# QA podcast: Can career and bhakti go together? Kolkata - Chaitnya Charan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OuE6j9c-kI

[00:00] I think it's not a project.
[00:01] So,
[00:03] I was thinking that Krishna as Paramatma within our heart guides us like Hanuman.
[00:10] One thing all of you can ask: you can introduce yourself, what you are doing, and you can tell your name, and then you can start introduce to me, introduce to everyone, all of you first.
[00:21] Myself Hari Om Verma.
[00:24] I am Hari Om Verma.
[00:26] I am a network engineer in Ericsson.
[00:30] Currently I'm posted there in Calcutta and along with that I'm practicing this bhakti life.
[00:35] Yes, that's all.
[00:39] I think it's not a project.
[00:41] Myself other thing I'm currently working as a software engineer in synthesis.
[00:45] So, I have work from home, that's why I'm staying in the association of devotee practicing my bhakti along with my career.
[00:54] My name is Raj Kumar Shah and I'm recently passed B.Tech in computer science and engineering from Heritage College and
[01:02] Currently I'm staying in Temple and doing youth preaching and also learning and preparing for exams.
[01:12] I think it's not a project.
[01:13] My name is Anant Chaitanya Das and I am currently working at TCS and I am here and practicing bhakti since 3-4 years.
[01:26] Thank you.
[01:30] Yes, please. Yes, bro.
[01:33] So, like Paramatma in our heart is guiding us.
[01:36] So, like we know that is Hanuman for us.
[01:42] So, my question was that that does Krishna have plans for all of us and if it is then how can I understand that whatever profession or career I'm aligning with now, it is aligning with the Krishna's plan.
[01:54] So, that's what my question.
[02:00] So this is one of the most important
[02:02] questions we can ask
[02:06] that when I'm existing
[02:09] say in general if we are
[02:11] a part of any larger collective
[02:15] so if I belong to say a family
[02:18] if I am in a school
[02:20] if I am in a company
[02:21] when we when we are a part of a larger
[02:23] collective
[02:25] does that collective have a plan for us?
[02:28] If we are in a school does the school
[02:32] Yes, of course, isn't it?
[02:35] So if you have a family does the family have a plan for
[02:36] us?
[02:37] Yes.
[02:38] Now as the collective becomes bigger and bigger
[02:41] then the question becomes a little more
[02:43] difficult to understand.
[02:45] Does the country have a plan for us?
[02:49] Well, you can say the country wants all citizens to be law-abiding.
[02:51] They want the citizens to become responsible, to become constructive members in society.
[03:00] So we are all parts of a larger
[03:02] collective and within that larger
[03:06] collective there is a relationship where we do something for the collective and the collective does something for us.
[03:13] So if we are in a company then does the company have a part for us to play?
[03:20] Yes, that's why they hired us. Isn't it?
[03:21] We are in a particular we have a particular designation, a particular role.
[03:25] So the Bhagavad Gita explains that we are all parts of Krishna.
[03:38] Krishna says that we are his parts eternally.
[03:44] Now when he says we are his parts that means that if if we are his parts then he has a part for us to play.
[03:55] It's like if somebody is a part of the Indian cricket team, then they have a part to play in that team.
[04:01] And now, of course, somebody might be in
[04:03] the Indian cricket team and they might be dropped.
[04:06] Somebody might be in a company or a team and they might be fired.
[04:10] But Krishna says, "Sanatana."
[04:13] Krishna says, "I will never drop you."
[04:16] Mhm? You will always be my part.
[04:20] And that means you will always have a part to play.
[04:27] So, that means now, in many ways, if you consider uh larger collective like a country or a consider larger collective like a even a state.
[04:38] Today is West Bengal Day.
[04:38] Today was the day the the vote agitation that became successful because of which, otherwise, all of Bengal would have been a part of part of previously Pakistan, later became Bangladesh.
[04:50] So, now, which larger part we are a part of?
[04:54] That is important. Isn't it?
[04:57] Now, if you consider larger collective like the uh state or the country, then they may not be able to care for us
[05:05] Individually.
[05:06] Mhm?
[05:08] The country does not have an impersonal relationship with each one of us.
[05:12] But Krishna is not like that.
[05:13] As you rightly said, Krishna is the Paramatma.
[05:16] Sarvasya chaham hrdisannivistah.
[05:18] Sannivistah is like close to you.
[05:21] So, Krishna cares for each one of us.
[05:28] So, Krishna has a personal relationship with each one of us.
[05:31] And therefore, Krishna does have a plan for each one of us.
[05:37] Now, the question that comes up then, "Okay, if we belong to a larger collective which cares for us and has a plan.
[05:44] Krishna has a plan.
[05:46] So, then what is the plan?
[05:48] So, to understand this there are two important points to understand.
[05:54] That if we consider say this is the mountain, this is the Himalayas and this is the ocean.
[06:00] So, when a river moves towards the ocean there may be different rivers that arise.
[06:07] from the mountain and different rivers might move by different parts to the ocean.
[06:14] Mhm?
[06:14] So, each one of us is like a river.
[06:18] And Krishna is like the ocean.
[06:21] So, each river.
[06:28] The purport to this verse, Vedānta Deśika, prominent commentator from the Śrī Vaiṣṇava tradition, he says that when the river flows towards the ocean uh the river ultimately is meant to go towards the ocean.
[06:41] Like that, each one of us there is a common universal plan for the life of each one of us.
[06:48] That is in this world we learn to love Krishna.
[06:53] We learn to love what really matters, what really counts, what really lasts.
[06:59] Uh that and through that we ultimately attain Krishna.
[07:03] But along with that while the river is moving
[07:09] towards the ocean the river does so much good to all the life forms along its banks.
[07:18] It provides life-nourishing water to thousands and millions of life forms.
[07:25] Similarly, Krishna says that each one of us as we are moving through the world towards God ultimately, we are also meant to do good in this world.
[07:39] Just like a river provides water, we are also meant to do good in this world.
[07:43] Now, each river has to find its own path.
[07:49] There'll be different obstacles for different rivers.
[07:52] And each river has to find its own path.
[07:54] And even if there is a path, sometimes the path may change.
[07:58] Sometimes there might be landslide.
[07:59] Sometimes there might be a dam that is built.
[08:04] So, in one sense, we can say that there is
[08:10] In the plan, there are two different things.
[08:14] There is the path and there is the purpose.
[08:20] So, the purpose is universal.
[08:23] That is fixed for all of us ultimately.
[08:27] But, the path is individual.
[08:31] It will vary for each one of us.
[08:34] And it has to be discovered by each one of us.
[08:39] So, this is a matter of individual discovery.
[08:44] The universal purpose is that we learn to love Krishna and ultimately attain Krishna.
[08:49] That is The individual purpose is that while going through the world, we find our way.
[08:58] Now, how do we find our way?
[09:01] So, that has broadly three C's in it.
[09:06] The first is that we always need to have
[09:10] an attitude of contribution.
[09:14] That a seva bhava.
[09:17] The river, while it is going towards the ocean, is not thinking, "What will I get from the people along the way?"
[09:24] The river is simply giving water.
[09:27] So, now what is the opposite of contribution?
[09:30] We could say it could be recognition.
[09:33] It could be gratification.
[09:36] It could be recognition means you want popularity.
[09:39] Gratification means we want pleasure.
[09:42] We want power.
[09:42] Now, if we are seeking recognition or gratification, then we will never be able to find out our God's plan for us.
[09:54] Not never, it will be very difficult.
[09:57] Why? Because we'll always be thinking, "Hey, if I pursue this career, I'll become very famous."
[10:03] You know, if I pursue this, oh, you know, I'll earn so much money.
[10:08] If I pursue this particular career, then maybe all the girls will be attracted to
[10:12] Me.
[10:13] So, there are so many externals.
[10:16] If we are thinking in terms of gratification or recognition, then we will simply be chasing whatever looks popular or attractive at that time.
[10:26] So, the first point is we need to have a seva power, an attitude of contribution.
[10:32] That Now, of course, when we contribute, we do expect some returns.
[10:36] Isn't it?
[10:39] Let's say if we are working in a company, we are contributing, we expect something in return.
[10:41] That's natural.
[10:45] But the primary focus is how can I best contribute?
[10:48] I am here in this world not just to make myself famous, make myself powerful.
[10:53] I am here to serve, to contribute, to make a positive difference.
[11:01] Now, once that is clear, if we understand that I am I'm a part of God.
[11:06] A part is meant to contribute like in a cricket team, each part is meant to contribute to the team.
[11:13] Now, while contributing, some part some player may even get the man of the the player of the match award.
[11:19] And they may celebrate.
[11:21] But the player is not there for individual performance.
[11:25] The player is there for player is not for there for individual glory.
[11:29] The player is there for the contribution to the team.
[11:33] For the team success.
[11:36] Now, while success the team succeed with the player also gets glory, that's nice.
[11:39] But that's not the purpose.
[11:42] The life is not like a individual sport.
[11:45] It's a team sport.
[11:47] Like if you consider tennis or chess, these are all individual sports.
[11:54] But cricket or football, these are team sports.
[11:56] So, life is like a team sport.
[11:57] The If somebody has to be a part of the team, the first thing is you should have need to have a attitude of contribution.
[12:05] So, how can I best contribute?
[12:07] Once we have that seva bhava, that understanding that I'm here to contribute,
[12:14] then we look for two more things.
[12:17] So, this is based on 15.7 where amsha we are meant to contribute.
[12:19] Krishna says once we give up the ethos of contribution, then what happens?
[12:23] Manah shashthani indriyani prakrutisthani karshati.
[12:27] Your mind will say, "Okay, maybe get this.
[12:29] Maybe I'll do that.
[12:31] Maybe do that.
[12:33] And we'll constantly be chasing mirages.
[12:37] So then, once this is clear, then we go to 4.13 in the Bhagavad Gita.
[12:42] Krishna says guna karma vibhagashah.
[12:47] So, the word guna and karma, these can be understood in many different ways.
[12:54] Let's look at one way of understanding this.
[12:57] So, when we have the guna for doing something, then we feel good doing it.
[13:03] We feel happy.
[13:03] We feel content doing it.
[13:09] So, there is contentment while we are doing it.
[13:13] That means that for each one of us, for
[13:16] some of us we may like music, some of us may like art.
[13:20] Someone may like cooking, someone may like decoration, someone may like maths, somebody may like science.
[13:24] That we just we just feel happy doing that.
[13:27] There is contentment.
[13:30] When we are doing something, so God has given us certain interests, certain talents, certain abilities.
[13:35] And when we act according to them, we get a certain level of intrinsic happiness.
[13:44] Mhm?
[13:45] Now, being content is very important.
[13:48] Mhm?
[13:49] Like a doctor, somebody becomes a doctor.
[13:51] Now, if they don't get some level of joy in treating and healing people, then they will be frustrated.
[13:58] Why do I have to see so much suffering every day?
[14:00] Then they will think, all that I want to do is I want to earn money.
[14:04] So, at least I should get something.
[14:05] And they will prolong the treatment of the patients.
[14:09] They'll prescribe unnecessary tests.
[14:10] So, what is that saying?
[14:12] A doctor cures your ills with his pills and then kills you with his bills.
[14:19] So, what happens?
[14:25] That if that seva bhava is not there and that inner contentment is not there, then it will not work in society.
[14:27] Now, of course, we may say like somebody may say, "Oh, I feel very happy with music."
[14:34] But, look, suppose they're not good at music.
[14:37] So, what happens is they come to kirtan and start playing kartal.
[14:41] And they're happy playing kartal, but everyone around them is not happy.
[14:46] So, that won't work.
[14:47] So, when we have the karma for doing something, karma, if we have, then we have competence in doing it.
[14:56] So, one is we feel good doing something, and the second is we are good at doing something.
[15:04] So, when we find the intersection of these two,
[15:09] that what are the areas in my life that I feel satisfied doing it.
[15:15] That this is what I would like to do.
[15:18] Generally, one of the ways to find out what we are content is that two ways.
[15:23] If we had some free time, what would we look forward to do?
[15:26] Not just say I will I will just like to sit back and watch TV.
[15:29] No, what is something contribution that I would like to do?
[15:31] Nobody can say, "Well, I contribution was everyday I watched 10 hours TV."
[15:35] You know, that would be tragically wasted life.
[15:39] But how can I contribute? What would I if if I had some free time, if I had no financial worry, if I had no social obligation, what would I like to do?
[15:47] What would I love to do?
[15:47] So, feel good is not here as achieve dopamine hit.
[15:52] It is in the form of a contribution.
[15:54] And then among the things that I would like to contribute, sorry, that I feel content doing, what are the things that I am good at doing?
[16:04] So, in one sense contentment is subjective.
[16:07] It is in terms of our inner experience.
[16:12] Competence is objective.
[16:16] It is in terms of of there are
[16:18] parameters that can be used.
[16:20] Somebody's good at music, somebody's good at cooking.
[16:22] Somebody's good at management.
[16:25] Somebody is good at public speaking or teaching.
[16:28] So, now it is it takes to some extent a good amount of discovery, self introspection and discovery to find out what lies at the intersection of these two.
[16:41] So, it's for some people their talents might be so extraordinary that they just find out right in the beginning only.
[16:47] This is what I'm extraordinarily gifted in, this is what I love to do.
[16:52] For some people they may have uh
[16:55] So, for people who have one clear talent and a lot of interest in that talent.
[16:57] They're good at it. That's very clear.
[17:01] For most of us, we may have many talents in moderate quantities.
[17:06] Mhm?
[17:07] Now, some people are special they have many talents in lot of quantity.
[17:10] So, they have what is called as a problem of plenty.
[17:13] There are so many things I'm good at, but I'm not good at deciding what I should do with it.
[17:18] So, it becomes confusing.
[17:18] Mhm? What I
[17:20] should do.
[17:22] But either way in in general when we start practicing bhakti what happens that attitude of contribution comes in and we become a little more peaceful.
[17:31] We are not simply chasing externals.
[17:35] So, what we think is okay, in which area of life in which career, in which service, in which occupation, in which role can I contribute in the most effective way?
[17:49] So if somebody is in a cricket team then okay, how can they best contribute?
[17:55] Sometimes batsman have to bowl and bowlers have to bat.
[17:58] But each person has a particular role.
[18:01] Now, whereas people are brought into a team based on their talent, so they more or less know their roles.
[18:07] But when we are born in the world, there is some amount of self-discovery that each one of us has to.
[18:13] That's why self-observation and having the calmness to do self-observation.
[18:19] Not just what will get me the most
[18:22] praise and then I will feel good.
[18:24] But what doing it itself helps me feel content.
[18:30] So, when we find that, then we can then we can broadly know that the career we are pursuing is aligned with God's will for us.
[18:40] There's a famous author.
[18:43] One of my main services is writing.
[18:45] So I love words.
[18:49] In fact, I carefully think about words, each word I try to use in my speaking or writing.
[18:53] For me, my words are like the flowers that pujari or garland maker will use to offer to the Lord.
[19:02] So, each flower is chosen carefully and then the flowers are woven together so that a beautiful garland is made.
[19:10] So, I have read about writers and how they motivate themselves.
[19:14] There's a famous Nobel laureate writer he said, I love and being read.
[19:20] Everybody who's written something will want others to read it, naturally.
[19:24] love being read, but I love even more having written.
[19:30] There are many authors, very famous authors who never became famous while they were alive.
[19:35] They gained fame after they died.
[19:38] Now why did they write?
[19:40] Now we may say from a spiritual perspective what they wrote is not very meaningful, but for them it gave meaning to their life.
[19:47] So the idea is that unless we have some level of calmness and clarity, we will simply be chasing whatever will make us externally feel good.
[19:57] By being by gaining praise, by gaining power, by gaining pleasure.
[20:01] But if we have this three-point criteria, contribution, contentment, and competence, then we all can find out how best we can serve within Krishna's plan.
[20:13] My last point I'll make, see Krishna's plan for us is not like a a robot who has been programmed, you know?
[20:23] It is
[20:25] When I travel across the world, many we
[20:27] have lots of Indians now settled outside
[20:28] India.
[20:29] So many Indian parents outside India
[20:32] feel worried
[20:33] that our children may get spoiled
[20:34] because of the prevailing culture in the
[20:36] West.
[20:37] So they say our children don't listen to
[20:40] us. So then I ask the parents, if the
[20:41] parents are complaining a bit too much,
[20:43] would you like to replace your child
[20:46] with a perfectly obedient robot?
[20:50] And
[20:51] no parent has said I would like to
[20:52] replace my child with a robot. Some
[20:54] parents say, I wouldn't mind having a
[20:55] robot in addition.
[20:58] Why? Because with a robot there is no
[21:00] reciprocation of love.
[21:02] So if an ordinary parent does not want a
[21:05] robot who is simply programmed and does
[21:08] whatever the programming says.
[21:09] Why would Krishna as a supreme parent
[21:11] want a robot?
[21:13] Why would he have made us conscious
[21:15] beings and then expect us to be
[21:17] converted into robots?
[21:20] It's not like that. We have
[21:21] individuality and we are meant to use
[21:24] our individuality to serve Krishna.
[21:27] So, Krishna's plan for us is not like a
[21:30] pre-programmed path. You have to go
[21:32] along this way only if you don't, you're
[21:34] lost.
[21:35] No, there is an element of discovery for
[21:37] each one of us. And in that discovery of
[21:40] the gifts that Krishna has given us and
[21:42] of the ways in which we can use those
[21:45] gifts in Krishna's service,
[21:47] we offer our loving devotion to Krishna.
[21:51] So, within this vision, yatah pravrttir
[21:53] bhutanam yena sarvam idam tatam
[21:57] svakarmana tam abhyarcya siddhim vindati
[22:00] manavah.
[22:03] So, I have written a book called Gita
[22:04] for the CEO. It's a national bestseller.
[22:07] How the Bhagavad Gita can help us
[22:09] in trans in uh
[22:13] in doing justice to our God-given
[22:15] talents and contributing in the world.
[22:18] So, that book is translated in Hindi
[22:19] also. It's available here.
[22:21] So, I'll explain one point from that
[22:23] book.
[22:24] See,
[22:24] in general, if Krishna, God, is above
[22:27] here,
[22:28] so, what we have,
[22:30] that is God's gift to us.
[22:36] And what we do with what we have is
[22:39] meant to be our gift to God.
[22:44] So, in this way for a devotee, pursuing
[22:47] the career also becomes a very
[22:49] devotional activity.
[22:52] When I'm pursuing my career, it's not
[22:53] just I want to earn money, not just I
[22:55] want to become popular, famous. No.
[22:57] It's like the fun part of the career is
[23:00] is discovering what gifts Krishna has
[23:02] given me. And second part is
[23:04] how can I use those gifts to do
[23:07] something valuable in the world as my
[23:09] gift to Krishna?
[23:11] So, Arjuna had the talent
[23:14] of archery. That was Krishna's gift to
[23:16] him.
[23:17] And with that talent, Arjuna worked
[23:19] hard, trained under Drona,
[23:22] performed austerities, and he became a
[23:23] great archer.
[23:25] And then his archery excellence became
[23:28] his gift to Krishna.
[23:30] Okay?
[23:32] So, this has become a mini class.
[23:34] But, I think this is such an important
[23:35] question.
[23:39] Any other follow-up questions or
[23:40] comments?
[23:58] You can speak, I'll repeat.
[24:08] Different types of ambitious in life.
[24:10] So, when we fail
[24:13] when we
[24:14] face some failures and setbacks, so
[24:17] along the way, what kind of
[24:19] consciousness should we cultivate? Or
[24:21] rather, how Krishna consciousness will
[24:24] help us during those dark days?
[24:26] Yes.
[24:28] So, when we fail, how
[24:30] how should we face failures in life?
[24:34] So, Krishna explains it in two distinct
[24:36] ways.
[24:37] In 18.37, he says
[24:44] He says that all good things in life
[24:48] there's a layer of poison before, and
[24:50] then we come to the nectar.
[24:52] So, we all need to have that strength
[24:56] to push through the poison
[24:58] before we get to the nectar.
[25:01] Talent is raw.
[25:03] But from talent to come to skill
[25:07] it requires effort. It requires
[25:08] training.
[25:10] So, at one level nobody likes to work
[25:14] hard.
[25:16] We all would like to at least in our
[25:18] condition say we would like to just
[25:19] relax and enjoy.
[25:21] Just try to be comfortable.
[25:23] But there is a push.
[25:26] So, when we have some What will be the
[25:29] poison for us? Like if we go back over
[25:30] here
[25:31] discovering what gifts we have.
[25:34] And then trying to develop those gifts
[25:35] and use them in a mood of service. In
[25:37] all of these there is the initial layer
[25:39] of poison.
[25:40] So, at one level we need to always have
[25:43] that confidence
[25:45] that even if I face failures in my life
[25:49] failure is an event in my life.
[25:53] Failure is never my self-definition.
[25:58] It's I
[26:00] I
[26:02] I had a failure in my life.
[26:04] I am not a failure.
[26:07] We are No matter how many setbacks we
[26:10] face in our life Krishna says, "I'm
[26:12] never going to drop you. I'm never going
[26:14] to abandon you."
[26:15] So, if we are just alive
[26:19] that means there is more right than
[26:21] wrong in our lives.
[26:23] If we are alive that means Krishna is
[26:26] not yet done with us.
[26:28] Krishna has a plan for us.
[26:32] At this moment we are breathing air. We
[26:34] are living on sunlight.
[26:36] Now, all these are
[26:39] gifts which we don't gift of life
[26:43] there is a purpose for it.
[26:45] That's why at the first level as
[26:47] devotees
[26:50] we could say know that after the poison
[26:52] there will be nectar.
[26:54] So, never lose hope.
[26:59] Never lose hope.
[27:02] When we experience loss in life,
[27:04] we can process loss in different ways.
[27:07] Somebody in sattva
[27:09] will objectively analyze. Sattva is
[27:11] where sattva sanjayate gyanam Krishna
[27:13] says sattva guna. We are calm. We are
[27:16] thoughtful. So, okay, I have lost.
[27:21] That is objective. It is sad, but it is
[27:23] true.
[27:24] But, if we are in rajas,
[27:27] we are very attached.
[27:29] We say not just I have lost, I am lost.
[27:33] Mhm?
[27:34] So, I wanted to be a I wanted to be IIT
[27:37] engineer. I didn't get into IIT,
[27:39] I'm lost. I don't know what to do in my
[27:40] life. Mhm?
[27:42] So, I wanted to get into IAS and UPSC,
[27:44] didn't work out, I'm lost. I don't know
[27:46] what to do.
[27:47] So, I have lost is a loss of
[27:49] opportunity. I am lost is a loss of
[27:51] direction.
[27:53] So, what happens is if you see the river
[27:55] is going towards the ocean,
[27:57] if the river is attached to a particular
[27:59] path,
[28:00] and that path gets blocked,
[28:02] then you say, "Okay, I can never get to
[28:04] the ocean. I'm lost."
[28:06] So, we should not be too attached. If
[28:08] something doesn't work out, okay, this
[28:10] direction is lost, but
[28:12] that is doesn't mean it's the end of the
[28:15] road for me.
[28:16] But, the most damaging is if somebody is
[28:18] in tamas,
[28:20] they'll think that not just I'm lost,
[28:22] but I am a loser.
[28:26] Yash swapnam bhayam shokam vishadam
[28:28] madame vacha navimunchati durmedha
[28:31] dhritih sa partha tamasi.
[28:34] If somebody thinks I am a loser,
[28:37] then they are ruined.
[28:39] That then they are completely destroyed.
[28:44] So, if any of us were in a relationship
[28:46] with somebody who's a loser.
[28:48] If say we're in a doing a project with a
[28:49] partner who we think is a loser.
[28:51] Then we'll say I don't want to be in
[28:52] that my partner with you.
[28:54] If you're in a business partnership,
[28:56] we'll think I want to break the partner.
[28:57] If you are a loser, you'll drag me down
[28:58] also.
[28:59] Right? If somebody's in a romantic
[29:01] relationship with somebody who think
[29:02] there's a loser, you know, I don't want
[29:04] to be in this relationship.
[29:05] But if we think we are a loser,
[29:09] then can we break up with ourselves?
[29:13] What do you think? Can you break up with
[29:14] ourselves?
[29:16] No, we can't.
[29:18] But
[29:19] we can try.
[29:21] Suicide is basically an attempt to break
[29:24] up with oneself.
[29:26] I am such a loser, I don't want to live.
[29:29] When people say I don't want to live,
[29:31] what it means is I don't want to live
[29:34] the life I'm living right now. I don't
[29:36] want to live I want to live the kind of
[29:38] person I am right now.
[29:40] So, it's a very tragic attempt to break
[29:42] up with oneself.
[29:44] So, for the devotee,
[29:46] if we have spiritual understanding, then
[29:49] we will never go on this path.
[29:52] I am a loser.
[29:53] No matter how many failures come in our
[29:55] life, Krishna still has a plan for us.
[29:58] That's the first point, never lose hope.
[30:01] Now, after we understand this never lose
[30:03] hope, then what do we do?
[30:05] So,
[30:07] if we are only looking at the world, the
[30:09] world will say, "Hey, you didn't succeed
[30:10] at this. You didn't succeed. You are a
[30:11] loser."
[30:12] People are very casual in passing cruel
[30:14] comments like that.
[30:16] That's why for each one of us,
[30:18] the next point is
[30:20] that see, we all have
[30:23] a social image.
[30:27] Social by means
[30:30] we look at ourselves through the eyes of
[30:32] the world.
[30:34] We look at ourselves through the way
[30:36] people look at us.
[30:39] And this social image,
[30:42] socially created image we could say.
[30:45] So we could call it social image.
[30:47] This can very easily become negative.
[30:51] You know, you're not good at this,
[30:52] you're not good at that. Sometimes it
[30:54] may be our relatives, sometimes it may
[30:55] be our friends, sometimes you know,
[30:57] you're good for nothing.
[30:58] Nothing work for you.
[31:00] So this social image can ruin a person.
[31:03] That's why each one of us
[31:06] we remember we need
[31:09] a spiritual image of us.
[31:12] A spiritual image means
[31:14] we see ourselves
[31:16] as God sees us.
[31:20] And we need around us people who will
[31:24] help us
[31:25] to see ourselves the way God sees us.
[31:30] When I came in here, some of you may
[31:31] notice that I need crutches for walking.
[31:34] So when I was around 1
[31:36] I was staying in a small town in
[31:37] Maharashtra, Chandrapur, and my mother
[31:39] took
[31:40] to a
[31:41] clinic to get the polio vaccine.
[31:44] But unfortunately because there was a
[31:46] small town, sometimes the power supply
[31:47] would go off over there. The previous
[31:49] night the power supply
[31:51] for that clinic had gone off.
[31:53] Because of that, the fridge in which
[31:55] they had kept the vaccines had got
[31:57] heated up.
[31:58] And the germs in the vaccine multiplied.
[32:01] Neither the attendant nor the physician
[32:03] noticed it.
[32:04] When I was given that vaccine
[32:06] instead of causing preventing polio, it
[32:09] ended up causing polio.
[32:11] Now, I don't remember any of this, but I
[32:13] was told that I was just learning to
[32:14] walk. The first few steps I was taking
[32:16] at the age of 1, I fell down, and I
[32:18] couldn't walk normally thereafter.
[32:21] But my first memory of this is when I
[32:23] was about 2 and 1/2 or 3
[32:26] and a distant relative had come to our
[32:28] home and she was consoling my mother
[32:30] saying, "It's so sad your son got
[32:32] polio."
[32:34] And I still remember my mother's voice,
[32:36] very calm, clear, confident.
[32:40] She said, "Whatever he lacks physically,
[32:45] God will provide him intellectually."
[32:51] Now, I don't know why she said that,
[32:54] whether I had shown some intellectual
[32:55] ability at that time,
[32:57] or whether it was her hope, it was her
[32:59] prayer, it was her blessing.
[33:02] But somehow that stayed with me.
[33:04] And as I grew up, I did find I found
[33:06] that I did have some intellectual
[33:07] ability.
[33:08] And so if I had looked at myself from
[33:11] the world's eyes, people, kids around me
[33:14] would tease me, "langda", "cripple",
[33:15] kind of thing. That could have become my
[33:17] self-definition.
[33:19] But
[33:21] because
[33:22] I was able to I had a mother who blessed
[33:24] me with a different vision,
[33:26] that didn't become my self-definition.
[33:29] So that's why for all of us, good
[33:30] association,
[33:32] not just good association means
[33:33] association that makes us feel good.
[33:35] But asso- good association means
[33:37] association that helps us to see
[33:39] ourselves the way God sees us.
[33:42] And each one of us has value, each one
[33:44] of us has potential, each [snorts] one
[33:46] of us has a part to play.
[33:49] That having that vision is very
[33:52] important.
[33:53] So I would say, when we face failures,
[33:55] first is never lose hope knowing that
[33:57] God has a plan. Second is have good
[33:59] association, which will help us to get a
[34:02] more positive self-image. Now positive
[34:05] self-image doesn't mean that we deny the
[34:07] fact that we have limitations, that we
[34:09] have had failures, but we still see the
[34:11] positive beyond the negative.
[34:15] And then after that, we continue
[34:18] exploring.
[34:20] Continue exploring means that okay, this
[34:23] didn't work out.
[34:25] So why did it not work out?
[34:27] If I tried something and it didn't work
[34:29] out, what were the reasons for it?
[34:33] So, in the 18th chapter of the Bhagavad
[34:35] Gita, in 18.14,
[34:37] Krishna talks about when we start an
[34:40] action,
[34:42] and
[34:43] so, if you consider this is the one
[34:45] mountain top is action,
[34:47] the other mountain top is the result.
[34:51] So, in between action and result, we
[34:54] need to build a bridge.
[34:58] So, Krishna says this bridge has five
[35:02] planks in it.
[35:04] Planks is there are five logs of wood
[35:06] that combine together to make this
[35:08] bridge.
[35:09] Adhishthanam tatha karta karanam cha
[35:11] pruthak vidha vividhas cha pruthak
[35:14] cheshta daivam chaiva atra panchamam.
[35:18] So, the first is the self.
[35:21] That we as individuals are present, we
[35:23] try at the first place.
[35:25] But, the last is daiva, that is destiny.
[35:29] Now, these two are more or less the self
[35:32] is who we are as souls. Destiny, we
[35:34] don't know what destiny is.
[35:36] We can't control it.
[35:38] But, apart from that, Krishna says there
[35:39] are three more components. That is,
[35:42] adhishthanam and karanam and cheshta.
[35:47] So, the we could put it as
[35:50] talent,
[35:51] that is karanam, then there is
[35:53] environment,
[35:56] and there is cheshta, that is
[35:57] commitment.
[36:00] So, I used to I like to use the acronym
[36:02] TEC for this. T E C.
[36:05] Talent, environment, commitment.
[36:08] So, for the bridge, for our action to
[36:11] lead to result,
[36:13] these three things have to come
[36:14] together.
[36:15] Do I have the talent to do this
[36:17] particular thing?
[36:19] Second is, am I in the right
[36:20] environment?
[36:23] And third is, that even if we have the
[36:25] talent, we have the environment, did I
[36:27] pursue this long enough? Am I committed
[36:28] enough to doing it?
[36:30] So, let's take a couple of few examples
[36:32] to illustrate this. If somebody is
[36:35] searching for some underground treasure.
[36:37] Previously, people would search for
[36:38] gold.
[36:39] Now, oil has become the underground
[36:40] treasure.
[36:41] That is why we have the whole war that
[36:43] happened and the prices that shot up all
[36:44] was for oil. If somebody is digging for
[36:47] oil.
[36:48] Now, first is
[36:51] that
[36:52] when when we talk about talent
[36:55] what it means is that is first of all
[36:58] the oil there at all?
[37:01] Sorry, for the talent is like that do I
[37:02] have the instruments to dig properly or
[37:04] not?
[37:05] So, I cannot dig with my fingers.
[37:07] Do I have the right instruments? The
[37:08] environment is is actually oil there at
[37:11] all.
[37:12] And the commitment is have I dug deep
[37:15] enough?
[37:16] So, now all three need to work together.
[37:19] If we are gardening
[37:21] do we have the right seeds? Do the seed
[37:24] are we is the soil conducive for growing
[37:26] those seeds? And have we watered in
[37:28] sufficiently?
[37:30] So, talent, environment, commitment.
[37:32] So, when we don't succeed in life
[37:35] if the if it's failures, then we need to
[37:37] evaluate.
[37:38] If somebody tries to get into IIT and
[37:40] first year they fail.
[37:42] They say, "Okay, I'll go to quota and
[37:43] I'll try one more year." 2 years okay.
[37:45] Now, if somebody says I want to get into
[37:47] IIT and they spend 10 years trying to
[37:49] get into IIT.
[37:51] Now, what is happening is
[37:52] that
[37:54] you can't keep your life on hold for 10
[37:56] years.
[37:57] So, if after one try, two try it doesn't
[37:59] happen
[38:00] okay
[38:01] life does not begin and end with an IIT
[38:03] degree.
[38:04] Maybe I don't have the talent for this
[38:06] particular pathway.
[38:08] Let me find some other pathway and move
[38:09] ahead in life.
[38:11] So, the idea is if after repeated try
[38:13] something is not working, maybe my
[38:14] talent is not there.
[38:16] It's possible that maybe I'm not right
[38:18] in the right environment.
[38:20] If say
[38:22] somebody wants to
[38:24] uh somebody wants to study a particular
[38:26] field. There's somebody who said he
[38:28] wants to study mineral engineering.
[38:30] And they had a particular field where
[38:32] they had a particular country where
[38:33] there are no minerals. And in that
[38:35] country they don't have mineral
[38:36] engineering as a field itself.
[38:38] Then it will not work. Then in India
[38:40] somebody has baseball talent.
[38:42] But nobody plays baseball in India. You
[38:44] know. So, okay. Then if you have talent,
[38:47] then maybe you have to go to country
[38:48] where you can play baseball.
[38:50] So, am I in the right environment?
[38:53] Talent, environment, and commitment.
[38:57] So, for each one of us, see among the
[38:58] Pandavas
[39:00] Arjuna became a great archer.
[39:02] But Arjuna didn't become insecure
[39:04] thinking, "Oh, Bhima is so much more
[39:06] powerful than me.
[39:08] And Kshatriyas are meant to be
[39:09] physically powerful."
[39:10] No. Arjuna, no matter how much workouts
[39:13] he would have done, he would never
[39:14] become physically powerful like
[39:16] Bhima. So, he didn't bother about it.
[39:18] Now, Bhima could have become insecure
[39:20] thinking that, you know, most of the
[39:21] wars are not fought with base fighting
[39:24] or wrestling. Most of the wars are
[39:25] fought with archery.
[39:27] And my younger brother is better than me
[39:28] in that.
[39:30] So, no.
[39:31] So,
[39:33] they didn't get into comparison. They
[39:35] looked each of them, "What talent do I
[39:37] have?" They found an environment that is
[39:39] Drona's academy, and they were all
[39:41] committed to practice.
[39:43] So, we, if we are not succeeding in
[39:45] life, then we have to look at what is
[39:47] not right. If all three are right,
[39:50] if talent is there, environment is
[39:51] coming, commitment is there, still
[39:52] success is not there, then we can
[39:54] understand it is destiny.
[39:56] And then we can say, "Okay, maybe this
[39:58] is not going to work out."
[39:59] But generally, we should never lose
[40:02] hope. Have a positive self-image, and do
[40:05] an objective analysis to see why things
[40:07] are not working, and then do course
[40:09] correction accordingly.
[40:10] Okay?
[40:12] Thank you.
[40:16] Any other questions?
[40:17] Hare Krishna.
[40:18] So, my question is
[40:20] my question is that uh nowadays
[40:23] much
[40:24] concerned about their career. So, coming
[40:27] to devotion, so they think that they
[40:30] might lag in their ambitions. So, how to
[40:33] ensure that our devotion and ambition
[40:35] goes together, and does devotion makes
[40:39] us lazy or unambitious or
[40:42] ambition leads to the pursue of devotion
[40:45] very difficult.
[40:47] Okay, that's a good question.
[40:49] So,
[40:51] if we practice bhakti, then will that
[40:54] make us
[40:56] difficult to pursue our ambitions in
[40:58] life?
[41:01] In the Mahabharat, there's a very
[41:02] illuminating discussion
[41:04] between Yudhisthira Maharaj and Narada
[41:06] Muni.
[41:07] When Yudhisthira becomes the king after
[41:09] they get the Khandava Prastha and they
[41:12] convert it into Indraprastha,
[41:14] long before they perform the Ashwamedha
[41:15] Yagna, Narada Muni comes to visit them.
[41:17] And Narada Muni tells him that you have
[41:20] three broad roles in your life.
[41:23] Dharma, Artha, and Kama.
[41:25] So, he says, "Don't pursue Dharma at the
[41:27] cost of Artha. Don't pursue
[41:29] Don't pursue Dharma at the cost of Artha
[41:30] and Kama. Don't pursue Artha
[41:33] at the cost of Dharma and Kama. Don't
[41:36] pursue
[41:38] Kama at the cost of Dharma and Artha."
[41:41] Let's understand this a little bit.
[41:44] So, see, we all have three broad roles
[41:46] to play in life.
[41:48] One is our home.
[41:51] The other is our career. So, we can call
[41:53] it
[41:54] our office.
[41:56] Mhm?
[41:58] And the third is our temple.
[42:00] It's our spirituality.
[42:02] So, we could say our family, our job,
[42:04] and our bhakti.
[42:06] So, these are three sets.
[42:10] And we need to function in a way to all
[42:13] three.
[42:15] None of these should become so
[42:17] dominating
[42:18] [laughter]
[42:19] that somebody should not become so
[42:20] attached to their family that they end
[42:22] up
[42:24] here.
[42:25] Where they so get so caught in the home
[42:28] that they neglect their bhakti and they
[42:29] neglect their job also.
[42:32] So, Drona became so attached to
[42:35] Ashwatthama that hearing Ashwatthama is
[42:36] dead, he became so discouraged. So, I
[42:38] can't fight anymore.
[42:40] Now, some people
[42:43] See, in the past there was this concern
[42:46] that people would become very attached
[42:47] to their homes and become lazy.
[42:49] In the In today's world, that is not
[42:52] there. People's homes are breaking apart
[42:53] and many people like to go out of home.
[42:56] You know, otherwise there's so many
[42:57] quarrels happening in the home.
[42:59] So, the bigger danger today is of people
[43:01] becoming workaholics.
[43:03] Where they get so caught in their work
[43:05] that they neglect their health, they
[43:07] neglect their family, they neglect their
[43:08] spirituality. Their work becomes
[43:10] obsession obsession for them.
[43:13] And then this is very harmful. They may
[43:16] become successful in their careers,
[43:18] but they will become very lonely.
[43:21] They will become professionally
[43:23] successful, but emotionally they'll be
[43:25] failures.
[43:26] And that is not at all healthy in life.
[43:33] This is what happens in the west and
[43:34] young people people are taught to pursue
[43:37] careers at all costs. Young big men or
[43:40] women. Just pursue your career.
[43:42] And then what happens? Everybody delays
[43:45] marriage, delays family, and then you're
[43:46] 35, 40, 45.
[43:49] You're all alone. You have your job, you
[43:51] have a nice house,
[43:53] completely alone. And what happens?
[43:56] People get pets.
[43:58] And people lavish love on the pets like
[44:00] anything.
[44:02] I was in Los Angeles. I was doing a
[44:04] program and after that some people came
[44:06] to meet after the program. The got
[44:07] American couple was there.
[44:09] So I asked that American man, "So what
[44:11] does he do?" He was working software.
[44:12] Then I asked him
[44:13] Mataji lady, she says, "I am a
[44:15] stay-at-home dog mom."
[44:18] I'm a stay-at-home dog mom.
[44:21] So my dog is my baby.
[44:23] [clears throat]
[44:24] So they call themselves like they
[44:25] identify themselves like that. What
[44:26] happens if you don't have children? And
[44:27] you
[44:28] shower love on dogs.
[44:30] Among white people in America,
[44:33] you know,
[44:34] in general, they have more pets than
[44:36] they have children.
[44:39] It's quite It's There will be a big
[44:40] demographic collapse. Population will
[44:42] decrease terribly. So my point is that
[44:44] people may be professionally successful,
[44:45] but they become very lonely. That is
[44:47] also not healthy.
[44:49] Now,
[44:51] even
[44:53] when we get into temple,
[44:55] our bhakti should not be at the cost of
[44:58] our
[44:59] job or our family.
[45:02] Now you may say, "What about
[45:03] brahmacharis?" That is a specific
[45:04] ashram.
[45:06] And there, it is not that brahmachari
[45:08] while brahmachari is serving Krishna,
[45:09] brahmachari is also doing a role in
[45:11] society.
[45:12] And we are doing we are doing services
[45:14] in different ways according to our
[45:15] roles. And also, it's not that we are
[45:17] completely abandoning our families.
[45:20] We try to create some arrangement where
[45:21] the family is also taken care of. We try
[45:23] to save and whatever. We try to now we
[45:26] we try to have savings so that before we
[45:28] join we our parents are taken care of,
[45:30] whatever.
[45:31] But brahmacharis are exceptions.
[45:33] But even they try to take care of it. If
[45:35] we are pursuing a career in life,
[45:37] so what should happen is that we it
[45:40] should not become we should not become
[45:42] unidimensional.
[45:44] So our devotion should not be at the
[45:46] cost of our career. Our career should
[45:49] not be at the cost of the devotion.
[45:52] Ideally speaking, what will happen is
[45:54] if we are practicing bhakti properly,
[45:58] it will help us to pursue our career
[46:00] more responsible.
[46:03] How is that?
[46:05] In life
[46:06] there are often ups and downs.
[46:08] Kabhi Khushi
[46:10] Kabhi Gham.
[46:11] [clears throat]
[46:12] Now, when this happens, our mind
[46:15] when it it goes way up and way down.
[46:22] And when this happens, then the person
[46:24] becomes very moody.
[46:26] One day I feel so good. One day the
[46:27] person is I have so much energy I can
[46:29] shake the whole world.
[46:31] And maybe next day their boss criticizes
[46:33] them or maybe their colleague does some
[46:35] politics against them and things don't
[46:37] go well for them.
[46:39] They become so depressed.
[46:41] I think the whole world can't shake them
[46:42] out of their bed.
[46:44] Okay. I just don't want to do anything.
[46:46] So, we become very moody. We become very
[46:48] temperamental.
[46:49] And if you're very temperamental, then
[46:51] you cannot be reliable.
[46:53] So, what happens for us? Our bhakti
[46:58] becomes like an anchor.
[47:02] Bhakti is something firm
[47:04] that we can hold on to.
[47:06] And the more we practice bhakti, the
[47:08] more we'll be calmer.
[47:11] And the more we are calmer, we will
[47:13] actually be able to function better.
[47:15] Our emotions won't drive us wild. Our
[47:17] desires won't drive us wild.
[47:19] And in that sense, our devotion will
[47:21] able to We will be able to pursue our
[47:23] career better. Now, ambition, remember I
[47:26] started? What is our ambition for?
[47:29] Is our ambition
[47:34] for recognition
[47:36] or is our ambition for
[47:39] contribution?
[47:42] So, a devotee
[47:44] can be ambitious in the sense that a
[47:47] devotee also wants to contribute. If we
[47:49] are working in a company, if I'm getting
[47:50] salary from the company, we should be
[47:52] doing our work in the company. We should
[47:54] not be neglecting the work. If we are in
[47:56] a country, then we should be responsible
[47:59] citizens in that country.
[48:01] So, but our mood is not just ambition.
[48:04] For a devotee, the ambition is "No, I
[48:06] want to get the biggest salary. I want
[48:08] to get the biggest employee best
[48:10] employee award."
[48:11] A devotee's mood is "I want to make the
[48:13] best contribution." If those come along,
[48:15] that's nice. That's wonderful.
[48:17] But so, devotion when it creates a
[48:20] service attitude, the ambition does not
[48:23] the service attitude does not take away
[48:24] the ambition. It reshapes the ambition.
[48:28] Not so much for recognition, but for
[48:29] contribution.
[48:31] And when we have our life with ups and
[48:36] downs, professional life can be very
[48:38] stressful.
[48:39] So, at that time, if we have our bhakti,
[48:43] our bhakti will stabilize us. When I
[48:45] travel across the world, especially when
[48:46] I go to Silicon Valley in America,
[48:49] now often Salesforce or Intel or Google,
[48:51] they they often invite monks and
[48:54] spiritual teachers to come and give
[48:55] talks
[48:56] on meditation, on mindfulness, on our
[48:58] stress management. Nowadays, a big
[49:00] subject that is coming in corporate
[49:02] company corporate corporate world is
[49:04] change management.
[49:05] With AI coming up, what kind of changes
[49:07] are going to come, we don't know. So,
[49:09] change management. So, now why? Because
[49:11] they've also understood that Why do they
[49:13] want monks to come and talk over there?
[49:15] Because they've also understood that
[49:16] life is very stressful.
[49:18] And you can't just take Xanax and Prozac
[49:22] and some other pills and decrease your
[49:23] stress.
[49:24] That There's a limit to that.
[49:26] That you have to actually have some
[49:28] spiritual practices.
[49:30] So, even people who are ambitious are
[49:32] recognizing the value of spirituality
[49:35] in making sure that their ambition
[49:37] doesn't burn them out.
[49:39] Okay.
[49:40] Okay.
[49:51] Hare Krishna, bro. Thank you for such a
[49:53] nice presentation taking to the valuable
[49:55] lesson from Bhagavad Gita. So, just
[49:57] going through your presentation, you
[49:59] said that some our talents are gift of
[50:02] God. So, sometimes we accept that our
[50:04] talent is a gift of God, and sometimes
[50:06] out of social, like as you said that
[50:08] sometimes we see ourself through the
[50:10] eyes of social.
[50:12] And because of that we pursue some
[50:13] career.
[50:15] And when combining these two things,
[50:17] when we come into bhakti, and we start
[50:19] thinking
[50:20] I am doing my career just to please
[50:22] Krishna.
[50:23] So, sometimes we ask this
[50:26] this leads to like losing the aspect of
[50:29] bhakti, which is the nine limbs of
[50:31] bhakti.
[50:32] So, is becoming successful in the career
[50:34] is really fulfilling, or there is
[50:35] something some other way to find the
[50:37] real happiness?
[50:39] Okay.
[50:41] So,
[50:42] does practice
[50:43] Does success in our career bring
[50:45] fulfillment?
[50:47] Or do we need to do something else for
[50:48] fulfillment?
[50:51] There're two different things over here.
[50:53] That there are degrees of fulfillment in
[50:56] life.
[50:58] So, can money buy happiness?
[51:01] Well, if somebody is hungry and they
[51:03] don't have money they don't have any
[51:04] food.
[51:06] If they get money to buy food, will they
[51:07] not become happy?
[51:09] Of course they'll become happy.
[51:10] So, money can buy happiness, but a
[51:13] particular kind of happiness.
[51:16] That happiness is primarily pain relief.
[51:20] If somebody is very sick and they don't
[51:22] have money for medicine,
[51:24] and somebody gives them that money,
[51:26] and they treat they treat themselves or
[51:27] they treat their loved one,
[51:29] so money can buy happiness, but only up
[51:32] to a particular degree. Mhm?
[51:34] If money alone were buying happiness,
[51:36] then all the people who had money would
[51:37] be very happy.
[51:39] But it doesn't work like that. You know,
[51:40] addictions and depression and even
[51:43] suicides. It's not that they're more in
[51:45] poor people and less in wealthy.
[51:48] Often they are more in people who are
[51:49] wealthy also. There's no economic
[51:51] connection between
[51:53] in the economic correlation between say
[51:54] depression, poor people are more
[51:56] depressed than wealthy people are less
[51:57] depressed. Nothing like that.
[51:59] So, just as money can provide us some
[52:01] happiness. See, in the
[52:04] in the Vedic tradition, there's the
[52:05] concept of artha.
[52:08] Artha means value.
[52:10] [clears throat]
[52:11] So, artha can make artha.
[52:14] So, artha can also mean meaning. Artha
[52:16] can also mean value. Artha can also mean
[52:18] money.
[52:21] So, artha means money.
[52:22] So, basically, the idea is that there
[52:26] are many different things which have
[52:28] artha
[52:30] at different times in our life.
[52:33] For a child,
[52:35] you know, who just starts crying every
[52:37] time the mother goes away.
[52:39] For the child to start playing with a
[52:41] toy, that toy becomes artha for the
[52:43] child.
[52:44] And the child who plays with the toy and
[52:45] doesn't cling onto the mother all the
[52:47] time, that is good.
[52:48] But then, as the child discovers
[52:50] friends,
[52:51] the initial the toy was very important,
[52:53] but now I want to play with this friend.
[52:55] So, let me hand over my toy to that
[52:57] friend. That friend will give me my toy
[52:58] and we'll play with each other.
[53:00] So, what happens? The toy was important,
[53:03] then friendship becomes important.
[53:05] So, like that, as we grow, we evolve in
[53:09] our understanding of what is artha.
[53:13] So, there is a hierarchy of artha.
[53:15] Money is also artha.
[53:18] But,
[53:19] the problem is that
[53:21] in this hierarchy of artha,
[53:24] at the top
[53:25] is what is called as paramartha.
[53:30] Paramartha is the supreme value.
[53:33] And paramartha is Krishna.
[53:37] So, the problem comes when we make the
[53:40] artha into the paramartha.
[53:44] That when somebody for money becomes
[53:47] Money has is important. Everybody needs
[53:49] money in life.
[53:50] But when money becomes the most
[53:52] important thing
[53:54] then it becomes a problem. When that is
[53:56] when greed comes.
[53:58] So if you forget everything else from
[53:59] this class
[54:01] you can remember this one thing.
[54:03] That
[54:04] when artha
[54:07] becomes paramartha
[54:10] when something of value
[54:13] becomes the supreme value
[54:16] when artha becomes paramartha
[54:19] this whole combination
[54:21] leads to anartha.
[54:26] So when artha becomes paramartha, it
[54:28] leads to anartha.
[54:30] So for example, when money becomes
[54:31] paramartha
[54:33] it leads to
[54:34] greed.
[54:36] Now we all need respect in life.
[54:38] Nobody likes to be disrespected.
[54:40] But suppose you are going to a teacher
[54:42] who is teaching us something.
[54:44] The teacher may criticize us.
[54:46] The teacher may correct us. Say I don't
[54:47] want to be corrected.
[54:49] Then we'll never learn. So if respect
[54:51] becomes paramartha, it leads to ego.
[54:55] We all need some amount of control in
[54:57] life.
[54:58] We cannot do anything unless there's
[54:59] some control. Like right now I'm giving
[55:01] a class.
[55:02] So now all of you need to be silent. All
[55:05] of you need to keep your phones in
[55:06] silent.
[55:08] So some amount of control is required.
[55:09] But suppose I'm giving a class and a
[55:11] baby starts crying.
[55:13] And if control becomes my paramartha
[55:17] and I yell at the baby. I yell at the
[55:19] mother. What kind of mother are you? You
[55:21] can't control your own baby?
[55:22] When you see the baby you can't control,
[55:24] when it grows up she'll become a terror
[55:26] for the whole world. What kind of mother
[55:27] are you?
[55:29] And now
[55:31] after the no matter how good a class I
[55:33] give you after the class, the audience
[55:35] You only remember what how I treated
[55:36] that mother and baby. Isn't it?
[55:38] So, what happens when control becomes
[55:39] the most important thing? It leads to
[55:42] anger.
[55:44] We all need a pleasure in life.
[55:47] Nobody can live without pleasure.
[55:49] But when that pleasure which is artha
[55:51] becomes the paramartha, that leads to
[55:53] addiction.
[55:57] So, in this way, any artha that we make
[56:00] into paramartha, it leads to anartha.
[56:02] So, so career is also artha.
[56:05] But if we make career into paramartha,
[56:08] then we'll become workaholics.
[56:11] That's why career will give us some
[56:12] fulfillment.
[56:14] But it cannot give us the supreme
[56:16] fulfillment.
[56:17] So, what do we do? We need to use the
[56:20] artha in the service of paramartha.
[56:23] So, there are two extremes we could go
[56:25] over here.
[56:28] So, how to live in life?
[56:31] One extreme
[56:33] is to make the artha into paramartha.
[56:36] Whatever artha it might be.
[56:40] We make it our paramartha, that is
[56:41] unhealthy.
[56:43] But then,
[56:46] the other extreme is to make the
[56:48] paramartha as the
[56:51] only artha.
[56:55] Now, this is ultimately true, but not
[56:57] immediately true.
[56:59] Arjuna did not think that because I'm a
[57:01] devotee, I don't need to learn archery.
[57:04] He knew that I'm a devotee, but I am
[57:06] serving in this world as a kshatriya.
[57:09] Therefore, I had to develop my archery
[57:11] skills.
[57:12] So, paramartha cannot be the only artha.
[57:15] If somebody is a heart surgeon,
[57:17] and say we have got a heart attack,
[57:19] and say the heart surgeon is a devotee,
[57:22] and our we need to do heart surgery
[57:24] after the heart attack.
[57:25] So, he says, this is you know that the
[57:26] heart surgeon devotee says, "I guarantee
[57:28] you that while doing heart surgery, I'll
[57:30] be chanting Hare Krishna."
[57:32] Then you say, "Okay, that's good. But
[57:34] will you do the heart surgery properly?"
[57:36] He says, "No, I'll be so absorbed in
[57:38] chanting, I can't guarantee that I'll do
[57:39] the heart
[57:40] heart surgery properly or not."
[57:42] Now, we may say, "I want to go back to
[57:44] Krishna, but not so soon."
[57:46] [laughter]
[57:48] So, if somebody is taking on the role of
[57:52] heart surgeon, then they have to do the
[57:53] heart surgery properly.
[57:55] That is the artha. The artha cannot
[57:57] replace the paramartha.
[57:59] Hm?
[58:00] So, the the idea is that for us artha
[58:03] has to become
[58:06] or rather we put it this way.
[58:09] For us, we need a balance.
[58:11] That for us artha
[58:13] and paramartha
[58:16] both need to go together.
[58:19] So,
[58:21] we need to value artha and we need to
[58:23] value paramartha.
[58:24] And ideally, what happens is the artha
[58:27] takes us to paramartha.
[58:29] And the more we develop our paramartha,
[58:31] we also feel inspired to use our artha
[58:33] better.
[58:34] That means initially, somebody might
[58:37] pursue a career because I want to become
[58:39] famous. I want to become popular.
[58:41] But once they come to where you're 35,
[58:44] 40, 45,
[58:45] "Okay, I achieved some success in my
[58:47] life. I can just go on pursuing this
[58:49] success,
[58:50] but it's like an endless tread
[58:51] treadmill. How far can I keep going
[58:54] going and going?
[58:55] So, maybe there's something more to
[58:56] life."
[58:57] That's when very wealthy people may go
[58:59] toward charity. They start to do some
[59:00] philanthropy.
[59:02] If they're fortunate, they come to
[59:03] bhakti.
[59:04] And then they start using their artha in
[59:06] the service of paramartha.
[59:08] So, our career can give us some
[59:10] fulfillment,
[59:11] but if we make our career our
[59:13] paramartha,
[59:14] then that same career will lead us to
[59:16] disappointment.
[59:18] That's why artha is to be used in
[59:20] paramartha. Now, how do you use your
[59:22] artha for paramartha? Whatever we earn
[59:24] from our career, we give a part of it to
[59:25] charity. Whatever position we get
[59:30] through our career, we use that position
[59:32] to share Krishna's message. Whatever
[59:34] skills we learn through our career,
[59:38] we use them
[59:40] whenever there's opportunity in
[59:42] Krishna's service.
[59:43] So, basically
[59:47] this artha to paramartha.
[59:49] How does happen? There are four ways in
[59:51] this.
[59:52] First is
[59:53] if we have artha, we have stability in
[59:55] life.
[59:56] If somebody doesn't have a job, proper
[59:58] job, they don't have a proper source of
[01:00:00] livelihood, they'll always be in
[01:00:01] anxiety.
[01:00:03] Then they can't serve Krishna.
[01:00:05] Then first is stability.
[01:00:07] Stability is in terms of our finances.
[01:00:13] Then second is sanctity.
[01:00:15] Sanctity means
[01:00:17] if we have
[01:00:18] some financial stability, we can make
[01:00:20] our home into a temple.
[01:00:22] We can sanctify our home, purify our
[01:00:25] can make our home into a temple.
[01:00:28] So, basic financial stability, then is
[01:00:29] sanctity.
[01:00:31] Then third is that we can do charity.
[01:00:36] With our Lakshmi that we earn a portion
[01:00:38] of it, we should give in a mood of
[01:00:40] charity. That's how we're using artha in
[01:00:42] the service of paramartha.
[01:00:44] Then beyond charity,
[01:00:47] the fourth thing is that we
[01:00:50] do seva. We do service.
[01:00:54] Now, service can be we can directly use
[01:00:57] our skills in Krishna's service. We can
[01:00:59] use our position in Krishna's service.
[01:01:03] We can use our body, mind, resources,
[01:01:05] whatever we have in Krishna's service.
[01:01:07] So, in this way, yathah pravrttir as I
[01:01:09] mentioned that shloka 18.46, Krishna
[01:01:10] says, yathah pravrttir bhutanam yena
[01:01:13] sarvam idam tatam svakarmatama bhyarcya
[01:01:17] siddhim vindati manavah. Krishna says,
[01:01:20] through your work, worship me.
[01:01:23] Some people translate it over
[01:01:25] simplistically as work is worship.
[01:01:27] Now, that is not what Krishna is
[01:01:28] teaching.
[01:01:30] Now, if work itself and worship, then
[01:01:32] the donkey would be the greatest
[01:01:33] worshiper.
[01:01:35] Isn't it? The donkey works so hard.
[01:01:37] It's not that work is intrinsically
[01:01:39] worship. Krishna says work Krishna is
[01:01:41] not saying karma he puja hey. Krishna is
[01:01:44] saying karma say puja karo. Swa karmana
[01:01:47] tam abhyarchya. That is do your work in
[01:01:50] a mood of worship.
[01:01:52] Okay. Okay.
[01:02:01] Hare Krishna. So, I have one
[01:02:05] follow-up question on what you told. Uh
[01:02:08] my question is that that you so told
[01:02:11] that from action to result there is
[01:02:13] three thing, talent, environment, and
[01:02:15] commitment. So, like when we are in
[01:02:19] devotional background, so like
[01:02:22] maybe we are having talent and maybe we
[01:02:25] are committed also, but we cannot go
[01:02:27] into that environment to achieve our
[01:02:29] goals.
[01:02:30] So, how to keep a balance between
[01:02:34] our devotional life and our ambition not
[01:02:37] hampering our environment?
[01:02:38] Can you explain? You cannot go into an
[01:02:40] environment, what do you mean by that?
[01:02:42] We Guru, we cannot go to say suppose we
[01:02:46] want to crack some very difficult exam
[01:02:49] like UPSC. So, we have to compromise
[01:02:52] with our sadhana and we have to dedicate
[01:02:54] extra amount for that thing. So, we
[01:02:57] cannot go to that competitive high
[01:02:59] competitive zone and environment and but
[01:03:02] we we find ourselves talented and we can
[01:03:04] also find that we are we I'm committed
[01:03:06] for that also. So, how to keep a balance
[01:03:09] between it and that?
[01:03:11] Yeah.
[01:03:11] Okay.
[01:03:13] So,
[01:03:14] if pursuing a particular career
[01:03:17] requires us to uh go into an environment
[01:03:21] that is not so conducive to bhakti.
[01:03:23] So, what do we do at that time?
[01:03:26] In general, when I said for example here
[01:03:29] that
[01:03:31] you know, we don't want to go out of any
[01:03:33] of these
[01:03:34] three circles that our home are our
[01:03:37] three aspects of our dharma, artha, and
[01:03:39] kama.
[01:03:40] So, kama kama is associated with the
[01:03:43] family.
[01:03:45] Artha is associated with our job, and
[01:03:47] dharma is associated with our temple.
[01:03:50] So, you don't want to go out of any of
[01:03:51] these.
[01:03:52] That is true at one level, but that does
[01:03:55] not mean that we cannot prioritize one
[01:03:58] of these at particular times.
[01:04:02] So, broadly in any area in life,
[01:04:05] rather than having like I'm a devotee or
[01:04:07] a non-devotee.
[01:04:10] This is like a digital approach.
[01:04:12] One or zero.
[01:04:14] Instead of digital approach, we can have
[01:04:16] a analog approach.
[01:04:20] Analog means what?
[01:04:21] That it's a range.
[01:04:24] Range means that in any area of life, we
[01:04:28] can have a aspirational level.
[01:04:31] Aspirational is you can say ideal level
[01:04:34] or the level I would like to be.
[01:04:36] And then there is a non-negotiable
[01:04:38] level.
[01:04:40] Non-negotiable is the basic minimum that
[01:04:44] I need to be.
[01:04:47] So, now uh for all of us, say if we have
[01:04:50] three areas in our life, we have our
[01:04:52] family, we have our career, we have our
[01:04:53] bhakti.
[01:04:54] If we try to be at the aspirational
[01:04:57] level in all three,
[01:04:59] we'll burn ourselves out.
[01:05:00] Simultaneously, if we try to be at the
[01:05:02] aspirational level, it'll not work.
[01:05:05] But, it is we don't have to be at the
[01:05:07] aspirational level all the time.
[01:05:09] Say for example, if tomorrow morning you
[01:05:11] have an exam,
[01:05:12] Then you may decide that, "Okay, I have
[01:05:14] not studied adequately. I'm going to
[01:05:16] study in the morning. I will do my
[01:05:17] mantra chanting later in the day."
[01:05:19] So,
[01:05:20] now the aspirational level is I want to
[01:05:22] make up and do my sadhana.
[01:05:24] But the non-negotiable level is there is
[01:05:25] a certain amount of sadhana that I need
[01:05:27] to do every day.
[01:05:28] That's a non-negotiable level.
[01:05:29] So, rather than thinking of bhakti as
[01:05:31] one or zero,
[01:05:32] we can think of the between the
[01:05:34] aspirational to the non-negotiable.
[01:05:37] So, sometimes when you want to push
[01:05:39] ourselves in the aspirational direction
[01:05:41] in one area,
[01:05:43] then we can have the other areas little
[01:05:45] less attention, but we don't go below
[01:05:47] the non-negotiable.
[01:05:50] So, for example, if you have a yatra or
[01:05:53] a youth retreat or where there's a lot
[01:05:56] of spiritual opportunities there, then
[01:05:57] we may take leave from our company or we
[01:06:00] may, you know, if we're working from
[01:06:01] home, we don't spend so much time on our
[01:06:04] job at that time. But we non-negotiable
[01:06:06] level, if our boss calls or there's some
[01:06:07] emergency there, we need to attend to
[01:06:09] that.
[01:06:10] But conversely, if we have a very big
[01:06:12] deadline in our company
[01:06:14] or we have a big exam coming up,
[01:06:17] then at that time our bhakti, we may
[01:06:20] scale it down a little bit.
[01:06:22] So, if you understand this dynamic,
[01:06:24] that
[01:06:25] bhakti is not one zero.
[01:06:27] Life in general [clears throat] is not
[01:06:28] one zero. It's a scale.
[01:06:31] So, in one area, I may go down to the
[01:06:33] non-negotiable level. In other areas,
[01:06:35] I'll stay at the aspirational level.
[01:06:37] Then we can keep functioning in life.
[01:06:40] So, if somebody decided that, "Okay, for
[01:06:42] pursuing this particular career, maybe I
[01:06:44] need to go away from devotee association
[01:06:46] and stay in a particular place where
[01:06:47] there's a lot of supportive
[01:06:48] environment."
[01:06:49] Then we have to decide.
[01:06:50] What is the purpose of doing this? Do I
[01:06:53] have some very special talent in this
[01:06:54] area?
[01:06:55] Is it that I can make a special
[01:06:57] contribution over here? Is it that
[01:06:59] contribution could be, okay, I can get a
[01:07:01] lot of financial stability by this.
[01:07:04] So, if you're clear about the objective,
[01:07:05] okay, I'm going to this particular place
[01:07:07] for 1 year or 2 years or 5 years.
[01:07:10] But while I'm there also, I'll be
[01:07:11] staying in touch with devotees. And
[01:07:13] maybe I cannot do this, but this much
[01:07:14] I'm going to do.
[01:07:15] So, what happens is if we
[01:07:18] stay only at the non-negotiable level
[01:07:20] all the time, then non-negotiable will
[01:07:22] become negotiable and we'll go further
[01:07:24] down.
[01:07:25] So, we have to try to keep pushing
[01:07:27] ourselves to the aspirational level.
[01:07:29] But sometimes we may have to
[01:07:32] uh
[01:07:33] we may have to adjust.
[01:07:36] And that adjustment is perfectly fine.
[01:07:38] Okay?
[01:07:42] Hare Krishna, Prabhu. Uh we have some
[01:07:44] questions from audience. So,
[01:07:47] we will uh have the quick answers for
[01:07:49] this.
[01:07:50] So, first question is
[01:07:52] uh Hare Krishna Prabhu ji, dandavat
[01:07:53] pranam. Prabhu ji, in today Bhagavatam
[01:07:55] class, you have talked about lust,
[01:07:57] anger, and greed. How can we have
[01:07:59] protect ourself from these anarthas if
[01:08:03] we get it from our
[01:08:06] past karmas, and due to it, we have to
[01:08:08] suffer in this life?
[01:08:10] So, if we have past conditioning that
[01:08:12] obstructs us,
[01:08:13] so we try to make sure that two things.
[01:08:16] We try to make sure that we have
[01:08:17] adequate boundaries in our life,
[01:08:19] so that we don't it's not easy to
[01:08:21] succumb to it.
[01:08:23] See, what in general
[01:08:26] we tend to think that whenever any
[01:08:28] conditioning comes up,
[01:08:30] it's like
[01:08:31] it'll keep growing, keep growing, keep
[01:08:33] growing keep infinitely.
[01:08:35] Like say, if lust comes, if greed comes,
[01:08:39] it'll keep growing, keep growing, keep
[01:08:40] growing and without thinking, you know,
[01:08:41] how long can I fight against it? Let me
[01:08:43] just give it up.
[01:08:45] So, it's like a arm wrestling match, and
[01:08:47] the other person is so much stronger.
[01:08:50] [groaning]
[01:08:52] How long can I hold this? Give it
[01:08:55] But the trick is
[01:08:57] that to understand that
[01:09:00] our cravings don't go up like that
[01:09:02] infinitely. How our cravings are
[01:09:04] actually is
[01:09:05] that they come like surges.
[01:09:14] They come very strong.
[01:09:16] So, if we have our urges
[01:09:18] with respect to time.
[01:09:20] Krishna says Vacho Vega Vega there. But
[01:09:23] the they come and say
[01:09:24] and time.
[01:09:26] So, the urges are not like a
[01:09:27] continuously growing up line.
[01:09:29] They urges have surges.
[01:09:32] Mhm?
[01:09:33] But the surges stay for some time.
[01:09:36] And after that, they go down.
[01:09:39] So, the So, what we need to do is So,
[01:09:41] because of our past, the surges may come
[01:09:44] very often or they may come very strong.
[01:09:46] But still they are surges. They're not
[01:09:48] going to be permanent.
[01:09:50] So, if we can create some boundaries
[01:09:53] some boundaries that help us to survive
[01:09:56] this search phase.
[01:09:58] That means what? Suppose somebody is an
[01:09:59] alcoholic and they have a urge to drink.
[01:10:01] But if they make sure that they don't
[01:10:03] keep any any alcohol with them, they
[01:10:05] don't keep any quick money with them.
[01:10:07] They don't have maybe they remove
[01:10:08] blanket or whatever so that they can't
[01:10:10] buy alcohol quickly. Create some
[01:10:12] boundaries. If somebody has a tendency
[01:10:13] to surf on the net and go to all kind of
[01:10:15] things. Okay, create some boundaries.
[01:10:18] Then now that does the boundaries cannot
[01:10:20] always protect us. If we do not want to
[01:10:22] be protected.
[01:10:24] Isn't it? So, we can always find a way
[01:10:26] through whatever digital protection
[01:10:29] might come upon us. We'll always find a
[01:10:30] way around.
[01:10:31] But if we want to fight against it, then
[01:10:34] the boundary what happens to the
[01:10:35] boundary? It protects us till the time
[01:10:38] the urge comes.
[01:10:39] And then when the urge goes, we survive.
[01:10:42] So, that's why don't think that the past
[01:10:44] conditioning is because I have
[01:10:45] conditioned from the past, that's why
[01:10:46] I'm ruined.
[01:10:48] No. Because of I conditioned from the
[01:10:49] past, that the surges may come more
[01:10:52] often and may
[01:10:54] may be much more severe.
[01:10:56] But they are not going to last forever.
[01:10:57] They'll come and they'll go.
[01:10:59] And each time we say no to a certain
[01:11:02] urge, it starts losing power. It starts
[01:11:04] becoming weaker and weaker and weaker
[01:11:06] with time.
[01:11:07] And then over a period of time, it is it
[01:11:09] will go away.
[01:11:10] And then the same urge which was this
[01:11:13] level
[01:11:15] over a period of time, what will happen?
[01:11:17] The same urge will come
[01:11:20] but less frequently.
[01:11:23] Less frequency and less severity.
[01:11:27] Now, the second part is suppose the
[01:11:29] urges come and we succumb to the urges.
[01:11:31] We are not able to resist.
[01:11:32] Then also
[01:11:34] focus on what we do between the urges.
[01:11:40] This period when the urges are not there
[01:11:42] so strong, what do we have that time? We
[01:11:44] feel sorry for ourselves. Oh, I'm so
[01:11:45] terribly conditioned. Anyway, I'm going
[01:11:47] to fall down next time when I come. So,
[01:11:48] let me fall right down.
[01:11:50] No.
[01:11:51] During that even if we can't resist the
[01:11:53] urges, persist between the urges.
[01:11:58] So, it's like to to continue that arm
[01:12:00] wrestling metaphor,
[01:12:01] see we may think, oh, this person is so
[01:12:03] strong. I can't resist it.
[01:12:05] But, if we remember, we say it's like a
[01:12:08] it's a arm wrestling match, but it's a
[01:12:09] timed arm wrestling match. That means
[01:12:12] each round is 1 minute.
[01:12:15] I can go all the way down, but I just
[01:12:17] have to hold on for 1 minute.
[01:12:18] If I hold on,
[01:12:20] there'll be a next round. But, the next
[01:12:22] round won't start from here. Next round
[01:12:24] will start from here.
[01:12:25] Mhm?
[01:12:26] So,
[01:12:27] we if we just understand this point that
[01:12:29] the urges don't last forever. And then
[01:12:31] between the next when the next round
[01:12:32] comes, even between I'm strengthening
[01:12:34] myself. I'm building my muscles. So, if
[01:12:36] you're chanting, if you're practicing
[01:12:37] bhakti, if you're studying Bhagavad
[01:12:39] Gita, we are strengthening our buddhi.
[01:12:42] Then the next time when the match
[01:12:43] happens, we'll be able to fight better.
[01:12:46] So, that's how each one of us can deal
[01:12:47] with our urges.
[01:12:49] Okay?
[01:12:49] Thank you.
[01:12:51] Next question. As you know AI is future.
[01:12:54] Implementation of AI is happening in
[01:12:56] every field. So, as a devotee, how can
[01:12:58] we utilize it for the benefit of this
[01:13:00] Krishna consciousness movement? What
[01:13:02] will be its pros and cons in the
[01:13:04] spiritual life of a devotee?
[01:13:07] Okay.
[01:13:09] What will be the pros and cons of AI?
[01:13:12] See,
[01:13:14] there is AI and there is NS.
[01:13:18] Anyone know what is NS?
[01:13:21] AI is what?
[01:13:23] Artificial intelligence. NS is
[01:13:26] natural stupidity.
[01:13:28] [laughter]
[01:13:31] So, what do I mean by that? See,
[01:13:34] throughout the history of humanity,
[01:13:35] technology has always been developing.
[01:13:37] And we could say AI is categorically
[01:13:39] different. How different it is, time
[01:13:40] will tell.
[01:13:42] But the problem is not what technology
[01:13:44] is there.
[01:13:45] The problem is are we humans
[01:13:48] wise enough to use the technology
[01:13:50] properly? Mhm.
[01:13:52] So, basically, technology of any form
[01:13:55] is outer power.
[01:13:59] But along with that, we need inner
[01:14:02] power.
[01:14:04] Inner power is the power to use
[01:14:07] technology properly.
[01:14:09] So, that inner power comes through our
[01:14:10] spirituality.
[01:14:13] So, if somebody say say in America, for
[01:14:15] example, using every It's a legal right
[01:14:17] of every citizen to have a gun.
[01:14:20] And not just an ordinary rifle or
[01:14:21] pistol. They can have a automatic,
[01:14:23] semi-automatic guns also, machine guns
[01:14:24] also.
[01:14:25] Mhm. Now, what happens? Okay, you want
[01:14:28] to say citizens should have that outer
[01:14:29] power.
[01:14:30] But then, if they don't have the inner
[01:14:32] power,
[01:14:33] then what happens? They might just get
[01:14:35] angry and go on a shooting spree.
[01:14:37] And that's what sometimes happens in
[01:14:38] some in schools where there are tragic
[01:14:40] shootings.
[01:14:41] So, outer power without inner power
[01:14:44] will lead to disaster.
[01:14:47] So, if you put this in terms of a
[01:14:48] four-quadrant diagram,
[01:14:50] there is outer power,
[01:14:53] yes or no,
[01:14:56] and there is inner power,
[01:14:59] yes or no.
[01:15:02] So, you'll have four quadrants.
[01:15:04] So, AI is a form of outer power.
[01:15:08] Now,
[01:15:09] technology will keep advancing at its
[01:15:10] own pace that outer power will come.
[01:15:12] What we need to focus on is developing
[01:15:14] our inner power.
[01:15:16] Inner power means
[01:15:18] technology can help us to do many
[01:15:20] things,
[01:15:21] but inner power is the capacity to know
[01:15:25] what things are worth doing,
[01:15:28] and then focus on doing those things.
[01:15:30] So, we focus on developing our inner
[01:15:31] power, and whatever technology comes up,
[01:15:33] we'll find out how to way to develop how
[01:15:35] to use it.
[01:15:36] But the problem today is that
[01:15:38] society is helping giving people a lot
[01:15:40] of outer power, but it's not providing
[01:15:42] many means to develop any inner power.
[01:15:44] So, you [snorts] know, if here
[01:15:47] [clears throat]
[01:15:48] a person has no inner power, no outer
[01:15:49] power, they will be ineffective.
[01:15:52] They'll not be able to do much.
[01:15:54] If a person has only inner power but no
[01:15:55] outer power, they'll be under effective.
[01:16:00] So, if right now you're speaking without
[01:16:01] any technology, there's no sound system.
[01:16:03] How many people could we speak to? So,
[01:16:05] you'll be under effective.
[01:16:07] Now, if we have inner power and outer
[01:16:09] power,
[01:16:10] we can be super effective.
[01:16:13] Mhm?
[01:16:14] But the worst situation is if we have
[01:16:17] outer power but no inner power.
[01:16:20] It's not that we'll be effective, we'll
[01:16:22] be destructive.
[01:16:25] So, what we need to do is we need to
[01:16:27] make sure that we bring ourselves
[01:16:30] from wherever we are, we want to come to
[01:16:32] quadrant four.
[01:16:35] So, we can use AI according to whatever
[01:16:37] our interest is, our services, our
[01:16:40] talent is,
[01:16:41] but focus on more important is to have
[01:16:43] that inner power.
[01:16:44] To know what is worth doing,
[01:16:48] what is really meaningful to do.
[01:16:50] And then we can AI and be used as a tool
[01:16:52] for that purpose.
[01:16:59] Guru, we have a question that
[01:17:02] uh devotee saying that my mind is so
[01:17:04] much attentive when I am doing something
[01:17:06] material activities, but when I am doing
[01:17:08] a spiritual activity, my mind is blank.
[01:17:11] Like I feel like I don't know anything,
[01:17:13] neither I can't remember anything.
[01:17:15] Example, like when I solve maths physics
[01:17:18] problem, I feel my mind is too much into
[01:17:20] it. But when I read Bhagavad Gita, I
[01:17:22] feel my mind is inactive. I don't
[01:17:24] remember what I am reading.
[01:17:27] Yeah.
[01:17:28] So, sometimes we may feel that we have
[01:17:31] intellectual capacity
[01:17:33] when we are studying our academic
[01:17:34] subjects.
[01:17:36] But we don't feel like we feel like the
[01:17:37] mind is becoming numb or dead when we
[01:17:39] are studying spiritual books.
[01:17:41] There are two broad possibilities in
[01:17:42] this situation.
[01:17:45] The first is that knowledge
[01:17:49] grows based on knowledge.
[01:17:52] What I mean by that is
[01:17:53] what we
[01:17:55] can know depends on what we know.
[01:17:59] Mhm?
[01:18:00] [clears throat]
[01:18:00] It's like right now we are having this
[01:18:01] discussion. It's in English.
[01:18:04] Now, all of you know English. Mhm?
[01:18:07] Now, if you did not know English,
[01:18:10] then no matter how interesting this
[01:18:12] discussion would be, you don't would
[01:18:13] understand anything.
[01:18:15] So, what we can know depends on what we
[01:18:18] know.
[01:18:19] Mhm?
[01:18:20] So, now if you had some of knowledge of
[01:18:22] English,
[01:18:24] then you would understand some things.
[01:18:25] If you had a lot of knowledge of
[01:18:26] English, you would understand a lot of
[01:18:27] things.
[01:18:28] So, always our knowledge depends on what
[01:18:31] we know previously.
[01:18:33] So, in general, when we talk about
[01:18:34] absorption, we become absorbed in
[01:18:37] something. See, absorption is a function
[01:18:40] of connection.
[01:18:41] When you are hearing one point, it
[01:18:43] connects with that point. It connects
[01:18:45] with that point. It connects with that
[01:18:46] point. The more connections we make,
[01:18:48] then it become more and more absorbed.
[01:18:51] So, if we don't know a subject, like if
[01:18:54] you don't know English language, then
[01:18:56] what will happen is you can make no
[01:18:58] connections.
[01:19:00] And if you can make no connections, then
[01:19:01] you'll get bored.
[01:19:03] What to speak of absorption, there's no
[01:19:04] absorption there.
[01:19:06] There is zero absorption and full
[01:19:07] distraction.
[01:19:09] So, when we are studying spiritual
[01:19:10] knowledge, quite often, because say if
[01:19:13] you're studying maths or other fields,
[01:19:15] we already know some things.
[01:19:17] And we can connect it with it very
[01:19:19] easily. Okay, I know this. Now I'm
[01:19:21] learning this.
[01:19:23] So, we what we know is the foundation
[01:19:25] for what we can know.
[01:19:27] But when we start studying Bhagavad
[01:19:28] Gita, what happens is that often we may
[01:19:32] feel I just don't know anything about
[01:19:33] this.
[01:19:35] And if you have not studied
[01:19:36] spirituality, if you have not studied
[01:19:37] philosophy,
[01:19:38] then we will not be able to connect
[01:19:40] anything at all.
[01:19:42] And that's why we can't understand. So,
[01:19:44] what we can know depends on what we
[01:19:47] know.
[01:19:48] And that's why Srila Prabhupada says
[01:19:50] that whenever we are giving classes,
[01:19:54] so he says outreach should be with
[01:19:56] realization.
[01:19:57] What that means is if this is
[01:20:01] if this is scripture
[01:20:04] and this is the audience interests.
[01:20:06] Hm?
[01:20:08] So,
[01:20:11] scripture and audience interests.
[01:20:14] So, a good teacher
[01:20:18] is able to speak in this area. This he
[01:20:20] says is
[01:20:22] outreach with realization.
[01:20:27] So, what happens is that when we study
[01:20:30] shastra ourselves, it's difficult for us
[01:20:33] to make that connection. Okay, what is
[01:20:35] of my interest over here? What do I know
[01:20:36] over here? How do you connect with my
[01:20:38] life?
[01:20:39] And that's why we may feel that my mind
[01:20:41] goes completely blank.
[01:20:44] And what is the solution for that?
[01:20:46] The best solution is to hear more.
[01:20:50] Throughout human history, spiritual
[01:20:53] knowledge has been primarily transmitted
[01:20:55] through the oral tradition. Not the
[01:20:57] written tradition.
[01:21:00] The books themselves were before
[01:21:01] Gutenberg discovered the printing press.
[01:21:03] Books themselves were very rare.
[01:21:05] So, most of the times people learned by
[01:21:07] hearing.
[01:21:08] The oral tradition is very, very
[01:21:10] important.
[01:21:11] And along with that, the written
[01:21:14] tradition is important.
[01:21:16] But the oral tradition is very
[01:21:18] important. So, if you feel you just
[01:21:19] can't understand the Bhagavad Gita, then
[01:21:22] rather than simply trying to read it and
[01:21:23] force yourself to read it, read and
[01:21:26] hear.
[01:21:27] That means if you want to study the
[01:21:29] Bhagavad Gita, don't just like run like
[01:21:31] a race horse. I want to complete the
[01:21:32] whole Bhagavad Gita in 1 month
[01:21:34] or 1 week. Not like that. Focus on,
[01:21:36] okay, find some devotee whose classes
[01:21:39] you can understand and who has given who
[01:21:42] has taught the whole Bhagavad Gita.
[01:21:44] [clears throat]
[01:21:44] And then hear their classes and then
[01:21:46] read the words or read the words and
[01:21:48] purport and hear the classes.
[01:21:51] Then what will happen is you'll not only
[01:21:52] understand the Gita, you'll also
[01:21:54] understand how to understand the Gita.
[01:21:58] Okay, you know I read this point, but I
[01:21:59] couldn't think I I never thought about
[01:22:01] this point.
[01:22:02] Oh, this can can be connected here also
[01:22:03] like that. This can be connected here
[01:22:04] also like that.
[01:22:06] So, that way gradually when we talk
[01:22:08] about taste,
[01:22:14] Jai. So, when we talk about taste in
[01:22:16] bhakti
[01:22:17] or taste for shastra, how does it come?
[01:22:20] When we are able to make connections.
[01:22:23] That's why the best solution is the oral
[01:22:24] tradition and the written tradition
[01:22:26] together. So if you don't understand ask
[01:22:28] questions.
[01:22:29] Associate with those who have interest
[01:22:31] in the Bhagavad Gita and their
[01:22:32] association our interest will grow.
[01:22:40] Hare Krishna Prabhu.
[01:22:42] So
[01:22:43] someone is asking that sometime while
[01:22:45] chanting the holy name I experience
[01:22:47] peace and deep emotion. But consistency
[01:22:49] and stability are missing. Please guide
[01:22:51] me on how a practitioner can move beyond
[01:22:54] these fleeting experience to reach a
[01:22:56] state of continuous remembrance and
[01:22:57] permanent surrender to Lord Krishna.
[01:23:00] Okay.
[01:23:02] So how can we find continuous peace and
[01:23:05] shelter in Krishna through chanting?
[01:23:07] Well
[01:23:11] when I get there I'll let you know.
[01:23:13] [laughter]
[01:23:14] It's difficult.
[01:23:16] Among all the limbs of bhakti chanting
[01:23:18] is difficult and uh
[01:23:20] it is difficult because at that time you
[01:23:22] have to directly focus on Krishna.
[01:23:25] It's not easy.
[01:23:26] But it's very purifying.
[01:23:29] So there's two important concepts over
[01:23:31] here
[01:23:32] that
[01:23:36] there is if you consider the mind
[01:23:40] there is the pacification of the mind.
[01:23:44] Pacification means
[01:23:45] the mind is agitated the mind becomes
[01:23:47] peaceful.
[01:23:48] And there is purification of the mind.
[01:23:55] So purification of the mind means
[01:23:57] that the kama krodha lobha the lust
[01:24:00] anger greed from within the mind goes
[01:24:01] away.
[01:24:02] So quite often what we look for is
[01:24:05] pacification of the mind. Oh my mind is
[01:24:08] agitated I want to be peaceful.
[01:24:09] Oh I'm worried about this this person
[01:24:11] spoke like this to me that thing.
[01:24:13] Now
[01:24:14] many times the world makes our mind
[01:24:15] agitated and we we don't look for
[01:24:19] purification we look for pacification.
[01:24:21] Like a patient is sick.
[01:24:23] The patient and the patient is in pain.
[01:24:26] The patient wants what? Relief from the
[01:24:28] pain.
[01:24:29] And a painkiller can give you very easy
[01:24:31] relief.
[01:24:32] But the painkiller is not curing the
[01:24:34] pain.
[01:24:35] Isn't it?
[01:24:36] So, similarly for us, what we want is
[01:24:40] chanting should make me peaceful.
[01:24:41] The chanting can sometimes act as a
[01:24:43] painkiller also.
[01:24:45] But chanting primarily acts as the
[01:24:46] curative medicine, with the antibiotic
[01:24:48] or the curative medicine. It takes time.
[01:24:52] It takes time. So, what do we do during
[01:24:53] that time? We need to find some other
[01:24:56] ways to strengthen ourselves.
[01:24:59] That means in all the activities of
[01:25:01] bhakti
[01:25:03] There are many activities in bhakti.
[01:25:08] So, in the many activities of bhakti
[01:25:11] some activities The activities of bhakti
[01:25:13] means they're connected with Krishna.
[01:25:15] But some activities mhm they bring
[01:25:18] devotion into our
[01:25:20] heart.
[01:25:21] That means when you come in front of the
[01:25:22] temple and take darshan, you may feel
[01:25:23] very devotionally connected. Or we dance
[01:25:26] and sing in kirtan, we feel devotionally
[01:25:27] connected.
[01:25:28] Some activities they bring devotion into
[01:25:30] our heart.
[01:25:31] But for some activities, we have to
[01:25:34] bring devotion into them.
[01:25:37] That means we have to have that bhakti
[01:25:40] bhava.
[01:25:43] And we bring it into that. That means
[01:25:44] say that's why that before you do our
[01:25:46] mantra chanting, we we may do some we
[01:25:49] hear some japa
[01:25:50] We say chant the Shikshashtakam.
[01:25:53] So, we need to bring our mind into a
[01:25:55] devotional frame.
[01:25:57] So, especially in the daytime if you're
[01:25:58] chanting, our mind is very restless.
[01:26:00] Then take a few deep breaths. Maybe if
[01:26:02] you like kirtans, sing the Hare Krishna
[01:26:04] mantra three, four times. Or if you have
[01:26:06] some favorite shloka, recite the shloka
[01:26:08] a few times. If you have a favorite
[01:26:10] deity picture, look at the picture, pray
[01:26:12] to that picture.
[01:26:14] Pray to Krishna in that picture. Or if
[01:26:15] you have a pastime, remember that
[01:26:17] pastime.
[01:26:18] And then bring some devotion and then
[01:26:20] we'll be able to establish the
[01:26:21] connection.
[01:26:22] So, it requires effort.
[01:26:25] But, it is possible.
[01:26:26] So, two things without buddhi we
[01:26:28] understand that even if my mind is not
[01:26:30] becoming peaceful,
[01:26:32] pacification is not coming, still
[01:26:33] purification is happening.
[01:26:35] That just like I'm taking antibiotic, my
[01:26:37] pain might not be going away, but I'm
[01:26:38] being cured. So, with buddhi we persist
[01:26:41] even if you don't experience that peace.
[01:26:43] But, secondly, we try to do some
[01:26:44] activities by which we can bring some
[01:26:47] devotion.
[01:26:48] And once you bring that in, then it will
[01:26:49] be easier.
[01:26:59] At what time do you want to stop like
[01:27:00] Next question, what should be the
[01:27:02] quality of a Krishna conscious leader
[01:27:04] who wants to follow the leadership
[01:27:05] driven by seva?
[01:27:08] What should be the quality of a Krishna
[01:27:09] conscious leader
[01:27:11] with the mood of seva?
[01:27:14] I think uh
[01:27:18] In any role that we play,
[01:27:21] there is the
[01:27:24] If you consider,
[01:27:25] there is the position of leadership
[01:27:28] and there is the disposition of
[01:27:30] leadership.
[01:27:34] If you consider leader,
[01:27:36] the position of leadership means that
[01:27:39] externally you get a position.
[01:27:41] So, everybody wants a position of being
[01:27:43] a leader.
[01:27:45] Okay, I want to be the If I want a youth
[01:27:47] center, I want to be the leader of youth
[01:27:48] center. If I'm in a company, I want to
[01:27:49] be number one in my company. Everybody
[01:27:50] wants to be in a position.
[01:27:52] But, position without disposition
[01:27:56] Disposition means that attitude I want
[01:27:58] to make a contribution. I want to do a
[01:28:00] service. I want to make a difference.
[01:28:02] If that is not there, it can lead to
[01:28:04] disaster.
[01:28:05] So, if you look at the Mahabharat,
[01:28:07] Duryodhana
[01:28:08] had the position, but did he have the
[01:28:10] disposition?
[01:28:12] No, and he created a lot of problems.
[01:28:14] If we consider Vidura
[01:28:18] he had the disposition of a leader,
[01:28:20] but unfortunately,
[01:28:22] because he was not born
[01:28:24] he was a born of Dasiputra, so he could
[01:28:26] never become the leader.
[01:28:28] So he didn't have the position.
[01:28:30] So again, like I talked about inner
[01:28:32] power and outer power, the same thing
[01:28:33] over here. Duryodhana was destructive.
[01:28:38] Vidura was under
[01:28:41] And the Pandavas,
[01:28:43] they had the position.
[01:28:45] They also had the disposition.
[01:28:47] So disposition is the attitude of
[01:28:49] service. Position means the external
[01:28:51] recognition by society.
[01:28:52] So when somebody wants to become a
[01:28:54] leader, they need to have the attitude
[01:28:56] of contribution, and then they need to
[01:28:57] develop the skills, or they need to
[01:28:59] engage the people who have those skills.
[01:29:02] Yudhishthira was not necessarily the
[01:29:04] best warrior.
[01:29:06] But he was the best leader.
[01:29:08] He was Dharmaraj. But and he had his
[01:29:11] brothers who could do other things for
[01:29:12] him.
[01:29:13] So skills are important, but a leader
[01:29:16] does not necessarily have the skill need
[01:29:18] to have the best skill set.
[01:29:20] A leader needs to have the capacity to
[01:29:23] inspire and engage those who have good
[01:29:25] skill sets.
[01:29:27] The Lord Ram, he was the best warrior
[01:29:29] also.
[01:29:30] Yudhishthira was not necessarily the
[01:29:31] best warrior.
[01:29:33] So somebody cannot
[01:29:34] somebody cannot be always like Lord Ram.
[01:29:36] That means you have the best character,
[01:29:38] the best disposition, and the best skill
[01:29:40] set also.
[01:29:41] But if somebody cannot be like Lord Ram,
[01:29:43] they can be like Yudhishthira.
[01:29:44] That I don't have I will have the
[01:29:46] attitude of service. I'll try to serve
[01:29:48] in a good way, and then if I don't have
[01:29:50] the skills, I'll engage those people who
[01:29:52] have skills.
[01:29:54] Not not live always insecure. What if
[01:29:56] this person lower throw me?
[01:29:58] They didn't do like that. They engaged
[01:29:59] them fruitfully.
[01:30:08] So before we conclude, we have uh
[01:30:12] one question, last question that uh
[01:30:14] can talent uh be surpassed by hard work?
[01:30:19] Okay.
[01:30:22] Can talent be surpassed by hard work?
[01:30:30] It's a difficult question.
[01:30:33] In the sense that when you're talking
[01:30:35] about surpassing, what does it mean?
[01:30:38] That are you talking about in terms of
[01:30:40] when achievement comes,
[01:30:42] can hard work lead to greater
[01:30:44] achievement than talent?
[01:30:47] Well, yes and no.
[01:30:50] That means that say
[01:30:54] we cannot quantify talent,
[01:30:56] but say somebody has 90 units of talent.
[01:30:59] Somebody has 30 units of talent.
[01:31:03] But
[01:31:04] the person
[01:31:06] who has 90 units of talent
[01:31:09] and that person only does 10 units of
[01:31:11] work.
[01:31:13] On the other hand, the person who has
[01:31:16] 130 units of talent,
[01:31:18] they have 100 units of commitment.
[01:31:21] Then they
[01:31:23] can go further.
[01:31:25] So, in that sense,
[01:31:27] uh commitment can become more important
[01:31:31] than talent.
[01:31:32] See, in terms of raw talent, Karna and
[01:31:35] Arjuna were equal,
[01:31:36] more or less.
[01:31:38] But what happened was Arjuna kept
[01:31:41] learning.
[01:31:43] Uh when the Pandavas were in the forest,
[01:31:46] Arjuna went to
[01:31:47] Himalayas and performed a lot of
[01:31:48] tapasya.
[01:31:50] And he gained more and more
[01:31:52] celestial weapons, divyastras.
[01:31:55] Now, Karna knew
[01:31:58] that the astra that divyastra that he
[01:32:00] has got because he's cursed by he had
[01:32:02] got a curse of Parshuram, he'll forget
[01:32:05] that knowledge.
[01:32:06] But he got so caught in pleasing
[01:32:09] Duryodhana
[01:32:10] that he did not do any austerity or
[01:32:14] tapasya to get any further astras.
[01:32:17] And that proved his undoing.
[01:32:20] So, that now
[01:32:22] if there is equal talent, then
[01:32:24] commitment will be more.
[01:32:25] Commitment will be decisive.
[01:32:27] Now, if there is
[01:32:29] commitment with less talent, that's
[01:32:31] possible.
[01:32:33] But if there is commitment with zero
[01:32:35] talent,
[01:32:36] that's going to be very difficult.
[01:32:38] So, nowadays in the modern society,
[01:32:39] people are told that you can be whoever
[01:32:42] you want to be.
[01:32:44] Well, not really.
[01:32:47] If somebody is 4 and 1/2 ft and they say
[01:32:48] I want to become a baseball player,
[01:32:51] you know, or I want to become a
[01:32:52] basketball player, not baseball player,
[01:32:53] basketball player.
[01:32:55] Now, unless they have basketball for
[01:32:59] Lilliputians,
[01:33:00] you know, for short people, you know,
[01:33:02] they're not really going to be able to
[01:33:03] play basketball.
[01:33:05] So, rather than thinking that I can by
[01:33:07] hard work I can do any everything.
[01:33:09] Yes, hard work is important, but we also
[01:33:12] have to see what talents we have been
[01:33:13] given.
[01:33:14] And rather than worrying my talents are
[01:33:16] less than others, yes, the basic level
[01:33:19] of talent, good amount of hard work can
[01:33:21] lead to a lot of success.
[01:33:23] But we can't think that hard work can
[01:33:27] 100% hard work and 0% talent will not
[01:33:30] work.
[01:33:31] Some amount of talent has to be there.
[01:33:34] [clears throat]
[01:33:34] It's like sometimes uh the land might be
[01:33:35] barren,
[01:33:37] but
[01:33:38] the land might not be very fertile. So,
[01:33:39] you put a lot of water, you take a lot
[01:33:41] of care, you put seeds over there,
[01:33:43] and the plants might grow.
[01:33:45] It requires effort.
[01:33:46] But if the land is concrete,
[01:33:51] then no matter how much seeds you going
[01:33:53] to put in, how much water you put in,
[01:33:55] it's not going to work, Isn't it? So,
[01:33:57] some level of conduciveness basically
[01:33:59] has to be there.
[01:34:02] Thank you.
[01:34:09] Hare Krishna.
[01:34:12] Thank you so much bro for such
[01:34:13] intellectual answers to our queries.
[01:34:17] We
[01:34:20] Bro, we have one last request from you
[01:34:22] that as you are in Kolkata birthplace of
[01:34:24] Prabhupada. So, we like to hear you hear
[01:34:27] from you about the West Bengal Day 20th
[01:34:29] June. So, can you speak something?
[01:34:32] Okay.
[01:34:33] So, I just mentioned briefly.
[01:34:37] The more I had traveled across the world
[01:34:40] the more I recognized how
[01:34:45] The more I traveled across the world,
[01:34:46] the more I recognized how
[01:34:49] you know, we all live in under the
[01:34:51] shadow of history.
[01:34:53] That so many things that have happened
[01:34:55] in the past that shape us.
[01:34:58] And we don't even realize it.
[01:35:01] But when you go to different parts of
[01:35:03] the world and see what is happening
[01:35:05] where
[01:35:06] then
[01:35:07] you start recognizing that how the
[01:35:10] shadow of history is very, very long.
[01:35:16] So, for example, I was in Australia just
[01:35:17] a few months ago.
[01:35:19] Now, Australia is actually the driest
[01:35:21] continent in the world.
[01:35:23] Now, we think of Africa as having
[01:35:24] deserts, but Australia is the driest
[01:35:26] continent in the world.
[01:35:28] But because
[01:35:31] long ago, maybe thousands of years ago,
[01:35:33] that were whatever reasons, there are
[01:35:35] some
[01:35:35] there are minerals under the country.
[01:35:38] Minerals under the country in the
[01:35:39] continent, that's how that's one of the
[01:35:41] main sources of prosperity.
[01:35:43] So, in one sense, history
[01:35:46] you know,
[01:35:48] we can say history is a mundane subject.
[01:35:51] That's one way of looking at it.
[01:35:54] Sorry.
[01:35:56] History
[01:35:58] is actually
[01:36:00] his story.
[01:36:03] Who is he?
[01:36:04] He is Krishna.
[01:36:06] Kalo asmi lokakshayakrit pravrttah.
[01:36:09] Time I am as Krishna says, I am acting
[01:36:11] through time.
[01:36:12] So, for us, we need to look at history
[01:36:15] from that perspective.
[01:36:16] So,
[01:36:19] if you consider that India got
[01:36:20] partitioned,
[01:36:21] lots of parts of India
[01:36:24] they
[01:36:25] there's a lot of turbulence, lot of loss
[01:36:27] of life, lot of agitation.
[01:36:30] So, there was a possibility that Bengal
[01:36:32] would also have become partitioned and
[01:36:33] gone into East Pakistan which became
[01:36:35] Bangladesh.
[01:36:36] And then
[01:36:37] Bangladesh Bengal has lots of holy
[01:36:39] places here.
[01:36:41] So, all of these would have been either
[01:36:44] desecrated or neglected or whatever.
[01:36:47] As has happened in many other parts of
[01:36:49] where
[01:36:50] there were no supportive or protective
[01:36:52] or at least conducive
[01:36:54] uh administration.
[01:36:56] So, it is on this day that the agitation
[01:36:58] that happened by which
[01:37:00] Bengal was divided and Bengal one part
[01:37:02] of Bengal which was
[01:37:04] more in alignment with dharma at that
[01:37:06] time, that stayed in India.
[01:37:08] So, you know, one of one of the
[01:37:09] attitudes of
[01:37:10] as devotees,
[01:37:13] see, the sometimes the modern attitude
[01:37:15] is the past was so bad
[01:37:18] and we are the most advanced.
[01:37:20] Now, what happens by that vision is we
[01:37:22] look at the past with contempt.
[01:37:24] When the past people were so foolish,
[01:37:26] they were so primitive, they were so
[01:37:27] ignorant.
[01:37:28] But a spiritual attitude is that we are
[01:37:31] grateful to the past.
[01:37:33] In the past, there are many many
[01:37:35] struggles that have happened
[01:37:36] and it is through the struggles
[01:37:39] and those who went through the struggles
[01:37:40] that we have the gifts in the present.
[01:37:42] Whether the gift of the country, whether
[01:37:44] the gift of our spirituality, whether
[01:37:46] the gift of the holy places.
[01:37:48] So, now we are having a map of
[01:37:50] Prabhupada as a spiritual headquarters.
[01:37:52] We have Calcutta over here where we have
[01:37:54] now Krishna consciousness. All this
[01:37:56] might not have been possible if history
[01:37:58] had turned out slightly differently.
[01:38:00] So, the times when history has turned
[01:38:02] out favorable, we are aware of that. We
[01:38:04] are grateful for that. That is one such
[01:38:06] turn, and now it's being acknowledged,
[01:38:08] it's being celebrated.
[01:38:10] So, that's something which is
[01:38:10] auspicious. As devotees, we are not
[01:38:13] interested in politics.
[01:38:14] But, we may not be interested in
[01:38:16] politics, but politics is interested in
[01:38:17] us.
[01:38:19] And what that means is politics is going
[01:38:21] to affect us.
[01:38:22] That's why we need to be aware.
[01:38:25] And we need to be aware, and then we act
[01:38:27] appropriately.
[01:38:29] So, wherever the movements of history
[01:38:31] are supportive of Dharma and Bhakti, we
[01:38:34] appreciate that, and we see that as
[01:38:35] Krishna acting.
[01:38:37] And we are grateful for that.
[01:38:39] Thank you very much. Hare Krishna.
[01:38:45] [applause]
[01:38:53] Hare Krishna. So, much of what I spoke
[01:38:55] today is this book Saphala Gita Sutra.
[01:38:58] This is my English book translated in
[01:39:00] Hindi. The Gita for the CEO is the
[01:39:02] English book. This is the Hindi
[01:39:03] translation. That is a national
[01:39:05] bestseller published by Harper Collins.
[01:39:06] This is published by Penguin.
[01:39:08] So, if some of you find English a little
[01:39:10] uncomfortable, this book is available in
[01:39:12] Hindi.
[01:39:13] The English book is also available on
[01:39:14] Amazon if you want.
[01:39:16] And there are a couple of other books.
[01:39:18] This is Prabhupada Prayers.
[01:39:20] When Prabhupada went to America, he had
[01:39:22] a huge challenge, all alone.
[01:39:25] How does he share Krishna's message in a
[01:39:26] country where he has never visited?
[01:39:28] So, that dependence on Krishna along
[01:39:30] with determination, both.
[01:39:32] So, what were his prayers? What was
[01:39:33] consciousness? That's described over
[01:39:35] here.
[01:39:36] So, there are beautiful pictures of
[01:39:37] deities of Krishna, and one one-page
[01:39:38] prayer is there.
[01:39:40] So, when you face discouragement or you
[01:39:43] feel overwhelmed, these are good prayers
[01:39:44] to refer to.
[01:39:46] And there's another book, Prayers
[01:39:47] Inspired by Bhagavad Gita.
[01:39:49] This is Sometimes we think of Gita as a
[01:39:51] book of philosophy. It is, but Gita is
[01:39:53] also Krishna's words. And Krishna
[01:39:56] doesn't just want to give us
[01:39:57] instruction, Krishna wants to empower us
[01:39:59] to apply those instructions.
[01:40:01] So, here what I have I've taken the
[01:40:02] Gita's verses, translated them into
[01:40:03] English poetry, and there's a one-page
[01:40:05] prayer based on this. So, it's like you
[01:40:08] I talk about japa talks. This is like a
[01:40:10] japa prayer, what we can pray before our
[01:40:12] mantra chanting. And there are
[01:40:14] many different prayers. There are
[01:40:15] prayers when we feel lost or abandoned
[01:40:17] or lonely.
[01:40:18] There are prayers when we feel
[01:40:19] directionless in life. There are prayers
[01:40:21] when we feel that we are very far away
[01:40:23] from Krishna and our bhakti is
[01:40:24] tasteless.
[01:40:25] There are prayers when we feel our
[01:40:27] emotions are over our desires are
[01:40:29] driving us crazy.
[01:40:31] There's accessible table of contents,
[01:40:33] and whatever is the mood or need of you
[01:40:35] have, there are prayers for those.
[01:40:37] So, all these three books are available.
[01:40:38] If any of you would like to have
[01:40:40] I'll also be here for some time to sign
[01:40:42] the books.
[01:40:43] Thank you very much. Is that a proper
[01:40:44] path key?
[01:40:47] Go to about the window key.
[01:40:49] I go to bring on key.