Passion to compassion

Lecture by HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj at Kolkata Prerana Festival on 12/02/2011

Introduction:

I am very greatful to be with all of you this evening in the very holy city of Kolkata. Where many of the
greatest magicians, poets, saints and avatars have appeared throughout ages. Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu their associates all appeared in this area. And most recently my own
beloved Guru Maharaj A C Bhaktivedanta Svami Prabhupad was sent by Lord Krishna to appear in
Kolkata. I am very much honored to walk on this holy ground, which is great effetely covered by illusion.
Which brings us to tonight’s topic “From Passion to Compassion.” In Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita it
describes how the Haridas, the original nature of every living being is part of God. Sat-cit-ananda,
eternal full of knowledge and full of bliss and as a part of God that bliss, ananda is experienced to
express in the form of love. The most fundamental need of every living being. The SRIMADH
BHAGAVATAM tells us

“ Savai pumsham paro dharmo eto bhaktir adokshaje

Ahetuki apratihata ea atatma suprasidati”.

The supreme dharma is to awaken loving devotional service. Such devotion must be unmotivated by
any selfish interest and uninterrupted by any condition this world may put before us in order to actually
satisfy the self.

“Nitya sidda Krishna prema sadh kabunoi, Sravanadi sudutiche korieyi doy”.

Love for Krishna through God is within the heart of every living being. But it has been forgotten, covered
by ahankara, the ego. By chanting Gods names, by hearing about God, by associating with devotional
people actually spontaneously this Love isl be awaken from within.

Analogy of Deer searching for fragrance:

There is a very popular analogy among the sages of Himalayas. Their lives an animal called the musk
deer. That deer, the male specie in particular, as an organ some ware in the area of the navel that
produces an ambrosial fragrance, intoxicating fragrance, in fact if you extract that oil from that clad of
the deer minimum you can get $42000 a kilo, not 42000 Rs., $42000 a kilo. And one deer keeps creating
more and more of that oil. Not only do cosmetic perfume companies mad after that because they could
get such a products and earn money but even the deer himself is totally intoxicated and infatuated by
that fragrance. And the analogy given by the Himalayan sages is the musk deer stands is his whole life
searching for that fragrance, what is the source, is digging holes in the grounds and looking it there and
looking it in the trees and sometimes in bushes sometimes being cut by thorns but it smells so close it
must be here it must be there, looking for another animals, female stags, elephants endangering lives,
always smelling it. Whatever is nearby it must be there, but he never comes to the conclusion that what
he is really looking for is within himself. This is the analogy of practically every human being with in the
world today. “Ananda mayoabyasath”, we are by nature seeking pleasure, because our nature is ananda
we must have to have it, somehow somewhere it’s not an option its crucial need for all of us.

Search for Happiness:

And according to the choices we make to try to find the treasure we not only get entangled with our
karma but every word we speak, every action we perform in pursuit of that pleasure according to its
nature we become more and more inclined and addicted to that mentality. Even that search for
happiness is frustrated it leads to anger, to bewilderment, to envy, arrogance all of these negative
qualities are simply extensions of frustration. And people used their incredible human brains to figure
out how it is sometimes somehow find that pleasure that is within himself, outside of himself. but it
cannot be found, because things, things like physical pressure, things like prestige, possessions,
acquissions of wealth, property, power, fame. These things can give some artificial superficial temporary
sense of pleasure to the mind and to the senses of the body but they cannot touch the heart. And real
pleasure is within your heart, the heart is lonely, the heart needs love. I a parent give all nice games and
beautiful cloths to their daughter, a little girl, but no love, she is very pretty but she lives in misery.

Srila Prabhupad gave a very simple example “a lady has a bird cage and she decorates the cage very
nicely, she puts so much energy and her friend comes and he is horrified seeing that the bird inside is
dead. So much energy putting the cage into a nice one but the purpose of the cage is for the satisfaction
of the bird within the cage. Yes, in our travels we meet simple people; we meet millionaires, billionaires,
famous people, and artists, some of the most famous wealthy talented people who are drug addicts.
Some of the hurdles I had when I was in youth, something thing like Christ math youth, they died of
overdose of drugs. Yes they had millions of dollars, yes everyone in the western world new their name,
and they were mad after them and they also heading incredible skills in human relations, in music. But
their hearts were crying crying, crying to be released from the prison of all of this illusion. And ultimately
just to doll the pain they turned to the drugs and destroyed their lives.

Kama and Prema:

What is it BHAGAVAD GITA tells that “passion or Kama is a perversion of prema or love”. We have to
understand the difference, Kama or lust is that insassiable need to satisfy our selfish ambitions, then
Krishna says it burns like fire. The more fuel you put the high the harder and hungrier it becomes. Prema
or true love is unselfish; it’s the love of the soul, the true self for God. Who is all attractive Krishna, who
gives complete satisfaction to the mind, the body, the words Govinda. And what is the nature of
someone who reconnects with their own essence. The BHAGAVAD GITA tells

“vidya vinaya sampanye brahmane kavi hastine,

Sunichaiva svapakecha pandita sama dharshina”

When we understand our own eternal pure spiritual nature, when we connect to the love of God that is
within ourselves, then we see everything as it is. We see everything in relation to God. “ isavasyam idam
sarvam, yat kincha jagatyam jagath“ Isopanishad tells us that everything in the creation is emanating
from the lord and everything is the property of the Lord.

“boktaram yajna tapasam sarva loka mahesvaram

Suhrudham sarva buthanam jnatvamam shati ructati”

The only way to find peace is to recognize that Krishna is the proprietor of everything, and everything is
ultimately meant to be used in harmony with His will.

Seeing in Harmony:

Instead of exploiting the environment, to see it is sacred and honored and to see every living being as
our brothers and sisters “aham bija pradha pita”. Weather one is a Hindu or Muslim or Jew or Christian
or Jarastian or Buddhists or an agnostic or an atheist, weather one is black or white or red or yellow or
brown, male or female, young or old, literate or illiterate, rich or poor, weather one is human or
elephant or cow or dog or cat or mouse, Brahman, kshatriya, vaishya, sudra or untouchable, all these
things are simply temporary designations. They have nothing really to do with the eternal real soul.

Selfish passion to selfless compassion:

The purpose of religion is to reconnect us with the essence, second chapter of BHAGAVAD GITA Krishna
says “that one who understands the large reservoir of water, automatically understands how the small
ponds all the purposes are fulfilled. And similarly all purposes of the Vedas are fulfilled by one who
understands the purpose behind them.” If we do not understand the purpose of our religion or our
spiritual path then we are very venerable to falling to the sentimentality, speculation , fanaticism,
egoism, and a very religion has the absolute offset effect of what it supposed to do, transform us into
humble forgiving, respectful, loving, compassionate beings toward everyone. The SRIMADH
BHAGAVATAM says the only true religion is to love God, and when that love of God is awakened, it is
manifested with in world in the form of compassion. True spirituality is meant to transform selfish
passion into selfless compassion. And to understand this selfless compassion toward other living
entities, for their body, for their mid and for their soul is the true dharma, the jiva dharma. That gives
real satisfaction to the heart because it is our nature. Instead of running around the forest of material
existence like the ignorant stag, we learn how to find the true object of the love Krishna within, and the
fragrance of that realization we find within our heart, that takes the form of an ambrosial compassion
toward all beings. There is no grater need in the world than this. We have so many universities and
colleges, I have been to many of them in Boston, and Newyork, NewJercy, in India and in California,
Chicago and London, and there is such immense expenceses and such human energy dedicated to
science and to education to the path of learning. And these things are very good, providing the use for
the right purpose. But despite so much education, the suicide rate is increasing, but people in colleges,
in big business, people in politics and so much corruption and exploitation. According to World Health
Organization the no 3, at this particular time, disease that causes more suffering and death is
depression, mental illness. Because how much you get, what you achieve, what you know materially
does not give satisfaction, people are suffering.

Need of Spiritual Love:

Our Guru Maharaj was speaking at MIT in Boston to a large Group of students and professors that you
have such a high form of academic education but the foundation or the basis is to understand that who
you are, and what you really need, we are eternal souls and we are part of God and we need spiritual
love and we need to give that spiritual love. Weather one is a simple former or weather one is a head of
a state or a nation or tremendously powerful in business and science you are only going to really do
good for the world and for yourself, if you have compassion. Then all of our education , all of our
knowledge all of our technologies, sciences and various arts have tremendous value, because we are
taught the virtue of compassion, we are taught the dangers of selfish passion. The other day I was in an
interfaith conference there was some cornels from catholic church, some Muslims and we gave
speeches at Somaiah college in Bombay. And one student asked “what about people would say if you
become spiritual you lose your ambition, you become lazy, you don’t care, you won’t make it in this
competitive world, you have to be on the top of the game on whatever you are doing. How can you do
that if you are contented with spirituality? That is such a misconception. If you are content it would
spirituality. Actually when you are induced by compassion, by Gods compassion there is no more
impelling force that can empower you. And that is the message of BHAGAVAD GITA. Arjuna wasn’t a less
worrier than Duryodhana, he was accessing the power of God, and he was doing with Love. Simple
question which is the more motivating force? Greed or Love. We see how greed can empower people,
but love of God, the Love of mother, she will work 24 hour shifts, and she doesn’t get paid a penny, year
after year, year after a year. Is there anyone who does that? That is the power of the love of the mother,
what to speak of the love of God. If you are out of compassion to help people, we will be empowered by
money we will be aggressive, but in a more valuable the way that would help the world. In our studies is
incredible because we have so many students in Bombay colleges, who are in top of their class and they
are chanting 16 malas everyday and reading BHAGAVAD GITA as it is, and associating with the devotees.
They are motivated to learn these arts and these sciences the best they can, so that they can use them
for their highest dharma of loving compassion on behalf of God throughout their lives. Is that not a
greater motivator? Weather live in a big house, to wear nice cloths, so many people have that the world
needs instruments of compassion, instruments of Krishna’s Love. And it is not something far away, it is
within us, the closest thing. It’s we are.

The Supreme Compassionate Lord:

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu taught all of the deer’s roaming in the forest, how to awaken the realization
by which we can experience the ecstasy with in our hearts. Whoever we are, that is through accessing
the grace of the Lord through the chanting of the Holy Name “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna
Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare”. This is the glory of Bengal. That from the
soils of Navadveep, from the soils of this great province of India the Sankirthan movement was
inaugurated. “Param vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirthanam”. This chanting of Krishna’s name and Sri Radhas
name is “anambudi vardhanam”. Awaken the inner ecstasy of love that is within us, and empower us to
live with integrity and with values, with character, and with compassion. A fulfilling life is a life where we
are willing to live and die for our ideals, our sacred ideals. Not just having stuff. A fulfilling life is one
where we are able to resist temptations, depressions, and fears to do the right thing to the higher
purpose of loving service to the Lord. Making real change in the world, and this virtue is accessible
through the chanting of the Holy Name.

The power of compassion:

Jesus Christ acted with compassion, how did he affected the world. Prophet Mohammad acted with the
compassion how he affected the world. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates acted with such
supreme compassion how did they affect the world, and our beloved Srila Prabhupad, he was living in
Vrindhavan in the very place that Radha Krishna performed their Rasalila, and at the age of 69 he went
to Bombay to beg a lady, who owned a steam ship company, begged her fasting at her steps until she
gave him a ticket. Thirty eight days on a cargo ship across two oceans and three continents. He did not
want anything in return. He just wanted to give compassion. And that compassion has influenced
literally millions and millions of people. And that is why we are here today on the basis of one man’s
compassion. There is no greater power. There is no greater fulfillment than to build our life in a
wonderful way on the foundation of the desire to love God and to be an instrument in the compassion
of the Lord. And it is practical. By living a life of high character associating with spiritually minded
people, devotees and chanting the Holy Names. That realization will be given.

Thank you very much.