Seminar By H.H.Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj Happiness Simplified Session-2 (University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia) Date: 22nd December, 2012

Excerpts from the class

• Story of King Chitraketu, sovereign ruler of Earth planet.
• There was no democracy in Vedic concept. Vedic concept supports monarchy. Vedic kings were noble, wise and honest. Democracy is a situation better than the worst.
• All planets have one king. Moon's presiding king is Somadeva, Vivasvan is the king of Sun planet. The planets are not empty, ocean appears to be empty from the surface.
• Jupiter dominated by Brihaspati: Guru of demigods.
• Venus dominated by Sukracharya: Guru of demons.
• Inspite of being ruler of entire Earth planet Chitraketu Maharaj was unhappy. Angira Rishi accepted invitation of Chitraketu and blessed him for a son. Kritadyuti Chitraketu's wife begot a son. The other wives of Chitraketu became very envious of Kritadyuti and they killed this son. Narada and Angira Rishis came to Chitraketu and asked him what he wanted. His soul was called back and then Chitraketu Maharaj became detached.
• King Indradyumna became Gajendra the elephant due to the curse of Agatsya muni. Lost all his so called enjoyment when caught by the crocodile and cried out for help to Krsna. 
• Ultimate objective of our existence is to develop our relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 
• Positive relationship begins with servitorship which doesn't mean slavery or employment.
• Expression of our love is through servitorship. A leaf as long as it serves the tree i.e. converts sunlight into food by photosynthesis it remains connected else falls of.
• Service is always out of love. Therefore Srila Prabhupada used the expression loving devotional service.
• Happiness is temporary cessation of painful situation. Actually we are not looking for happiness but ananda. Bliss and joy are it's near equivalents.
• Iskcon is an institution for making pure devotees. If we stay then someday we will achieve perfection.
• We have the opportunity of being in the spiritual sky right here by rendering service to Krsna.
  
• Just consider whether we are loving somebody for our own sake or for Krsna's sake. Therefore care for everyone in relation to Krsna.

Q: What is the best way to chant?

A: When we are chanting, we are asking Krsna for service. Then Krsna sitting in the heart will reveal what he wants from us and chanting will become meaningful when we do that as a service for Krsna.

Q: What is the difference between Sadhkas and Siddhas?

A: Sadhakas are practicing for perfection. Siddhas have achieved perfection.

Q: You mentioned the story of Gajendra in which we see that the crocodile was delivered by Vishnu first. Was it due to it's having held Gajendra a devotee's feet into its mouth for along time? How to serve those devotees who have shed gallons of blood to retain us in the movement till date? Does it fit in the analogy given by Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati correct that it literally takes gallons of blood to make a devotee?

A: It is a good way of looking at it. Yes, mood of gratitude is very favorable.

Seminar By H.H.Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj Happiness Simplified Session-3 (University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia) Date: 25th December, 2012

Excerpts from the class.

• What is the cause of suffering? Although we don't want it still it comes uninvited. The cause is wrong/sinful activities.
• There are two types of action

1. Piety
2. Sinful activity: those which are not desirable.

• Newton's 3rd law: Perform austerities to get good results.
• Principle of Karma: good actions (piety) leads to enjoyment, wrong actions (sin) leads to suffering.
• Karma kanda section teaches you how to fulfill your desires in the right way. eg, Caitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes with the girls on the bank of Ganges who worshiped Lord Shiva to get a good husband (a Vedic injunction).
• Yad pada pallava yugam... vighnam vihantum almasya jagatrasya it is by mercy of Nrsinghdeva Ganesh acquires the ability to remove the impediments on one's life path.
• King doesn't need the law, but he creates it for the benefit of the citizens. Breaking the law shows defective mentality.
• Purpose behind suffering of prisoner is to give them a chance to rectify themselves.
• Institutional laws are for the smooth functioning and peaceful operation of an institution
• Dharma is the inherent characteristic of a substance.
• Difference between a lion and a tiger is that as soon as a tiger sees you, you are in great trouble. Whereas a Lion is noble by nature and won't kill any animal if not hungry.
• When Krsna tells us to give up all the dharma, he implied to give up your varnasrama dharma. Why? Because he wants to give up this dharma of the body, i.e. varnasrama dharma. Dharma of spirit soul is to love the supreme. Love begins with surrender, especially between senior and junior. Therefore Krsna at end says surrender unto me.
• Cause of suffering is sin i.e. indulgence in improper or undesirable actions.
• Prarabdha: sinful/pious activities' mature reactions. Aprarabdha: those reactions which haven't become activated. Kutam: dormant stage. Bijam: sinful activity at a stage of seed. Phalam: almost fructified.
• Good luck is a result of good karma from the past.
• Surrender and see what happens to you. The test of the pudding is in eating it. Until and unless one is fully surrendered one must act on the varnasrama platform.
• Krsna cares about becoming conscious of Him. Seeing how everything is related to Him and how everything can be used to serve Him.
• Being a fool before spiritual master doesn't mean forfeiting one's intelligence.
• Spiritual life is considered to be a razor's age because material nature is very precarious, but still Krsna will give him protection, if he is surrendered. When one committs Vaisnava aparadha then even Krsna cannot help.
• A devotee's mood and prayer to Krsna is, I may even reject You, but please You don't reject me.
• Krsna consciousness is a matter of purity of heart. I am surrendering everything my mind, body and intelligence unto You. I don't know what to do, now You please take care.
• We have to be tolerant and compassionate towards others because as one keeps practicing he will become pure.

Q: When we see the spiritual master suffering from a disease how do we understand it?

A: The main consideration is not what is happening to the spiritual master due to the disease, but how he is unaffected by it. The spiritual master sees it as a chance to become fixed up in Krsna consciousness. His attitude is let it happen to the body, I am standing aside.

Q: Krsna says in the 7th canto that He is aware of our problems and asks us to be patient until He solves it. Why does He not solve our troubles immediately? Why does He take so much time? Is the time taken the faith building experience?

A: Krsna's time passes very slowly, so we must be patient and have faith that since we have surrendered to Him, Krsna will take care.

Q: Why do Sannyasis carry a danda?

A: Sannyasis identify that they made a mistake by disregarding Krsna and therefore they carry a danda to remember that.

Q: Can bhakti be achieved by sukriti?

A: Bhakti cannot be achieved by any sukriti as per Vishvanath Chakravarti Thakura in Madhurya Kadambini. Bhakti cannot be given even by Krsna since then he would be called biased and He says samoham sarva bhutesu... One receives bhakti by the mercy of a devotee especially one who is preaching, who goes out of his way to give bhakti.

Q: What is the sign of spiritual progress?

A: Spiritual progress means no doubt. Yes, Krsna is my master, I am His servant and my job is to surrender unto Him.

Q: Why do devotees leave Krsna consciousness when there is suffering?

A: Devotees don't just leave due to suffering but leave due to loss of faith. No matter whatever happens, don't leave the association of devotees.

Seminar By H.H.Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj Happiness Simplified Session-4 (University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia) Date: 25th December, 2012

Excerpts from the class.

• Every aspect of spiritual realm is a person, Krsna, His abode, His paraphernalia are also persons. Balarama expands as articles of service for Krsna.
• In Vraja ever ything is animate, meaning ecstatic. Everything is moving, not static but ecstatic, meaning conscious infact superconscious.
• Criteria for entering the spiritual sky is we must be tuned in Krsna consciousness.
• Dharma is in the form of a bull. Mother Earth is in the form of a cow. Four legs of dharma. When the leg of austerity when broken them meat eating increases. When the leg of mercy is broken then intoxication increases. When the leg of cleanliness is broken then illicit sex increases. When the leg of truthfulness is broken then gambling or falsity increases.
• When legs of dharma break then legs of adharma grow. When you reject these four sinful activities legs of sin are broken.
• Kali's business is to introduce adharma. Initially in South Africa during the time of Apartheid intoxication and illicit sex was banned.
• Krsna consciousness movement or Iskcon is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's arrangement to establish dharma.
• In order to counteract Kali first we have to practice ourselves. Influence of association of devotees is very powerful. Hrsikesh Prabhu from US gave up Heroin addiction in association of Srila Prabhupada himself.
• Household life is the life of attachment. In varnasrama one is allowed to act according to his propensities and state of mind.
• Colon cancer and Osteoporosis have been clinically proven to be caused by meat eating. When meat is digested it rots quickly and becomes toxic. Therefore carnivorous animals have small length of intestines. Whereas the herbivorous animals have long length of their intestines.
• Due to impurities we become entangled with the body. The spirit soul has attachment for Krsna's service.
• Purpose of love is to become united with Krsna.
• Greek dramas end in tragedy. Vedic dramas end in prosperity, peace and joy.
• None of the materialistic love affairs ever reach there perfection. This love is not meant for anyone but Krsna.
• If we have to become spiritualized then we must develop our relationship with Krsna. 
• Happiness is a material consideration, we want rather to become joyful.
• If we become submerged in spiritual joy, we will feel so much love for Krsna in every activity.
• When your desire to be with Krsna is powerful and intense enough then Krsna arranges for you to come back. 
• Kuti: tendency to do bad things. Nati: tendency to act in a way we should not. To be free from Kuti Nati give up Gramya Katha i.e. don't speak anything other than Krsna.
• Don't stop the tendency to love, but dovetail it or guide it in such a way that we go deeper into it that what is the source or inspiration behind it and then we reach Krsna and love Him.
• Waiting for an exchange from Krsna is actually our deficiency. Krsna already loves us, it is just that we are not loving Him. It is when our heart becomes full of gratitude then we will begin to love Krsna.
• The degree of happiness and joy and misery depends on the depth of relationship. Whatever be the experience we must always remember that our business is to become Krsna conscious.
• Our relationship with Krsna is the real relationship and in that there is no suffering and the deeper one goes the more joy one feels.
• For serving the vani there is no hindrance or impediment, there may be difficulty in serving the vapu. Service to vani is more important and can be more personal since spiritual master is also in your heart and that awareness can be very deep.
• When we are sick and we stop our service then we can serve in our subtle body. Transcending our subtle body when we come to the the spiritual platform and render service to Krsna, that is pure devotion.
• Initially we render devotional service in practice, then we begin to get the taste, the taste is so relishable that then we want it to continue.
• Make it a point to remember that how it is such a wonderful gift of Krsna (devotees association) then when we love somebody it will be difficult to become judgmental and competitive with him.

H.H Bhakti Charu Swami gave Evening class in Brisbane at HG Janakraj Prabhu's residence on his birthday on 26th December, 2012

Excerpts from the class.

• Krsna consciousness should be exciting, enriching, enlivening. 
• How many come to listen to classes is not important how receptive they are is more important.
• energy + energetic together: Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
• energy and energetic separate: Radha & Krsna.
• In Goloka Navadwip they are singing the glories of Krsna, they are always doing Nama Sankirtana.
• Srila Prabhupada created Iskcon for us so that we have the perfect situation to practice our spiritual lives.
• Wherever we go we have devotees to associate with, worship alongwith, to read, chant and dance with. Therefore because of Iskcon we have these facilities.
• When spiritual master leaves, the family is still there, this is a family of Iskcon, we are never alone.
• Never think that Srila Prabhupada has left, he is always there. He is there in vapu and vani. Real aspect of spiritual master is vani or his instructions. 
• When you are following spiritual master's instructions you are with him.
• When you are serving his vani then you are actually serving your spiritual master.
• Then someday if we become eligible to enter into the spiritual world then we will again be with the spiritual master. 
• Spiritual master actually allures us to the spiritual world. When you serve the vani aspect, then you become qualified to enter the spiritual world.
• Death can come at any time, we must always be prepared. No regrets for the past always looking forward. 
• A devotee's prayer is, "O my dear Krsna, please never let me forget you."
• Point from Nectar of Devotion which struck Guru Maharaj and he accepted Srila Prabhupada as his spiritual master.

1. Five kinds of liberation and Guru Maharaj knew only the negative one.
2. God is a person.

• Generally a devotee doesn't want to come back. Once bitten, twice shy.
  
• But to be a devotee also means to be surrendered to Krsna's will. I don't have any preference, or desire. If Krsna wants I will come back. 

The class was followed by a staging of Ujjain DVD and then a sumptuous feast cooked by Sripati Prabhu, Vrindavaneshwari Mataji and others constituting Pizzas, Pastas and loads of ice cream.

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