Agun jalbe – “Light the fire – the wind will come on its own to fan it!” Far greater than the statement, svayam asiddhah katham anyan sadhayet (“If you have not achieved perfection yourself, how can you give it to others?”) is the following –
yare dekha tare kaha krsna upadesa
amara ajnaya guru haiya tara ei desa
"Whoever you see, tell them about the instructions of Krsna. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land." (Cc. Madhya 7.128)
Those who are gosthyanandi-sadhakas are oblivious to how much they may be benefitted or harmed. Sriman Mahaprabhu has assured them by this instruction. By this instruction they understand what will benefit them and others. Even if you have not become a perfected sadhaka, you should still preach about the Holy Name of Krsna. Through this very instruction, Mahaprabhu has given the qualification of preaching to the sadhaka.
During the time of Sri Yayavara Maharaja’s sannyasa, Srila Prabhupada (Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura) bestowed fearlessness upon him by saying, “Are you fearful? Why do you fear? You are going to take shelter of He whose feet bestow fearlessness – yad bibheti svayam bhayam (‘That which fear itself fears’ –Bhag.1.1.14).”
To offer ourselves in the sankirtana-yajna of Sriman Mahaprabhu is the only way in which each and every one of us can be protected. That which we are practicing will cure all of our own diseases along with curing the material disease of materialistic persons. “Die to live!” The right to live is our birthright and we need to live with all the dignity a life should have. Only the fire of sankirtana can revive our very essence.
bhasmi bhavanti rajendra
mahapataka-kotayah
"The chanting of the Holy Name destroys millions of great sins." (Visnu-dharma Purana)
If you perform real krsna-kirtana then you will have nothing to fear. The true necessity is the fire of spirituality. In order to benefit ones self and other living entities – amara ajnaya guru haiya tara ei desa (“accept my instruction and become a spiritual master to try to liberate everyone in this land”). Those that will listen to you will fan the fire of your sankirtana.
Once, Sripada Bhakti Hrdaya Vana Maharaja accidently entered a prostitute’s house when he went out for bhiksa. After Prabhupada heard about this, he referred to the incident when he was speaking hari-katha – “Did I make a mistake in this regard? These are boys who left material things, just as one rejects one’s own stool; they left their homes to join me – and again I am sending them to the doors of materialists. Why am I sending them? I have not committed any mistake!”
In this respect he told the story of two sadhus in Haridwar. The two sadhus saw a black blanket floating in the waters of the Ganga. Seeing this, when one of them went to take the blanket out of the water, he was immediately embraced by it. The blanket was actually a bear. When the bear was floating in water, he was thinking that the sadhu was his protector and embraced him. The other sadhu saw that he was not coming out of the water with the blanket. Then he said, “Arey bhai! Just leave the blanket and come out!” The one in the water replied, “Bhai, I am leaving the blanket, but the blanket is not leaving me!”
Similarly, even if you want to stay far away from the material world, the material world will not leave you. You have been intimate with it for such a long time – why will it leave you today when you want to dissociate yourself from it? For millions of births you have been entangled in it. It has entered every part of your existence and has dethroned your very self. Therefore, simply asking it to leave will not make it leave. This is a blatant truth. Thus, to remove it you will also have to take a very effective and real course of action.
indriyani mano-buddhir asyadhisthanam ucyate
"The senses, the mind and the intelligence are considered to be the residence of lust." (Gita 3.40)
Your mind, your intelligence, your senses etc. – all these bases have been occupied by it. Hence it is natural that it will be more powerful. Still, your very endeavor should be to regain control of these lost bases. The science of your relationship with Krsna – that is your only brahmastra.
tavad-bhayasya bhetavyam yavad-bhayam-anagatam
agatantu bhayam viksya pratikuryat yathocitam
"One should be apprehensive of the cause of fear when it is far away. But upon seeing the cause of fear getting closer, one should fight it without a doubt." (Canakya-niti 236)
When you have declared a revolution, you should also be ready for retaliation. You have to work hard. There is evidence of this in the kamadinam sloka -
kamadinam kati na katidha palita durnidesas
tesam jata mayi na karuna na trapa nopasantih
utsrijyaitan atha yadu-pate sampratam labdha-buddhis
tvam ayatah saranam abhayam mam niyunksvatma-dasye
"O my Lord, there is no limit to the unwanted orders of lusty desires. Although I have rendered these desires so much service, they have not shown any mercy to me. I have not been ashamed to serve them, nor have I even desired to give them up. O my Lord, O head of the Yadu Dynasty, recently, however, my intelligence has been awakened, and now I am giving them up. Due to transcendental intelligence, I now refuse to obey the unwanted orders of these desires, and I now come to You to surrender myself at Your fearless lotus feet. Kindly engage me in Your personal service and save me." (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 3.2.35)
Therefore simply pushing back material objects will not make it leave. Yukta-vairagya is the only effective way of renouncing material objects. You have no other way but to adopt nirbandhah krsna sambandhe (using everything in relation to Krsna). In Prabhupada’s logo in The Gaudiya there are two Bengali stanzas in his own handwriting –
sri hari-seva yaha anukula
visaya baliya tyage haya bhula
asakti rahita sambandha sahita
visaya samuha sakali madhava
"It is a mistake to renounce whatever is favourable to the service of Sri Hari, thinking it to be a material object. Without attachment, in its proper relation, all matter should be viewed as belonging to Madhava."
This is Prabhupada’s formula. Create your own neighbors and relationships. Yare dekha tare kaha krsna upadesa (“Whoever you see, tell them about the instructions of Krsna”). Kabhu na badhibe tomara visaya taranga (“The waves of materialism will not obstruct you at any time” – Cc. Madhya 7.129). Be desperate for it! Totalitarian war! Whatever your position is, remember that it is the only way to survive. Sri Mahaprabhu has said, “Do not think that after making you come forward, I will not make any endeavour Myself. Punarapi ei thani pabe mora sanga (“Again you will attain shelter in My association” – Cc. Madhya 7.129). You are a soldier. I am carrying all of your responsibility upon Me. In this very work you will find Me.”
