Published on January 9th, 2022 | by Madhudvisa dasa

Everyone of you Become a Spiritual Master — This is Our Mission — Prabhupada SB 1.2.18

“By regular attendance in classes on the Bhagavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam First Canto, Second Chapter, Text 18 sb 1.2.18)

Prabhupada Bhagavatam Class on First Canto, Second Chapter, Text 18 at given at New Vrindavan, Moundsville, West Virginia in 1974.

This is a very important class from Srila Prabhupada but unfortunately the sound is terrible. I apologize for that. The original sound is so bad and there is no other recording and I can not improve it any more.

So please watch it anyhow. It is so important, and you can read the subtitles also.

Prabhupada starts by explaining a Sanskrit word in the verse: abhadresu. The general understanding of abhada is one who is not civilized. In your country you say, “gentleman,” so that gentleness is called bhadra, and in India the gentleman is referred to as bhadra.

So all of us are meant to become Krishna conscious, when one comes to Krishna consciousness then he is cultured. So this culture, Krishna culture is to hear about Krishna. Simply hear, as you are doing. We haven’t got to do anything, simply come here and sit properly and hear about Krishna. This is civilization. Just sit down like a gentleman and hear about Krishna. This is a very important process.

Simply if anyone agrees to hear about Krishna then his life will be successful. You don’t have to do anything else. Our process is, please come, hear about Krishna and take a little prasadam and go, that’s all.

So Krishna is so kind that as soon as you begin to hear about Krishna, immediately you draw the attention of Krishna. Even if Krishna’s attention is not drawn, still, simply by hearing and chanting you become perfect.

So, when this process is adopted and it is not even finalized, still you get the benefit. Suppose you have to attend lectures or hearing for a hundred times, but suppose you have only done it one or two times, still you get the benefit. Not a single part of it is ever waste. In the sastra it is said that if by some sentiment, just like in our society, many men join not exactly understanding what is Krishna consciousness, but out of sentiment: “Let us join.” He gives up his own duty, his occupational duty.

Everyone has his own duty, occupational duty. Generally, according to the Vedic civilization, occupational duties are divided according to quality. The same thing is done in the present age also. If one man is qualified as a medical man he is allowed to practice as a medical man, if one man is qualified as an engineer… So every man has got some occupational duty. So sastra says that if out of sentiment he gives up his occupational duty and takes to this Krishna consciousness movement, “Let me join this Krishna movement.” That’s alright, if one has joined this Krishna consciousness movement then let him become perfect. But it sometimes happens that the culture of Krishna consciousness is not completed and by some bad association, because the whole material nature is bad, if somehow or other he falls from Krishna consciousness then sastra says “What is the abhadra, what is wrong in that? Even if he has fallen down.” And a person who is engaged in his occupational duty very nicely, what is the gain for him?

Just try to understand, one person out of many, many joins this Krishna consciousness movement and can not perfect it while in this Krishna consciousness movement and falls down, there are many instances, still for him there is no loss. And the other man, who is very dutiful and he is exactly nicely executing his occupational duty, so what is the gain for him?

So the man who has joined Krishna consciousness out of sentiment, even if he falls down, whatever he has done, that is his permanent asset. If he has done one percent of Krishna consciousness that one percent is guaranteed, then in his next life he will begin from the second step. It is so nice. Therefore it is said that not that the inauspiciousness of material existence is completely finished. Even if it is finished to a certain percentage, it is not 100% finished. So the result is he becomes a bonafied attached devotee, even if somehow he can not execute properly, he falls down still that is perfection.

Therefore we should take the opportunity of hearing this Krishna katha as soon as possible and we should preach also like that. It is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s order. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was touring all over. So somebody became a Vaisnava simply by seeing Him, by hearing Him.

He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He had so much power. So some of them wanted to come with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “No.You remain in your position. There is no need to come with Me but you become a preacher of Bhagavatam.” This is our mission, “Every one of you become a spiritual master,” Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Mission.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, “By My order,” you can not become spiritual master all of a sudden, there must be order from the superior person, superior guru. If guru says that, “Now you can make disciples,” then you can do that. It is etiquette.

That means than when one has received an order from the spiritual master he can become guru but the order is open. Order is open but it must be executed properly as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says. What is that? “There is no need of going out of home, out of country, in any place where you are situated, you can remain in your position, there is no need of changing your position, but you are ordered to speak the words of Krishna or the words of the representative of Krishna. That is your life’s mission.

The more you hear, the more you become advanced.

About the Author

Madhudvisa dasa My first contact with a Hare Krishna was a most merciful Mataji in Oxford Street, London who sold me a "Higher Taste" cook book in 1984 while I was on holidays there. I started seriously reading Srila Prabhupada's books in Australia 1985 and by 1986 Srila Prabhupada had convinced me "Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead" and "we should surrender to Krishna." I joined the Hare Krishnas in Perth, Western Australia in 1986. Since then I have been chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, reading and distributing Srila Prabhupada's books and preaching as much as I can. That's my life and full-time occupation now really. I like it more than anything I've ever experienced before. Srila Prabhupada's books are so amazing... Even after reading them all many times they're still fresh and new. They are truly transcendental! That's it really. Now I'm just hankering to once again see the world chant Hare Krishna, dance and feast and float away in the ecstasy of Lord Caitanya's Sankirtana movement as it did in Srila Prabhupada's physical presence. Let the whole world drown in the ecstatic flood of love of Krishna!

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