05-04- 2020 GITA RAHASYAM – Chapter 8 ---Answers

QUESTIONS BY AUDIENCE FROM HG RSP’s GITA RAHASYAM PROGRAM and ANSWERS BY SAMARPAN GOPA DASA (Brahmachari from ISKCON NVCC, PUNE) ON THE REQUEST OF HG RADHESHYAM PRABHU.

1. Himanshu Ranjan - hare Krishna prji... dandavat pranam....... what if someone knows greatness and all supreme nature of Krishna but still chant Om namah Sivay because he feel attached to Shiva? Ys

a. You can chant hare Krishna along with your chanting shiva mantra.

b. If one comes to know greatness of Krishna then surely he will surely come to know greateness of shiva also who is great devotee and he also will know what shiva himself chants always (holy name of lord rama – his worshippable lord)

c. If one feels attached to shiva as devotee of lord then that is good and krsna is pleased more if someone worships his devotee. So he will understand that I need to chant hare Krishna and there is no need of chanting mantra of shiva. Shiva will also be pleased with you when you chant name of his lord.

2. Tripada Dash - Prabhuji: BG8.3 Is Jivatma = Brahman = Soul ? If not what is the difference?

a. Jivatma and soul is same, brahaman also means soul in most of the cases.

b. Brahman changes his meaning depending upon context at hand.

c. Brahman also means supreme lord, brahman also means impersonal aspect of lord which is nothing but effulgence of body of supreme lord.

3. Tripada Dash - Prabhuji - BG8.3 Is Mayavadi=impersonalist? If not, what is the difference?

a. Please check answer of question no 9 on day 7 chapter 7. You will get clarity. If required revert back.

4. Gulshan Sharma - pr DEAD full form along with shloka no can you please mention

a. D – Doubts of arjunab. E –end of lifec. A –Attaining the supremed. D - Devotion

5. Tripada Dash - BG8.3 Path of soul is mentioned (rain->grain->semen) Isn't there a direct way? What is the need to go through this process? What is the path for carnivorous animals (as they dont take grain)

a. In this world plan and brilliant brain of lord works so we should try to understand His way instead of asking why like this ? He is most intelligent among intelligent and he loves every one of living entities.

b. This process is designed by lord. This is one of the ways. Souls are sarvagatah means they are existing everywhere when right time and right personalities come together according to karma soul is made to enter. There are multiple factors above our imagination in this process….read SB 3.31.1 Lord Kapila explains this briefly please read purport also

çré-bhagavän uväcakarmaëä daiva-netreëajantur dehopapattayestriyäù praviñöa udaraà

puàso retaù-kaëäçrayaùThe Personality of Godhead said: Under the supervision of the Supreme Lord and according to the result of his work, the living entity, the soul, is made to enter into the womb of a woman through the particle of male semen to assume a particular type of body.

c. Aso there are other four ways for soul to tae birth they are1. Andaja – from egg2. Svedaja – from sweat3. Jarayuja – from womb4. Udbija – from seed

6. Himanshu Ranjan - hare Krishna prji... dandavat pranam.. change is taking place in this world while not in spiritual world...still we say this world as static and spiritual world dynamic..why?...ys

a. Spiritual world is most dynamic because of constant loving exchanges among the lord and his devotees and among devotees also with varieties of relationships. There are innumerable vaikuntha planets with innumerable devotees with innumerable avataras. Goloka vrindavan is highest planet.

b. Material world is changing means everything in material world is temporary and gets created and annihilated that’s the change here which does not happen in spiritual world.

7. priyanshu Prasad - we have to meditate on Krishna na? or forms Vishnu is prescribed for some?

a. Yes for bhaktas we see deity form of krsna very easily and try meditating on that form.

b. Vishnu mediation was explained for a ashtanga yogi.

8. Yashwant Shetty - hare krishna Prbhji, Why specific roop of lord is recommended to attached and detached Yogi to meditate upon? Why they cannot meditate directly upon the Bhagavan form of the lord?

a. Ashtanga yoga is mechanical process of controlling senses, mind gradually going through eight process of yama niyama aasana pranayama dharana dhyana Samadhi. For them it is recommended to mediatte on paramatma form which is Vishnu and which is neutral.(samoham sarva bhutesu na me dvesosti na priyah…BG 9.29a)

b. Bhagavan form is highest understanding of absolute truth which is not neutral but partial to devotees. (BG 9.29 b ye bhajanti tu mam bhaktya mayi te tesu chapyaham) By grace of srila prabhupada and pure devotees we although not qualified have got access of Krishna and his devotional service which process is natural and eternal (navavidha bhakti) which continues in spiritual world. Yogis are not fortunate to meet devotee like we met someone by mercy of devotee. We have no contribution.

9. Tripada Dash - BG8.3 5 kinds of fire linked to 5 kinds of offerings. Could not make a one-to-one match between the fire and offering- which one is linked to whom?

a. Please see this figure and both will become clear, also please see answer to question below.

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-10. arvind Gupta - pranhu rain comes from the ocean water

evaporation please explain how to understand thisa. Raindrops come from clouds but they come along with

spirit souls also. Please see the process in above answer.

b. Science works with pratyaksha pramana, but vedic technology is subtle and cannot be seen always in detail but effects can be seen/predicted as it is given in scriptures. We wholeheartedly follow and firmly believe shabda praman. (hearing from bonafied source)

c. According to science rain comes from clouds and they try to make clouds also. But according to BG rain comes from sacrifice and indra is inchage of rains. Read this verse from BG – 3.14

annäd bhavanti bhütäniparjanyäd anna-sambhavaùyajïäd bhavati parjanyo

yajïaù karma-samudbhavaùi. All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are

produced from rains. Rains are produced by performance of yajïa [sacrifice], and yajïa is born of prescribed duties.

11. Tripada Dash - Prabhuji - sorry for a silly question. Animals do not have intelligence (it was told in last lecture) and consciousness. So, how can an elephant remember his past life and also pray the Lord?

a. please read SB 8.3.1......verse and purport note it down......very nice pastime, Gajendra remembered sloka which he would recite in his last life as king indradyumna who was great devotee

evaà vyavasito buddhyäsamädhäya mano hådijajäpa paramaà jäpyaàpräg-janmany anuçikñitam

i. Çré Çukadeva Gosvämé continued: Thereafter, the King of the elephants, Gajendra, fixed his mind in his heart with perfect intelligence and chanted a mantra which he had learned in his previous birth as Indradyumna and which he remembered by the grace of Kåñëa.

b. by grace of lord anyone can remember anything as lord is paramatma in heart of every living entity and from him comes knowledge, memory and remembrance but this comes based on our intentions, thoughts and desires.

12. Dhiraj DsP - diff in our entire life we haven't done devotion && bt at the time of death we fully engaged in devotional activities and remembers chant gods name while death then is is possible. to go to vaikuntha ???

a. This is not possible as krsna tells in BG 8.7 i. tasmät sarveñu käleñuii. mäm anusmara yudhya caiii. mayy arpita-mano-buddhiriv. mäm evaiñyasy asaàçayaùv. Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me

in the form of Kåñëa and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.

b. Whatever we do throughout our life we remember at time of death. Because death is the moment when one experiences pain equivalent to pain of 40000 scorpions biting simultaneously. So you cannot plan any remembrance.

c. We cannot cheat krsna as we can cheat anyone else in this world. We cannot study just before exam of death like we do in college exams where intelligence is involved. Bhakti is all about heart and one cannot give heart to someone in moment but we have to give heart to person whom we love genuinely that’s why we should try to serve krsna throughout our life to remember krsna at death and that will be last death.

13. Shivam K - Who are Vaikuntha women? But as we know that any living entity in Vaikuntha is like Narayan. Are they Living entities who want to serve the lord as women.?

a. There are goddesses of fortune who are consorts of lord Narayana

b. Also there are other devotee woman also who always sing glories of lord as mentioned in SB 3.15.17

c. “In the Vaikuëöha planets the inhabitants fly in their airplanes, accompanied by their wives and consorts, and eternally sing of the character and activities of the Lord, which are always devoid of all inauspicious qualities. While singing the glories of the Lord, they deride even the presence of the blossoming mädhavé flowers, which are fragrant and laden with honey.” Read these verses to know more about vaikuntha as revealed by brahma. There are many other species of life full of varieties and they do different activities to please lord this is given in SB 3.15.14 to SB 3.15.21- brilliant explaination of vaikuntha to which we should be fascinated by to go there one day. Please read these verses.

14. Divya Kala - How a lusty Dog exhibit the divine quality of loyality in that lower species ? Kindly guide

a. All animals or living entities have particular speciality given by lord so dog ahs special quality of loyalty and also he has special power of smell, elephants have special power of memeory and their heart is filled with gratitude to someone who helps them. There are innumerable examples of such qualities.

b. Dogs are lusty due to their being animals, but current times human beings are more lusty and are breaking rules and acting like cats and dogs are worser than that.

c. Lord is present in every living entity in their heart and empowers them with certain quality for us to learn from them. We can learn from dog that we should become loyal to our master supreme lord krsna.

15. Sriram Patro - Hare Krishna Prji...if a devotee is very lazy and sleeps a lot what will happen to him... ?

16. Prachi tripathi - Hare Krishna Prabhuji my question- after listening scriptures &all realisation comes &when we implement it to destroy our ill habits many times we failed , disappoints kindly enlighten Prji wt shud do. Yes Prabhuji it works, bt Prji fear comes and if we often fail like this then how we will purify us 🙏🙏

a. Continue practice of devotional activities and pray to krsna for help after trying your best to sincerely chant HK and hear BG regularly.

b. Sometimes we succeed also right ? So as we get gradually purified we will succeed more and more we get strength. So please continue with more intensity and prayerful mood. Krsna is testing us by giving challenges seeing that how much we want Him and how much we want something other than him.

c. We are in material world which is place of challenges and is addressed as dukhalayam by lord.

d. Please read above answer no 46 of day 7 chapter 7 for further details about the same.

17. Himanshu jaiswal - prbhuji if we have attachment with cows then will we become cow in next life

a. Depends on your consciousness.b. If you are serving cow thinking of pleasing krsna as He

loves cows then you will have different destination. c. Law of last thought works in this world for everyone ---

read verse and purport for details BG 8.6

18. Anjaney Sharma - Hare Krishna, pamho, Is our natural death date fixed or even by accident death date is fixed? Ys

a. Whatever happens to us is because of our destiny which is not frozen concept but its dynamic.

b. What happened yesterday is destiny and what you did today is freewill which will determine your future destiny.

c. “Destiny determines the results of our actions and not the actions themselves.” Actions you choose. Vidura told Dhritarastra.

d. Death is part of destiny only. But we are spirit souls who are eternal, full of knowledge ad bliss. Our bodies die.

e. As long as we practice KC by chanting HK, reading/hearing BG, associating with devotees we don’t have to worry or fear about death at all because destination is sure for sincere rigid practioner.

19. Saurabh Kumar - Hare Krishna Prabhu. Krishna ko yaad karane ki koshish karte han par Maaya bahut hi strong ha pata hi nahi chalta ha. Tab realise hota ha jab already Maya me cjale jate han. please bataiye kya karen?

a. Chant hare krsna regularly and read.hear BG like u are doing ow and associate with devotees.

b. If you do this along with nicely understanding BG your intelligence will become strong and will able to detect maya before you enter maya. So develop discrimination by hearing and reading BG

c. Develop determination to not enter maya by chanting HK and association of devotees.

d. Generally we want maya, so maya comes to us with different allurements. So all the best.

20. Aluru sumanth kashyap - hare Krishna prabhuji, is vaikuntha different from Krishna loka?

a. Yes in vaikunha there are innumerable planets where there are innumerable avataras of lord (like matsya kurma varaha narsimha etc)

b. Krsnaloka is abode of krsna.

21. Geeta Bhagat - Prabhuji now a days there’s are so many people teaching chakra balancing and chakra meditation. As devotees only meditation on Hare Krishna! can we consider that these chakras can merely be balanced?

a. As devotees we should have faith on practice of devotional service knowing that this is sufficient for me to go BTG, nothing else is required.

b. Only thing devotee should improve is how much I am involving my heart, intentions desires in whatever devotional acts I am doing. There is no need of learning or balancing chakras, krsna does needful for devotee.

c. So simply chant HK, read/hear BG and associate with devotees that’s all.

22. Aluru sumanth kashyap - prabhuji who lives in vaikuntha? and can u brief about vaikunta lokha?

a. Innumerable vaikuntha planets reside innumerable avataras of lord like narayana, matsya, kurma, narasimha along with devotees

23. Tripada Dash - BG 8.11 - In purport "In this way they realize two of Brahman’s features" Which are the 2 Brahma's features they learn - not mentioned in purport.

a. Please read SB 1.2.11---3 aspects of absolute truth--brahman paramatma bhagavan---they do not realise first two but not bhagavan which is realised by devotees like devotees.

b. If not clear revert back

24. Laksmi krisnan - hk p pamhoDo devotees after practicing KC have all chakras raised

25. Tripada Dash - 2 ways to reach the spiritual planets have been mentioned. 1 way is thru yagna and sacrifice (BG 8.3). Other way is chanting (BG 8.13). What is the difference in both ways, apart from ease factor?

a. Yajna is nothing but sacrifice in English. b. In age of kali srila prbhupad has repeatatively told to do

sankirtan yajna ….which is only possible in this degraded age of kali. We cannot do any other yajna as we don’t have pure ingradients nor we have pure brahmans to perform yajnas. Current brahans are acting as sudras doing all nonsense like eating nonveg, doing sinful acts etc.

c. SP writes in BG 8.3 “It is clearly stated here that oà, Brahman and Lord Kåñëa are not different. The impersonal sound of Kåñëa is oà, but the sound Hare Kåñëa contains oà. The chanting of the Hare Kåñëa mantra is clearly recommended for this age. So if one quits his body at the end of life chanting Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare, he certainly reaches one of the spiritual planets, according to the mode of his practice.”

26. Yashwant Shett - Hare Krishna Prbhji, As Dhruva Maharaj was told to follow the process of Astanga since he was king in mode of passion. Nowdays, our lifestyle is full of passion. So if Dhruva Maharaj was informed by Expert preacher like Narad Muni to take Astanga Yoga , how we are eligible for Bhakti Yoga Directly?

a. Dhurvas main process was bhakti yoga of chanting “om namo bhagavate vasudevaya and worshipping deity made by himself by sand” this was direct bhakti, along with this he practiced austerities.

b. He simply followed naradas instructions and attained vaikuntha along with fullfillement of his desires. He was

so passionate as true Kshatriya and he was so determined to attain his material goal.

c. We are not eligible for bhakti yoga but by grace of srila prabhupada we have been awarded this rare gift of pure devotional service. So like druva mj, we should simply follow what srila prabhu[ad has given us in form of morning program and his books and services for his mission while taking care of our prescribed duties responsibly.

d. Also, It is written in chapter 8 that ashtanga yoga, sacrifice and yajna are not easy for us and will not work in kali yuga. Hence chanting (bhakti yoga) is the easiest way for us as recommended by SP.

27. MEDITATION -sorry for my mistake but while listening to long lecture usually i feel diverted or u can say bored but not while watching movies.

a. What we like we don’t worry about time, that’s the nature of mind

b. We should develop some interest in spiritual topics like BG as it is for our eternal benefit. We have to understand and realise this fact by practice of devotional service regularly.

c. What benefit you get by watching movie ? or you can watch KC movies on ISKCON desire tree, there are so many of them.

28. srirama chandra murthy - When Brahma has a life span then what about Shiva's life span?

a. brahma has 311 trillion 40 billion years only------read BG 8.17 verse and purport carefully

b. Siva exists eternally but manifests from brahma at time of creation an remains throughout lifetime of brahma

and again unmanifests, siva does not take birth like sun rises and sets.

29. Tripada Dash - BG 8.18 All living entities become manifest from the unmanifest state. What is the unmanifest state? How something is created from unmanifested state?

30. TOOPHYANAN PRADHAN - HK prji, PAMHO. Lord Brahma after his life goes back to Godhead or he comes down?? But prji, One time we were also brahmas right??then how we came to this material world??plz clarify..

a. Generally brahma along with sages on satyaloka/brahmaloka go back to vaikuntha.

b. But as we all were also brahmas, we become attached to our creation after creating and wanting to enjoy so we come down.

c. Brahma who remains pure and unattached goes back. We go wherever we desire and where is our attachment is, nothing is forced by lord who loves us unconditionally.

31. Kusum Agarwal - Does Brahmadev after completion of his life goes to Krishna's abode or go to other lokas.

a. Answered above question no 30 please read

32. Himanshu jaiswal - prbhuji i am preparing for competitive exam and there we have to read a lot of athiestic literature (ancient indian history) so how to remain faithfull to bhakti and Krishna

a. Answered online

33. Tripada Dash - BG 8.19 - at night they no longer have bodies but remain compact in the body of Vishnu. How can non-devotees of lower planets merge with Vishnu - Only those who are pure devotees can do so right ?

a. This merging is not liberation this is windup, all these living entitie will again return to material world because of their material desires

b. Whereas pure devotees do not have material desires and they don’t want to merge and they don’t merge in body of lord rather they go to vaikuntha to serve lord and his devotees.

34. Jaya Lakshmi - Hare krishna Prabhu ji🙏Does supersoul accompany soul during yatna sarir and when someone attain supreme abode??

a. Yes supersoul mercifully always accompanies conditioioned souls in all bodies trying to guide him (when he wants) and fulfill his desires

b. In supreme abode lord is directly present personally.

35. Dhiraj DsP - bt as per scientist universe is only 13.8 Billion yrs

a. Ask yourself what you belive ? Science/pratyaksha praman or BG/shabda praman ?

36. Sriram Patro- Hare Krishna Prji PAMHO>>> Prji...this path is for yogi...why Bhishma Pitamah being a mahajan waiting for uttaryan?

a. Bhishma was so humble that he thought I need to wait till auspicious time of uttarayana starts although he was so exalted pure devotee that personification of all auspiciousness was present before his eyes. This is humble nature of Vaishnava who tries best to follow all

rules created by lord in matrial world although he is not supposed to/needed to.

37. Kusum Agarwal - But Rama worshipped Lord Shiva in Ramayan.

a. Lord Krishna worshipped sudama brahman who was also great devotee and poor brahman, also lord worshipped naradamuni when he visted in his many palaces in dvarka.

b. Lord loves his devotees and he himself loves to worship his devotees, and shivais gretaets of vaishnavas so its lords delight to worship his devotees

c. Also rama acting as ideal Kshatriya king, he out of humility felt he killed a Brahmana who was devotee of shiva so on request of brahmanas he did this worship of shiva in rameshvaram.

38. MEDITATION - lord Shiva is known as mahadev so he should be supreme head god?? then y Shiva is called devo ke dev Mahadev??

a. Lord shiva is extremely special category demigod who is prominent demogod so he is called mahadev

b. Siva is also called as guna avatara of lord who takes care of mode of ignorance and annihilation.

39. krishna Priya - hare krishna prji...... can u pls explain the Shiv Tatva , Sada Shive fully.....thank you

40. MEDITATION - while chanting usually i remember the actor faces of Mahabharata

a. Best character of Mahabharata is krsna try remembering him and also pandavas are devotees.

41. JYOTI MONDHE - hare Krishna. how to get rid of false ego

a. By practicing devotional service gradually true ego is awakened and false ego very gradually evaporates depending upon our sincerity and seriousness.

42. jyoti ail - H K prabhuji...what is the difference between tyagi and jnani...?

a. Jnani is one who knows I am not this body but spirit soul and h is searching after understanding absolute truth.

b. Tyagi is one who gives up activities/things etc. Meaning of this word is contextual.

43. Sujeet Kumar - hare Krishna pg, is it good to chant with Srila Prabhupada japa Audio?

a. SP says we should focus on hearing our own sound vibration so if it helps you to do that you can use. Some devotees use it an suely SPs chanting is extremely pure. We can surely hear SP chanting other times also.

44. Megha Gautam - hare Krishna prabhu ji, if every minute living entity have spark or soul in it, then does this corona also have soul n supersoul in it, bcoz it also belongs to family of bacteria/microorganism.

45. MEDITATION - a meditation channel tell that they know the truth of life and they teaches to do meditation just to sit on a place and focus on maintaining constant posture dhyan will happen itself

a. Nothing happens automatically pr

b. Dhyana is very advanced stage of ashtanga yoga which comes after going through first 5-6 stages of yama, niyama, aasana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana etc.

c. These stages can be practiced only by person who is suffienctly pure in mind. Very rare person can practice this yoga in current age. That’s why arjuna is asking krsna, even arjuna who is so qualified says that this is difficult method. What is our case with our impure mind.