04/13/98 - 1743

Hanuman's Kick

Malaysia (VNN) - Morning Class By Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaja, Malaysia, 29th January 1998, submitted by Sridam Sakha das

Krsna is full of love and affection for all living entities, who are all part and parcel of Him. And just as He experiences happiness, ananda by His love and affection, so do we. It is part of our nature. If we do not feel and express this love and affection, then we can never experience happiness in our own lives. A person may be poor, but if there is love and affection between him and his children, brothers, sisters and parents, then the family will be happy. However, if a man is very wealthy, like the king of Iran or Kuwait, who are selling oil, but is devoid of love, he will not be happy.

Although we are talking of love, actually real love and affection do not exist in this world. Here, there is only a perverted reflection, vikrta. It is just as when we move our right arm in front of a mirror, that it is the left arm of the reflection which responds. Thus everything in the reflection is the opposite of the original, appearing in a perverted way.

We are part and parcel of Krsna and Krsna is the embodiment of prema. Therefore, by our constitution we also have prema within us. But we have left Krsna, and forgotten Him, and, bereft of happiness, ananda suka, are now searching for it here and there.

Having no-one to love, we get a dog, and serve it instead of God. We take it for walks, wash it with soap, and take it into our heart. So we become servant of dog, if we are not loving God.

Not having pure love, we seek happiness in drinking wine. But it does not produce actual happiness. It only enables us to forget our miseries for a time.

We think that we will find happiness in wealth. But it is not so. Diana was so wealthy, also renowned, and beautiful, but now she is dead.

So where is happiness? In Krsna-bhakti. In loving Krsna. If you love Him, then automatically you will love your husband, children, and everyone. Even in an ant you will see Krsna, everywhere you will see Him.

So we should practice to love Krsna. But how can we love Him if we have not seen Him? Actually, we can love even by not seeing. Rukmini was Krsna's wife. From the age of eight years she heard from Narada all about Krsna's amazing qualities. His beauty, His strength, how He had defeated so many demons, and how He was invulnerable to fire or poison. Narada told Rukmini so many stories about Krsna when He was in Vraja, that she gave her heart to Him. Although she had never seen Krsna, she gave her heart. Only by hearing.

So by hearing the qualities and beautiful, sweet pastimes of Krsna, we can also give our heart to Krsna. Krsna is so powerful. He knows everything. He lives everywhere, in all living entities. If you offer yourself, He will at once know, and accept you. No mortal person can do this, but Krsna can. He will save us, and will sprinkle His mercy, and thus we will become His beloved. But it is also up to us, we have to meditate that Krsna is our beloved. We can absorb ourselves in the thought that He is always saving and supporting us. We can read the epics, and all other sastras, where Krsna's qualifications have been told by all ancient rsis and maharsis, how He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So I've come only to help the devotees, to give their hearts to Krsna. It is very simple, and easy. We can please Him when we are sleeping, walking, cooking, going to court, or doing our jobs and businesses. It is not hard, rather it is very easy. So Krsna has sent me to help devotees. Srila Prabhupada told me that he had planted some seeds of bhakti in the hearts of devotees, and that I should go and water them. If I do not, he said, then their sprouts may dry up. So that is why I'm here.

Krsna bhajana, devotion to Krsna is so high. There was a very low class of person, he had no time to chant even "Rama, Rama, Krsna, Krsna." Narada met him and said: "Why don't you chant and remember Krsna?"
The man replied that,

"I'm very poor, and all my time is used up in trying to make a living. I don't have time to chant Rama's name even once."

Then Narada told him that he could chant when he was passing stool, to which the man agreed.

The next day, when the man went to pass, he began to chant: "Rama, Rama, Rama." At once Hanuman appeared, because wherever Rama's name is being chanted, he will always go there. However, upon seeing the man, he became angry, thinking:

"Oh, this person is very wicked. In this impure state he's chanting Lord Rama's name, and has not even bothered to take bath."

Desiring to chastise the man, Hanuman then kicked him very hard in the back.

Hanuman's kick is so powerful. When he kicked Ravana, and Kumbhakana, gigantic demons, they at once fell down.

What to speak of them, Hanuman kicked this man with even more force. However, because the man was chanting Lord Rama's name, he was completely unaffected by the mighty blow. When Hanuman saw how nothing had happened, he could not understand it.

Leaving that place, he travelled to Rama in Ayodha, where it was night time. When Hanuman went to see the Lord, He was lying on His bed and moaning in pain. Hanuman at once asked,
"Prabhu, you are crying as if you are in great pain."
"Oh, yes, I am in so much pain."
"Where, prabhu?"
"Why are you asking? You are the one who has given me this pain."
"How, Prabhu?"
"You kicked Me so violently in My back, and now I am unable to move."
"No my Lord, I did not do this."
"Oh, but you did."
"When did I do it?"
"When that man was chanting My names while passing stool, and you kicked him."
"Yes, but I kicked him, not You."
"But I was there. Nama and nami, Myself and My name are non different."

Do you understand? Our name, body, and qualities are all different from each other, but Krsna, Rama, and Their names, Their qualities, Their shapes, bodies and minds are not. They are one. The Lord can walk by His head, His hair and His hands, and He can think by His toes. All of His senses can perform the functions of any of the other senses.

"So I was there, and by that kick you have broken My back."

Hanuman fell flat at the lotus feet of Ramacandra, crying out:

"Oh, I have comitted such great aparadha at Your lotus feet. From this day onward, I swear that I will never again disturb one who is chanting Your names."

So it is very easy, "Rama, Rama, Rama." We can chant at any time in any place, coughing, sneezing, bathing or sleeping, "Rama, Rama, Krsna, Krsna, Radhe, Radhe, Radhe." But if we do it with some faith and honour, then it will be so much more powerful. So try to chant with love and affection, meditating on how Krsna is controlled by the gopis.

How is He controlled? The gopis will tell Him:

"We have come here from such a long distance, and are very tired. So You should massage us." And Krsna will have to do it. Why? Because He's controlled by their love and affection. Neither Brahma, Arjuna, Hanuman, Bharata, Laksmana, nor Nanda Baba can tell Him this. Actually Nanda Baba can. Any of the Vrajavasis can order Him like this, but especially the gopis. His friends Sridama and Subala sometimes put their feet on the head of Krsna, saying:

"May you live long."

But no harm. They can do this, because they have so much love and affection. They never think, they never dream that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The only thoughts they have are that:

"Oh, He's the very darling son of Yasoda, and our most dearest friend." They never think anything more than this. So we should try to be like this.

Such love can never come by vaidhi bhakti. Eventually we will have to forget that Krsna is Supreme Personality of Godhead even. Instead, we will have to think: "He's my friend", "He's my son", or "He's my beloved". And this will actually make Krsna happy. This is why Caitanya Mahaprabhu came, to sprinkle His mercy for this.

So we can know who was Rama, who was Krsna, who were the gopis. We should know what were the pastimes of Krsna, and how we can develop our love and affection for Him.

Can you cook? You should learn how to prepare very delicious dishes, to offer to Krsna. Draupadi, who was the queen, used to control all the five Pandavas. If she would tell them: "Stand up, sit down, come here, go there." then they were practiced to do. Why? Because she had fully given them her heart, in serving them fully. And also Krsna. She could control Him in a moment, more so than all of His 16,108 queens. Anyone can be controlled by love and affection, as long as it is pure.

I request that you all understand gradually what is bhakti, vaidhi bhakti and raganuga bhakti.