Hare Krsna to all
Pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Summarized below are these points:

1. Why Vishnu bhaktas generally poorer than Sivas bhaktas
2. Yudhisthira maharaj said he never told a lie, therefore Dharmaraj was present, Arjuna and Bhima are
great warriors, and Draupadi is the goddess of fortune herself- We have Dharma , great warriors, and the goddess of fortune all present, so why are we in so much difficulty ?
3. If devotee sincere, Krsna takes away all his wealth to help him surrender.
4. Devotee asks Prabhupada why can’t we too, have a nice house?
5. Those who think by Krsna Consciousness, I will become Rich-they are not Krsna Conscious.
6. Krsna Conscious persons are so happy in their service, they want nothing more.
7. Don’t be a false renouncer-how can we renounce our own body?

Hare Krsna
Damaghosa das

…680714SB.MON Lectures

set in fire, the other party, his cousin brothers. So Yudhisthira

Maharaja, the eldest brother of the Pandavas… Practically this

question was raised by Pariksit Maharaja to Sukadeva Gosvami. The

question was that Visnu or Narayana, He’s the supreme opulent,

Laksmi-pati, the husband of the goddess of fortune. So persons who are

Visnu-bhakta or Vaisnava, whv they become poorer? Why this

contradiction? And the devotees of Lord Siva… Siva presents himself

as the poorest man. He has no dwelling house even. He lives underneath

a tree. And his wife Durga, she is the proprietor of this universe.

She is also following the husband. She has also agreed to live

underneath the tree. Never complains, “Oh, my dear Siva, you don’t

construct a house even. What is this?” She also agrees. That means

they live very, in a wretched, poor condition. So this was the

question of Pariksit Maharaja, that those who are worshiper of this

wretched Lord Siva–not wretched, but he places himself in such

condition–they [his devotees]become very opulent materially. They have got very

nice estate, very nice wife, very nice foodstuff. And the Vaisnavas,

who are worshiper of Visnu, the most opulent, the controller of

Laksmi, laksmi-sahasra-sata sevyamanam, whom not only one, but

millions and billions of goddess of fortune are always in His service,

[why they are so apparently
poor?]

(below-garden #1-brassicas growing over a 9 month period for yearly food)

… So similar question was put. Because Maharaja Yudhisthira was a

little doubtful, that “I am known as Dharma-raja, the king,

personified religion, because I never tell anything lie and my life is

so pious. So, and my brothers Arjuna and Bhima, they’re the greatest

warrior. And our wife Draupadi, she is personally the goddess of

fortune. So we are combined together, religion, goddess of fortune,

greatest warrior, and above all, the greatest friend, Krsna. Why we

are in difficulty?” This question was asked. Krsna… This question

was asked not for their personal benefit, just to teach us that

sometimes in Krsna consciousness you may be put in difficulty, but

don’t, I mean to say, be hesitated. Fixed up. You should know Krsna’s

mercy. Why? Krsna says, yasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad dhanam sanaih.

He answered to Yudhisthira, “My dear Yudhisthira, the first test of a

devotee is that I, if I show him special favor, then I take away all

his wealth.” Why? Why this sort of special favor? Because this

material attachment is so great that one cannot go to Krsna. So anyone

who is engaged in Krsna consciousness, at the same time he wants

material enjoyment, Krsna sees his foolishness. Foolishness. Anyone

who is making progress in Krsna consciousness should not be envious,

“Oh, he is so great. He is so rich man. He has got so nice palace. He

has got so nice wife. I haven’t got anything.” Don’t be. Because it is

completely different life. Don’t be captivated by the material

opulence, even you are put into great difficulties. Because you are

not this material body. You are spirit soul. So your progress should

be steady on the spiritual platform.

So we shall discuss this point more.

(just picked and ready to offer)

680714SB.MON Lectures

Hamsaduta: A devotee, he can be very poor, but is it okay if he’s

hankering after something for Krsna? He sees, “Oh we haven’t got

anything. We need a house,” or something like that? Why can’t we…

Can a devotee think like that, “Why can’t we get a nice house like

these people for Krsna”? Is that all right?

Prabhupada: Devotee thinks, “Why shall we not have a nice house?”

Hamsaduta: For Krsna.

Prabhupada: Oh, for Krsna he can have anything. That is a different

thing. Not for himself. For himself, he should be satisfied whatever

Krsna offers. That’s all. But for Krsna he’ll try to... Just like the

example is Hanuman. Hanuman, he fought with Ravana. Why? Not for his

personal sake. He did not fight with Ravana to take the kingdom of

Ravana, become king there. No. He fought for Rama. So the Krsna

consciousness person’s endeavor should be to give everything to Rama.

Not… But for himself he’s completely dependent on Krsna whatever

position he may keep. It doesn’t matter. He has no such perception,

“Whether I’m…” He’s always happy. Krsna’s service is so nice that he

has no other idea what is happiness except Krsna’s service. So why

shall he desire this or that? Naturally, he has no desire because he’s

already fulfilled his desire being in Krsna consciousness. But those

who are thinking that “Becoming Krsna conscious I shall become very

rich, I shall become one of the richest men,” that is his foolishness.

That means he’s not in Krsna consciousness. He still requires to be

more advanced. But actually one who is Krsna conscious, that very

consciousness is so happy that he doesn’t want anything more. That

very consciousness is happiness. Ahaituky apratihata. There is no

other cause. A real Krsna conscious person does not become Krsna

conscious for any other purpose. That Krsna consciousness is his

purpose. That is the end. That is the means. It is not a means to

achieve some thing else. Bhakti is such thing. Therefore bhakti is

transcendental. It is not material, that… In the material world, in

exchange of something you get something else, but in the spiritual

world the endeavor and the achievement the same thing. So actually, a

person who is in Krsna consciousness, he has no such desire.

Anyabhilasita-sunyam. The exact definition you’ll find in the

Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu: anyabhilasita-sunyam. Sunyam means completely

devoid of any other desires. Anyabhilasita-sunyam

(This was the last winter squash left-a hubbard- and 19 pounds of rasa yana food)

680714SB.MON Lectures

that consciousness that it belongs to Krsna… Just like a bank

cashier. He knows that millions of dollars is coming to him, but he

knows that “This is belonging to the bank. I am simply cashier.”

Similarly, you can deal with all the worldly things, but if your

consciousness is Krsna then you are free. Nikhilesv apy avasthasu

jivan muktah sa ucyate. In any condition of life if one is Krsna

conscious, he’s always liberated. He’s not affected. So that is Krsna

consciousness. Krsna consciousness does not teach you to become a

false renouncer. What is the use of becoming a renouncer? After all,

you have got this body. How can you renounce it? Either you cover it

with underwear or either you cover it with costly dress, you have to

cover it. So that covering also belongs to Krsna. So we have to be

situated under the consciousness that “Everything is Krsna’s. Nothing

belongs to me.” That is the actual fact. But by illusion we are

accepting, “This is mine, this is mine, this is mine.” We have to give

up this consciousness and accept the Krsna consciousness. That is our

preaching. Is that clear? Yes?

( Saksi Gopal Maharaj )

(Sudarshan Chakra Maharaj )