subjects/spiritual

You can associate with Krsna and Arjuna every twenty-four hours, by reading Bhagavad-gita. Why you require to go there? It is already here. You see. You read the Bhagavad-gita, and you are immediately in the battlefield of Kuruksetra. His is instructing. That was the instruction. Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted. You know that story? Illiterate brahmana was reading Bhagavad-gita. So he did not know; he was not literary. But because his spiritual master..., he has so staunch faith in the spiritual master... Just see. His spiritual master said that "You read, daily, eighteen chapters of Bhagavad-gita." Spiritual master knew that he was illiterate, but still he asked him, "You read, eighteen chapters, there will be..." So what can he do? The spiritual master has ordered. So he was simply making a show of reading, "uh-uh-uh," like this. So this other friends were criticizing, "Oh, Mr. Such-and-such, how you are reading Bhagavad-gita?" He knows that this man... His friend is criticizing him, so he did not answer. But when Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked him, "My dear brahmana, what you are reading?" He knew that this gentleman, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, was really inquisitive, so he explained the whole thing, that "I am trying to read Bhagavad-gita, but I am illiterate. My Guru Maharaja ordered me to read; therefore I am reading. But actually I cannot read." So frankly he admits. This is staunch faith in spiritual master. He knew, his spiritual master knew that he is illiterate, and he knew also that "I cannot read Bhagavad-gita." But still he was trying to read because his spiritual master has said. This is called staunch. Yasya prasadat. "He has said. I have to satisfy him. I am incompetent -- I cannot read -- but he has said, therefore I must do it." This is called yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah **.

So practical example... Just like this Krsna consciousness movement, and I have simply be (indistinct) human being, "What can I do?" But I tried my best, because my spiritual master said that "You go and try to preach in English." So I tried my best, that's all. I have no qualification. So this is very nice point, yasya prasadat. We have to try our best to... I may not be able to do that, but that endeavor will be appreciated by Krsna and the spiritual master. That is required. I may be most incompetent. Everyone is incompetent. Who can satisfy Krsna, this unlimited? But simply what Krsna says, if we do, that will satisfy Him. Krsna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. The guidance is, the spiritual master.

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.36
Tokyo, January 30, 1974
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