$title="15th August 2001 - Festivals with Guru Maharaja "; include("../sys/top.php"); ?>
DEAR GODBROTHERS AND SISTERS PLEASE ACCEPT OUR HUMBLE OBEISANCES ALL GLORIES
TO GURU MAHARAJA ALL GLORIES TO SRILA PRABHUPADA
We would like to share some nectar from Guru Maharaja`s lectures in Hesinki.
GM arrived to Helsinki saturday evening 11th, Tattvavada Prabhu was waiting
him in the airport and GM was in a very jolly mood.
Although the evening went late, he gave Janmastami morning lecture from SB
1.16.12. Verse is dealing with Maharaja Pariksit conquering earth and in
purport SP is speaking about different parts of Jambudvipa etc.
GM mentioned how this Vedic presentation of earth is very much different
from our experience today. He said that those who want to puzzle their
brains further with this question can look for Sadaputa Prabhu`s interesting
new book and cd: "The sacred universe".
GM quoted Srila Prabhupada`s comment, that it is not actually our main
interest whether the Vedic description of the earth and universe exatctly
corresponds to our physical reality and if the present age scientists
theories are more or less accurate. The whole discussion is outside our main
interest which is going back to Godhead.
Of course it is the natural inclination for devotees,bhagavata`s, to accept
these explanations which are coming from Srila Sukadeva Goswami`s lotus
lips, but how to put these things together with science etc. And the
descriptions of the material world in general, which is full of miseries,
are not the main things. Krsna katha is the essence, and the measurement of
our advancement is our attraction, raga, to the topics of Krsna.
GM spoke how the Rajarsi is actually a brahmana who is acting as a ksatriya
when needed, not like present leaders who are actually only the leading
sensegratifiers. Maharaja Pariksit was so powerful that sin could not exist
in his presence like the darkness cannot exist when the sun is in the sky.
The beginning of the Kali-yuga and how it is in case permitted by the Lord
Himself, histories of destroying and re-establishing the mleccha races were
also explained.
Our temple is a rented place and not so big, but quite nicely decorated,
GM noticed and mentioned Gologa-Vrndavan Maha-yantra, which one of our
matajies, with the help of our godrother and sanskrit-expert Bhrgu-Muni das,
has expertly painted to the tempe room ceiling.
For the Janmastami evening we had rended larger hall just behind the wall
of our temple room. Place is nowadays working as an astanga-yoga-cub.
We welcomed GM with a big kirtan, led by Ajamidha Prabhu`s (husband of our
godsister Bhakti Acyuta-priya dd) transendental cordium, all the people were
standing and clapping their hands and Tattvavada d, who was the
main-organizer of the festival, introduced GM and gave him a garland.
And naturally all the other GM`s disciples in Finland,Purnaprjana d &
Vairagya-Laksmi dd, Janardana d and other`s were participating.
Temple was p-a-c-k-e-d, over 300 people were visiting during the night,
quite many from our increasing indian community.And everybody was listening
very attentively.
In the beginning GM was explaining our sampradaya, Brahma-Madva-Gaudiya-
sampradaya and it`s long tradition, our practise, sankirtan, and Lord
Caitanya`s predictions of its spreading all over the world.
"..of course there are other methods, like now we are sitting in
yoga-society, yoga is also spiritual practise, but not as universal, as easy
as sankirtan for reviving our original God-consciousness."
GM red some verses from CC.Adi 4th chapter starting from-7, explaining
mainly the question: "why Krsna comes to this world?", and also the
difference between Visnu and Krsna.
"..Now we are coming to the very specific Gaudiya-Vaisnava teaching,
that the adi-purusa,original person, the original form of God, is Krsna,
Gopal Krsna of Vraja-Dhama."
GM told this famous story of german gentleman who later became initiated by
Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja, (Sadananda Maharaja), visiting different temples and
coming to the conclusion that Krsna has to be the Supreme.
He spoke about vaidhi and raga bhakti. "Vaidhi is necassary, Krsna is the
purest of the pure and to approach Him we have to become pure also...
but Krsna wants something more. He wants our love.
...we have to become attracted to Krsna and that`s why He comes to this
world. And He displays all these wonderful lilas, so that we can hear them
and this loving attraction becomes awakened.
The reason of His coming is simply the loving conserment of each of us here.
GM closed His lecture with the story of Akbar the great who was quarreling
with some brahmana if the God comes or not to this world. And whose son
drops to the water pool. Akbar jumps to pool to rescue the son. Brahmana:
"You love your son, then why God cannot?"...
GM was very satisfied to festival and positively surprised how many people
came.
On Srila Prabhupada`s appearence day GM red some parts from Satsvarupa
Maharaja`s "Prabhupada Appreciation." He mentioned how since His joining
in the end of -71- to the Boston temple, where Satsvarupa, those days
Prabhu, was temple president, He have had deep appreciation for Satvarupa
Maharaja`s deeply realized relationship with Srila Prabhupada.
He mentioned that this book is one of His very favorites.
GM started from chapter 12-"serving in separation".
This was several pages full of transendental knowledge and nectar.
GM:"So there is so much in this chapter to meditate on deeply...for the rest
of our lives."
GM commented and spoke about the mysterious power of Guru-parampara.
He told the story from early- or mid-seventies when some Prabhu was making
some cooking to SP and made halva with rather uncommon recepy.
SP didn`t accept it. Prabhu felt very bad and very deeply prayed to
Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja. "You are His spiritual master, please inspire Him
to accept this halva." And in a short while SP asked the devotee to come
back and took the halva!!
"We do have a relationship to the whole parampara, through our spiritual
master."
"Like in a rich family the new generation has a right for the wealth, and
in a same way when we become linked to present representative, we have
access to the whole treasure coming down to the parampara and we should be
eager to get it."
The great danger of jumping over authorities, one`s guru, was also dealt
with, GM mentioned how there was an offense period, somewhere 69-71, when
some of SP`s disciples got little too famiiar with him and were turning to
His godbrothers who were slightly minimizing SP`s position etc.
Everyone of us whether disciple of granddisciple, has EQUAL relationship with
the founder acarya, He is actually the powerhouse from whom we get the
electricity for our devotional service, and His position shoud never be
minimized. We all have responsibility to access and develop this relationship
with the founder acarya
Last reading was chapter 2: "How we can please Srila Prabhupada."
One part of that (which GM red two times): "We can please Srila Prabhupada by
carrying out his instructions with sincerity. We have to actually LOVE to
serve his order and GIVE ourselves to him in service. He is pleasing master
to serve, and yet our minds may offer many reasons to resists serving him.
Utimately, if we desire to resist Krsna consciousness, to avoid the stage of
anartha-nivriti, and to remain comfortably in material consciousness, we
will have to avoid Srila Prabhupada`s association. But by the power of
serving Srila Prabhupada (who carries the power of Krsna in parampara),
a sincere seeker can have his or her material attachment ripped out by the
roots and become a pure devotee of Krsna."
Please note, that all these comments from the lectures are my subjective and
imperfect realizations, there were still more points and more nectar,
but you can order these from tape-ministry afterwards, our recording men
are already working busily!
We have small sannyas ashram for travelling sadhus,just next building to our
temple where GM is staying, doing His puja and studying.
We have helped him in washing the puja pharaphenelia, bhn. Laura has been
washing his laundry etc. On 13th, Guru Maharja took rest a little,
after travelling intensily last weeks.
Instead of Bhakti Acyuta-priya dd who is usually GM`s main-cook in Hesinki,
Bhrgu-muni Prabhu cooked for GM on 13th. GM glorified the prasadam, although
took quite little.
We will inform about the further lilas soon.
Your servant Muniraja das
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