Offences and the heart...

Devotee: Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja. Maharaja, you said that our heartshould be simple, but when the mind is so offensive... His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami: Mind is offensive because the heart is not simple. [laughter] When theheart becomes simple then the mind also will become straight. Devotee: How should one make his heart simple? His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami: Practice sadhana bhakti which means trnad api sunicena taror ivasahisnuna amanina mana dena kirtaniyah sada harih [Sri Siksastakam, verse3]. Chant the Holy Name in that state of mind, being more humble than ablade of grass, being as tolerant as a tree, desiring no respect, norecognition for yourself, you offer all respect to others then only you'llbe able to chant the pure name of the Lord. Once you get the taste of thepure name of the Lord, you can't stop chanting. You become mad. Like you'llwant to relish that wonderful taste again and again and again. So that's whykirtaniyah sada harih. Devotee: If offences are coming in our mind, what about that? His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami: In the age of Kali if the offences that are committed in the mind arenot so bad. But at least physically do not commit offences. Mind isthinking, then feeling, then willing and acting. So don't act, right? Don'tact on these offences. In the mind there maybe offences, but don't speakabout those offences. Don't blaspheme the devotees. Don't blaspheme thescriptures and in this way keep your mind from committing offences.

Whenever suffering comes we must understand...

Whenever suffering comes we must understand “I must have done something wrong . So let me become aware of the mistake and rectify it.”

In this way material nature although it seems she is very, very strict, very cruel, punishing, but she is actually our well wisher. When we act according to, when we surrender to the mother nature, maya, then eventually this maya this maha maya becomes yoga maya.

The same maya, the same maha maya will become transformed into yoga maya, and take us to Krishna. If you want to go back to the spiritual sky you have to have the mercy of yoga maya. Yoga maya will engage you in Krishna’s service.

It is yoga maya who will actually guide us to the lotus feet of Krishna.

Our problem...

Now our problem is with the spirit soul, matter got mixed up. As a result of that, we have become impure. We have two identities the body and the soul, deha and dehi. So deha is the field, and dehi is the knower of the field, kshetra and kshetrajna. So know of the field means we know this boy, and we know how to use this body to gratify our senses. Now that is our problem. Through the sense we can never really get the satisfaction.

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The real joy the real enjoyment can never be achieved through sense gratification, by fulfilling the desires or our senses. Normally people do not don’t understand that, people don’t know that. Everywhere people are just trying to enjoy through their senses, because they do not know anything better. They think that they’re their bodies and all their perception, all their consciousness, all their understanding all their activities, are simply centered around the body that functions through the senses. They keep on trying to enjoy, try to satisfy themselves, but who are the self? Who is the self? The self is the soul, and the soul will never be satisfied through this endeavor of gratifying the senses.

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So the soul has a specific way of becoming gratified or satisfied, and that is by serving Krishna.

The real purpose of our existence

So this is what we have to understand that the real purpose of your existence lies in our becoming connected to Krishna, and how do we become connected to Krishna? By serving Krishna. What motivates us to serve Krishna? Love. It’s the love that motivates us to serve Him.

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Love is there in our hearts. With the soul, love is there. Just as with fire, light is there, and heat is there. With the soul two things are there; one is consciousness and the desire to love. Many other things are also there, wherever there is consciousness there is a tendency to love. Wherever there is consciousness there is a tendency to desire, and by fulfillment of desire leads us to happiness.

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So desire is the motivating factor. We desire, and when the desire gets fulfilled we feel we are happy. What should be the real desire? Our real desire should be to love Krishna, and what will be the expression of that love? The service.

Reciprocating with Krishna's love.

Q. What is the best way to reciprocate our love to Krishna?

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A. By giving Him the love. Someone loves you – what does he expect? Money? No. Love.

Identifying a true Guru...

Q. How do we identify the person who knows God?

Ans. By the way he acts. He is so attached to God that whatever he does, he does for the pleasure of God. Therefore he is not interested in material affairs because he has got a higher taste.

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Another consideration is how he speaks. Is he able to answer your questions properly?

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Therefore it is said that a saintly personality is not to be seen through the eyes but through the ears.

How to get out of this prison house...?

Now the question is, how to get out of this miserable place? By scaling the wall, or by digging a tunnel, or by getting a helicopter to pick you up? If you are caught, the result will be more punishment.

Then what is the right way to get out? Appeal to the king. “I’m sorry, I made a mistake. I promise that I will never do that again.”

If the king is just, and he sees that you are transformed, what will he do? If you say, “I will be a soul surrendered unto you and will act as you want me to.” How then, will the king of kings, situated in our hearts respond to us? He may not release us immediately, but he will tell the prison authorities to watch such a person and then the prison authorities watch him and see that he is improving. Then the authorities will give him facilities. Then they will make him an ideal prisoner. Then finally the king of kings will not only release him from the prison, but will take him to his palace, because he has become such a good servant. This is what Maitreya Rsi is pointing out.

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Use this body in the service of Krishna. Become engaged in your service to Krishna and by thus expressing your love for Krishna, you become situated in an*anandamaya*stage. This situation is not only being drowned in anocean of*ananda* or bliss, but that ocean will always be increasing. Just make aproper endeavor. If you have to make a sacrifice or endeavor, do it for Krishna and then *pratipadam purnamrtasvadanam* – you will experience joy at every step.