those who are aspiring to enjoy their senses or for those who are in the mode of passion and ignorance worship of devatas or the demi-gods is recommended
in the vedic scriptures. Therefore the vedic literature says such demi-gods are Supreme according to their levels of understanding. It is the context basically who is Supreme to whom.
But the ultimate Supreme is Krishna.
"Even though it might appear harsh to say that we are competing with Krishna. It's a fact that we are competing with Krishna's position. Krishna says
I am the enjoyer and the proprietor of all the universes. We say How is that I just bought this Sky scraper, Krishna is claiming Himself the owner. No no
Let me buy that Bank and see who is the biggest proprietor. We are competing with Krishna by trying to enjoy the energies of Krishna. Even the demi-gods
bow down before Krishna knowing His position as the Supreme controller but demons wont. Demons will be forced to bow down when they get slashed down to death
by the Lord's weapon or time"
2. For those who want to get beautiful wife or a handsome man, worship of demigods is recommended. But it is the Supreme Lord who is providing all necessities to
even the demi-gods. The demi-gods themselves are devotees of Lord Krishna and they know very well about the supremacy of Lord Krishna
3. However sometimes even the demi-gods by the modes of material natire. We find certain instances where Lord Indra and Lord Brahma are getting bewildered
and forgetting Lord Krishna's Supreme position by being covered by their temporary position.
4. We can never be happy by being separate from the Lord. Lord is the ultimate enjoyer, "Bhoktaram yagaya tapasam..." - BG. Krishna is the enjoyer, we are meant to
be enjoyed by Krishna. By co-operating with the Lord's plan the minute living entities or the spiritual spark can also get happiness through the purified senses. But when the
senses are not pure, Lord Krishna doesnt reveal Himself.
5. One day there was a meeting by the different organs of the body such as eyes, legs, tongue, hands. In the meeting the discussion was eyes are saying, I am the one who look
at all that is meant for eating but I dont get a plate of food. Legs started complaining, " I am carrying the stomach all through the day., yet I am not getting a single plate of food but the stomach
gets all that" Similarly the hands also complained. Finally all of them decided to go on strike for a week to no co-operate to feed the stomach.
After a week, they meet again but they dont have energy and almost dead and each one of them started saying, " I dont know whats going on..but I am feeling terrible and not happy or energetic"
The stomach said, " I already told you guys that if you have to be happy, you have to co-operate with me". Stomach is the enjoyer in the body. If stomach is not fed, all the organs go dead.
Similarly our position is to co-operate with the plans of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. If we fail to do so we cant be happy.
6. Pooja may be for different demi-gods but Bhakti means it can be only for Krishna. Krishna is not attracted to the beauty of the apsaras or anything that is materially motivated.
Krishna is conquered only by unalloyed Bhakti or devotional service. Krishna Himself says in Bhagavad Gita that, Only by unlalloyed devotional service can He be understood as He is. " Bhaktya mam abhi janati.."
7. The brahman which is considered as the Nirguna is not the absolute, but there is Krishna, the Supreme Lord who is a person. The brahman effulgence is from the body of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna.
There's no ananda in the Brahman even though it is free from the modes of material nature. Unless there's service to the Supreme Lord, the living entities cannot derive ananda or pleasure.
8. Bhatkti is not dependent on Jnana or any material situation. For the Jnani's Liberation is the end, but for a devotee of Krishna, Liberation is just the beginning. We can be liberated from the modes of material nature
even when we are in this material body by performing devotional service to Lord Krishna.
9. Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita that If one sincerely surrenders or performs devotional service to Him, He Himself gives the knowledge by which the devotee can attain Him. A devotee is already conversant in the
vedic literature by just knowing Krishna and His transcendental nature. Veda means knowledge, The purpose of vedas is to know Him(Krishna). Krishna Himself confirms this in the Bhagavad Gita, " Vedias ca sarvir
10. A devotee already knows the purpose of the vedas and therefore engages in the devotional service to the Lord. But to keep his faith steady and progress in the spiritual life, he associates with the
transcendental literature like Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita. Bhagavad Gita is spoken by the Lord Himself. Srimad Bhagavatam is spoken by His devotees about His activities.
11." Among all the yogis one who constantly thinks about Me is the best",. "One who studies this conversation between Me and you worships Me by His intelligence", Lord Krishna in BG.
12. Deity worship is very important for the house holders to be regulated with their habits. If the house holder doesnt have deities, he might not eat at proper time and the proper food and there will
be lack of cleanliness. Deity worship helps the house holder to stick to the religious principles and associate constantly with the Lord in the form of His murtis. Because the house holders are directly interacting with
the material energy or the matter, there is more danger of them getting trapped or illusioned by the material energy.
QA:
How can we remember the Lord when we are dealing with mundane people by talking unnecessary things just for the sake of gaining business?
Ans:
It is not very uncommon to see in India that group ladies holding a pot full of water on their heads and simultaneously talking and doing other activities while walking. Likewise eventhough we
deal with materialistic people our mind should be fixed that I am doing this for Krishna's pleasure that I will get the profit that I receive from this act fot the pleasure of Krishna.
We can also find that a man even though working so hard at the office will have a photo of his wife or children at their desks in the office. If the man gets a call from wife and when he
hears that his child is sick, he immdeiately runs to the home leaving aside all his work at the office. So he is very clear that he is doing all these for the love of his wife and children. Similarly we should also
remember that we are working for Krishna. Our mind, body, wife, children everyone should be Krishna conscious and for that sake we carry out the job at office. When the husband is Krishna conscious, the wife and children
also remain Krishna conscious and the whole family has Krishna as their centre and therefore the goal is Krishna.
Notes from a lecture by HH.Danavir Goswami Maharaj
-- Yours
Dinesh
Blog:http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.com
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