From: GRS.Disciples@pamho.net on behalf of Giriraja Swami
[Giriraja.Swami@pamho.net]
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2002 3:00 AM
To: GRS Disciples
Subject: Sri Advaita Acarya

	       Sri Advaita Acarya, Ideal Householder Devotee
A lecture by Giriraj Swami
                          (Durban, February 1989)


Today is the auspicious appearance day of Sri Advaita Acarya Prabhu, who is
one of the associates of Lord Caitanya in the Panca-tattva and the
incarnation of Maha-Visnu. So we shall read some of the pastimes of Advaita
Acarya with Lord Caitanya from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter
Three, "Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Stay at the House of Advaita Acarya."

   "In his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura gives the
following summary study of the Third Chapter. After accepting the sannyasa
order at Katwa, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu traveled continuously for three days
in Radha-desa and, by the trick of Nityananda Prabhu, eventually came to the
western side of Santipura. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was induced to believe
that the river Ganges was the Yamuna. When He was worshiping the sacred
river, Advaita Prabhu arrived in a boat. Advaita Prabhu asked Him to take
His bath in the Ganges and took Him to His (Advaita's) house."

We shall begin reading from this point:

TEXTS 38-41

   Advaita Acarya said, "You have been fasting continuously for three days
in Your ecstasy of love for Krsna. I therefore invite You to My home, where
You may kindly take Your alms. Come with Me to My residence."

   Advaita Prabhu continued, "At My home I have just cooked one palmful of
rice. The vegetables are always very simple. There is no luxurious
cooking--simply a little liquid vegetable and spinach."

   Saying this, Sri Advaita Acarya took the Lord into the boat and brought
the Lord to His residence. There Advaita Acarya washed the feet of the Lord
and was consequently very happy within.

   All the eatables were first cooked by the wife of Advaita Acarya. Then
Srila Advaita Acarya personally offered everything to Lord Visnu.

PURPORT
by Srila Prabhupada

   This is the ideal householder's life. The husband and wife live together,
and the husband works very hard to secure paraphernalia for worshiping Lord
Visnu. The wife at home cooks a variety of foods for Lord Visnu, and the
husband offers it to the Deity. After that, arati is performed, and the
prasadam is distributed amongst family members and guests. According to the
Vedic principles, there must always be a guest in a householder's house. In
my childhood I have actually seen my father receive not less than four
guests every day, and in those days my father's income was not very great.
Nonetheless, there was no difficulty in offering prasadam to at least four
guests every day. According to Vedic principles, a householder, before
taking lunch, should go outside and shout very loudly to see if there is
anyone without food. In this way he invites people to take prasadam. If
someone comes, the householder offers him prasadam, and if there is not much
left, he should offer his own portion to the guest. If no one responds to
his call, the householder can accept his own lunch. Thus the householder's
life is also a kind of austerity. Because of this, the householder's life is
called the grhastha-asrama. Although a person may live with his wife and
children happily in Krsna consciousness, he also observes the regulative
principles followed in any temple. If there is no Krsna consciousness, the
householder's abode is called a grha-medhi's house. Householders in Krsna
consciousness are actually grhasthas--that is, those living in the asrama
with their families and children. Sri Advaita Prabhu was an ideal grhastha,
and His house was the ideal grhastha-asrama.

COMMENTARY
by Giriraj Swami

We can learn many things about how to live in the grhastha-asrama from
Advaita Acarya. Acarya means one who teaches by example. So Advaita Acarya
taught by example the life of the ideal householder devotee.

The first point is that the grhastha should worship the Deity at home. Deity
worship means that the Deity is installed and the householder worships the
Deity according to the rules and regulations of the scriptures, under the
guidance of the spiritual master. Then the worship is accepted as bona fide.
The husband should work very hard to collect the paraphernalia for worship.
Householders may be materially opulent, so their opulence must be engaged in
the service of the Deity. Otherwise the householders will become
contaminated by their material activities and fall down. Deity worship is
most essential for householders. The wife cooks nice foods to offer to the
Lord, and then the husband offers the foods to the Deity. Then arati is
performed according to the rules and regulations and the prasadam is
distributed. In other words, one should invite people to one's home to
attend arati, hear Bhagavad-gita, and take prasadam. In this way one's home
becomes an asrama.

Or one can visit the temple and attend the arati in the temple, one can
sacrifice one's possessions for the service of the Deity in the temple, and
one can invite guests to come to the temple. Thus one can fulfill the basic
principles of grhastha-asrama.

TEXT 42

   All the prepared food was divided into three equal parts. One part was
arranged on a metal plate for offering to Lord Krsna.

PURPORT

   The word badaila, meaning "increased," is very significant in this verse.
It is a sophisticated word used by the grhasthas in Bengal. Whenever food is
prepared and we take away a portion, the food is actually decreased. But
here it is the system to say badaila, or "increased." If food is prepared
for Krsna and offered to Him and the Vaisnavas, the stock is increased,
never decreased.

TEXTS 43-47

   Of the three divisions, one was arranged on a metal plate, and the other
two were arranged on plantain leaves. These leaves were not bifurcated, and
they were taken from a banana tree that held at least thirty-two bunches of
bananas. The two plates were filled very nicely with the kinds of food
described below.

   The cooked rice was a stack of very fine grains nicely cooked, and in the
middle was yellow clarified butter from the milk of cows. Surrounding the
stack of rice were pots made of the skins of banana trees, and in these pots
were varieties of vegetables and mung dal.

   Among the cooked vegetables were patolas, squash, manakacu, and a salad
made with pieces of ginger and various types of spinach.

   There was sukhta, bitter melon mixed with all kinds of vegetables,
defying the taste of nectar. There were five types of bitter and pungent
sukhtas.

   Amongst the various vegetables were newly grown leaves of nimba trees
fried with eggplant. The fruit known as patola was fried with phulabadi, a
kind of dal preparation first mashed and then dried in the sun. There was
also a preparation known as kusmanda-manacaki.

PURPORT

   We request our editors of cookbooks to add all these nice preparations
described by the experienced author Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami.

TEXTS 48-63

   The preparation made with coconut pulp mixed with curd and rock candy was
very sweet. There was a curry made of banana flowers and squash boiled in
milk, all in great quantity.

   There were small cakes in sweet and sour sauce and five or six kinds of
sour preparations. All the vegetables were so made that everyone present
could take prasada.

   There were soft cakes made with mung dal, soft cakes made with ripe
bananas, and soft cakes made with urad dal. There were various kinds of
sweetmeats, and condensed milk mixed with rice cakes, a coconut preparation
and every kind of cake desirable.

   All the vegetables were served in pots made of banana leaves taken from
trees producing at least thirty-two bunches of bananas. These pots were very
strong and big and did not tilt or totter.

   All around the three eating places were a hundred pots filled with
various kinds of vegetables.

   Along with the various vegetables was sweet rice mixed with ghee. This
was kept in new earthen pots. Earthen pots filled with highly condensed milk
were placed in three places.

   Besides the other preparations, there were chipped rice, made with milk
and mixed with bananas, and also white squash boiled in milk. Indeed, it is
not possible to describe all the preparations that were made.

   In two places there were earthen pots filled with another preparation
made with yogurt, sandesa (a sweetmeat made with curd) and banana. I am
unable to describe it all.

   Upon the stack of boiled rice and all the vegetables were flowers of the
tulasi trees. There were also pots filled with scented rosewater.

   There were three sitting places where soft cloths were placed. Thus Lord
Krsna was offered all the food, and the Lord took it very pleasantly.

   It is the system, after offering food, to perform bhoga-arati. Advaita
Prabhu asked the two brothers, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda
Prabhu, to come see the arati. The two Lords and all others present went to
see the arati ceremony.

   After arati was performed for the Deities in the temple, Lord Krsna was
made to lie down to rest. Advaita Acarya then came out to submit something
to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

   Sri Advaita Prabhu said, "My dear Lords, kindly enter this room." The two
brothers, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu, then came forward to
take the prasadam.

   When Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu went to accept
the prasadam, They both called Mukunda and Haridasa to come with Them.
However, Mukunda and Haridasa, both with folded hands, spoke as follows.

   When Mukunda was called for, he submitted, "My dear sir, I have something
to do that is not yet finished. Later I shall accept the prasadam, so You
two Prabhus should now please enter the room."

   Haridasa Thakura said, "I am the most sinful and lowest among men. Later
I shall eat one palmful of prasadam while waiting outside."

PURPORT

   Although the Hindus and Muslims lived together in a very friendly manner,
still there were distinctions between them. The Mohammedans were considered
yavanas, or lowborn, and whenever a Muslim was invited, he would be fed
outside of the house. Although personally called by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
and Nityananda Prabhu to take prasadam with Them, still, out of great
humility, Haridasa Thakura submitted, "I shall take the prasadam outside of
the house." Although Haridasa Thakura was an exalted Vaisnava accepted by
Advaita Acarya, Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, nonetheless,
in order not to disturb social tranquility, he humbly kept himself in the
position of a Muslim, outside the jurisdiction of the Hindu community.
Therefore he proposed to take prasadam outside the house. Although he was in
an exalted position and equal to other great Vaisnavas, he considered
himself a papistha, a most sinful man, and adhama, the lowest among men.
Although a Vaisnava may be very much advanced spiritually, he keeps himself
externally humble and submissive.

TEXT 64

   Advaita Acarya took Lord Nityananda Prabhu and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu
within the room, and the two Lords saw the arrangement of the prasadam. Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu especially was very pleased.

PURPORT

   Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was pleased because He saw how nicely so many
varieties of food were prepared for Krsna. Actually all kinds of prasadam
are prepared for Krsna, not for the people, but the devotees partake of
prasadam with great pleasure.

TEXT 65

   Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu approved of all the methods employed in cooking
and offering food to Krsna. Indeed, He was so pleased that He said,
"Frankly, I will personally take the lotus feet of anyone who can offer
Krsna such nice food and place those lotus feet on My head birth after
birth."

   When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu entered the room, He saw three divisions of
food, and He knew that all of these were meant for Krsna. However, He did
not understand the intentions of Advaita Acarya.

PURPORT

   Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura states that one of these servings
was offered in a metal dish and was meant for Krsna, whereas the other two
were placed on big banana leaves. The offering on the metal plate was
personally offered by Advaita Acarya to Krsna. The other two servings, on
banana leaves, were to be accepted by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord
Nityananda. This was Advaita Acarya's intention, but He did not disclose
this to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw the
food offered in three places, He thought that all of it was meant for Krsna.

TEXTS 67-70

   Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "Let Us sit down in these three places, and
We shall take prasadam." However, Advaita Acarya said, "I shall distribute
the prasadam."

   Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu thought that all three servings were meant for
distribution; therefore He asked for another two banana leaves, saying, "Let
Us have a very little quantity of vegetable and rice."

   Advaita Acarya said, "Just sit down here on these seats." Catching Their
hands, He sat Them both down.

   Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "It is not proper for a sannyasi to eat
such a variety of foods. If he does, how can he control his senses?"

PURPORT

   The word upakarana indicates a variety of foods, such as dal, vegetables
and other varieties of possible dishes that one can eat very nicely with
rice. It is not proper, however, for a sannyasi to eat such palatable
dishes. If he did so, he would not be able to control his senses. Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not encourage sannyasis to eat very palatable
dishes, for the whole Vaisnava cult is vairagya-vidya, as renounced as
possible. Caitanya Mahaprabhu also advised Raghunatha dasa Gosvami not to
eat very palatable dishes, wear very nice garments or talk on mundane
subjects. These things are all prohibited for those in the renounced order.
A devotee does not accept anything to eat that is not first offered to
Krsna. All the rich foods offered to Krsna are given to the grhasthas, the
householders. There are many nice things offered to Krsna--garlands,
bedsteads, nice ornaments, nice food and even nicely prepared pan, betel
nuts--but a humble Vaisnava, thinking his body material and nasty, does not
accept such preparations for himself. He thinks that by accepting such
things he will offend the lotus feet of the Lord. Those who are sahajiyas
cannot understand what Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu meant when He asked Advaita
Acarya to bring two separate leaves and give a small quantity of the
prasadam to Him.

TEXTS 71-74

   When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not accept the food that had already
been served, Advaita Acarya said, "Please give up Your concealment. I know
what You are, and I know the confidential meaning of Your accepting the
sannyasa order."

   Advaita Acarya thus requested Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to eat and give up
juggling words. The Lord replied, "I certainly cannot eat so much food."

   Advaita Acarya then requested the Lord to simply accept the prasadam
without pretense. If He could not eat it all, the balance could be left on
the plate.

   Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "I will not be able to eat so much food,
and it is not the duty of a sannyasi to leave remnants."

PURPORT

   According to Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.18.19):

bahir jalasayam gatva
  tatopasprsya vag-yatah
vibhajya pavitam sesam
  bhunjitasesam ahrtam

"Whatever edibles a sannyasi gets from a householder's house he should take
outside near some lake or river, and after offering it to Visnu, Brahma and
the sun (three divisions), he should eat the entire offering and not leave
anything for others to eat."

TEXTS 75-85

   In this connection Advaita Acarya referred to Caitanya Mahaprabhu's
eating at Jagannatha Puri. Lord Jagannatha and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are
identical. Advaita Acarya pointed out that at Jagannatha Puri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu ate fifty-four times a day, and each time He ate many hundreds of
pots of food.

   Sri Advaita Acarya said, "The amount of food that three people can eat
does not constitute even a morsel for You. In proportion to that, these
edibles are not even five morsels of food for You."

   Advaita Acarya continued, "By My great fortune You have just come to My
home. Please do not juggle words. Just begin eating and do not talk."

   Upon saying this, Advaita Acarya supplied water to the two Lords so that
They could wash Their hands. The two Lords then sat down and, smiling, began
to eat the prasadam.

   Nityananda Prabhu said, "I have undergone fasting for three days
continuously. Today I had hoped to break My fast."

   Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was thinking that the quantity of food
was enormous, Nityananda Prabhu, on the contrary, thought it not even a
morsel. He had been fasting for three days and had greatly hoped to break
fast on that day. Indeed, He said, "Although I am invited to eat by Advaita
Acarya, today is also a fast. So small a quantity of food will not even fill
half My belly."

   Advaita Acarya replied, "Sir, You are a mendicant traveling on
pilgrimage. Sometimes You eat fruits and roots, and sometimes You simply go
on fasting.

   "I am a poor brahmana, and You have come to My home. Please be satisfied
with whatever little food You have received and give up Your greedy
mentality."

   Lord Nityananda Prabhu replied, "Whatever I may be, You have invited Me.
Therefore You must supply as much as I want to eat."

  His Divine Grace Advaita Acarya, after hearing the statement of Nityananda
Prabhu, took the opportunity presented by the joking words and spoke to Him
as follows.

   Advaita Acarya said, "You are a reject paramahamsa, and You have accepted
the renounced order of life just to fill up Your belly. I can understand
that Your business is to give trouble to brahmanas."

PURPORT

   There is always a difference of opinion between a smarta-brahmana and a
Vaisnava gosvami. There are even smarta opinions and Vaisnava gosvami
opinions available in astrological and astronomical calculations. By calling
Nityananda Prabhu a bhrasta avadhuta (a rejected paramahamsa), Advaita
Acarya  Prabhu in a sense accepted Sri Nityananda Prabhu as a paramahamsa.
In other words, Nityananda Prabhu had nothing to do with the rules governing
smarta-brahmanas. Thus, under pretense of condemning Him, Advaita Acarya was
actually praising Him. In the avadhuta stage, the paramahamsa stage, which
is the supermost stage, one may appear to be visayi, on the platform of
sense gratification, but in actuality he has nothing to do with sense
gratification. At that stage, a person sometimes accepts the symptoms and
dress of a sannyasi and sometimes does not. Sometimes he dresses like a
householder. We should know, however, that these are all joking words
between Advaita Acarya and Nityananda Prabhu. They are not to be taken as
insults.

TEXT 86

   Advaita Acarya accused Nityananda Prabhu, saying, "You can eat ten to
twenty manas of rice. I am a poor brahmana. How shall I get so much rice?

PURPORT

   A mana is a measurement containing about four kilograms.

TEXTS 87-96

   "Whatever You have, though it be a palmful of rice, please eat it and get
up. Don't show Your madness and strew the remnants of food here and there."

   In this way, Nityananda Prabhu and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu ate and
talked with Advaita Acarya jokingly. After eating half of each vegetable
preparation given to Him, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu abandoned it and went on
to the next.

   As soon as half of the vegetable in the pot was finished, Advaita Acarya
filled it up again. In this way, as the Lord finished half of a preparation,
Advaita Acarya again and again filled it up.

   After filling a pot with vegetables, Advaita Acarya requested Them to eat
more, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "How much more can I go on eating?"

   Advaita Acarya said, "Please do not give up whatever I have already given
You. Now, whatever I am giving, You may eat half and leave half."

   In this way, by submitting various humble requests, Advaita Acarya made
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Nityananda eat. Thus Caitanya Mahaprabhu
fulfilled all the desires of Advaita Acarya.

   Again Nityananda Prabhu jokingly said, "My belly is not yet filled up.
Please take away Your food. I have not taken the least of it."

   After saying this, Nityananda Prabhu took a handful of rice and threw it
on the floor in front of Him, as if He were angry.

   When two or four grains of the thrown rice touched His body, Advaita
Acarya began to dance in various ways with the rice still stuck to His body.

   When the rice thrown by Nityananda Prabhu touched His body, Advaita
Acarya thought Himself purified by the touch of remnants thrown by
Paramahamsa Nityananda. Therefore He began dancing.

PURPORT

   The word avadhuta refers to one above all rules and regulations.
Sometimes, not observing all the rules and regulations of a sannyasi,
Nityananda Prabhu exhibited the behavior of a mad avadhuta. He threw the
remnants of food on the ground, and some of these remnants touched the body
of Advaita Acarya. Advaita Acarya accepted this happily because He presented
Himself as a member of the community of smarta-brahmanas. By touching the
remnants of food thrown by Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Acarya immediately
felt Himself purified of all smarta contamination. The remnants of food left
by a pure Vaisnava are called maha-maha-prasadam. This is completely
spiritual and is identified with Lord Visnu. Such remnants are not ordinary.
The spiritual master is to be considered on the stage of paramahamsa and
beyond the jurisdiction of the varnasrama institution. The remnants of food
left by the spiritual master and similar paramahamsas or pure Vaisnavas are
purifying. When an ordinary person touches such prasadam, his mind is
purified, and his mind is raised to the status of a pure brahmana. The
behavior and statements of Advaita Acarya are meant for the understanding of
ordinary people who are unaware of the strength of spiritual values, not
knowing the potency of food left by the bona fide spiritual master and pure
Vaisnavas.

TEXT 97

   Advaita Acarya jokingly said, "My dear Nityananda, I have invited You,
and indeed I have received the results. You have no fixed caste or dynasty.
By nature You are a madman.

PURPORT

   The words sahaje pagala ("by nature a madman") indicate that Nityananda
Prabhu was transcendentally situated on the paramahamsa stage. Because He
always remembered Radha-Krsna and Their service, this was transcendental
madness. Sri Advaita Acarya was pointing out this fact.

TEXT 98

   "To make Me a madman like Yourself, You have thrown the remnants of Your
food at Me. You did not even fear the fact that I am a brahmana."

PURPORT

  The words apanara sama indicate that Advaita Acarya considered Himself to
belong to the smarta-brahmanas, and He considered Nityananda Prabhu to be on
the transcendental stage with pure Vaisnavas. Lord Nityananda gave Advaita
Acarya His remnants to situate Him on the same platform and make Him a pure
unalloyed Vaisnava or paramahamsa. Advaita Acarya's statement indicates that
a paramahamsa Vaisnava is transcendentally situated. A pure Vaisnava is not
subject to the rules and regulations of the smarta-brahmanas. That was the
reason for Advaita Acarya's stating, apanara sama more karibara tare: "to
raise Me to Your own standard." A pure Vaisnava, or a person on the
paramahamsa stage, accepts the remnants of food (maha-prasadam) as
spiritual. He does not consider it to be material or sense gratificatory. He
accepts maha-prasadam not as ordinary dal and rice but as spiritual
substance. To say nothing of the remnants of food left by a pure Vaisnava,
prasadam is never polluted, even if it is touched by the mouth of a candala.
Indeed, it retains its spiritual value. Therefore by eating or touching such
maha-prasadam, a brahmana is not degraded. There is no question of being
polluted by touching the remnants of such food. Actually, by eating such
maha-prasadam, one is freed from all the contaminations of the material
condition. That is the verdict of the sastra.

COMMENTARY

There is a story that a plate of maha-prasadam that had been offered to the
Deity in one of the temples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura had
somehow been approached by a dog who started to sniff and touch the
maha-prasadam. None of the devotees knew what to do with the maha-prasadam
after the dog had touched it, but Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura,
as the acarya, took the plate of maha-prasadam and honored it--ate it.

TEXT 99

   Nityananda Prabhu replied, "These are the remnants of food left by Lord
Krsna. If You take them to be ordinary remnants, You have committed an
offense."

PURPORT

   In the Brhad-visnu Purana it is stated that one who considers
maha-prasadam to be equal to ordinary rice and dal certainly commits a great
offense. Ordinary edibles are touchable and untouchable, but there are no
such dualistic considerations where prasadam is concerned. Prasadam is
transcendental, and there are no transformations or contaminations, just as
there are no contaminations or transformations in the body of Lord Visnu
Himself. Thus even if one is a brahmana, he is certain to be attacked by
leprosy and bereft of all family members if he makes such dualistic
considerations. Such an offender goes to hell, never to return. This is the
injunction of the Brhad-visnu Purana.

TEXTS 100-106

   Srila Nityananda Prabhu continued, "If You invite at least one hundred
sannyasis to Your home and feed them sumptuously, Your offense will be
nullified."

   Advaita Acarya replied, "I shall never again invite another sannyasi, for
it is a sannyasi who has spoiled all My brahminical smrti regulations."

   After this, Advaita Acarya made the Lords wash Their hands and mouths. He
then took Them to a nice bed and made Them lie down to take rest.

   Sri Advaita Acarya fed the two Lords cloves and cardamom mixed with
tulasi flowers. Thus there was a good flavor within Their mouths.

   Sri Advaita Acarya then smeared the bodies of the Lords with sandalwood
pulp and then placed very fragrant flower garlands on Their chests.

   When the Lord lay down on the bed, Advaita Acarya wanted to massage His
legs, but the Lord was very hesitant and spoke as follows to Advaita Acarya.

   Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "Advaita Acarya, You have made Me dance in
various ways. Now give up this practice. Go with Mukunda and Haridasa and
accept Your lunch."

PURPORT

   Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is here telling Advaita Acarya that it is not
befitting for a sannyasi to accept nice beds to lie on or to chew cloves and
cardamom and have his body smeared with sandalwood pulp. Nor is it befitting
for him to accept fragrant garlands and have his legs massaged by a pure
Vaisnava. "You have already made Me dance according to Your vow," Caitanya
Mahaprabhu said, "Now please stop it. You can go and take Your lunch with
Mukunda and Haridasa."

TEXTS 107-111

   Thereupon Advaita Acarya took prasadam with Mukunda and Haridasa, and
they all wholeheartedly ate as much as they desired.

   When the people of Santipura heard that Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was
staying there, they all immediately came to see His lotus feet.

   Being very pleased, all the people loudly began to shout the holy name of
the Lord, "Hari! Hari!" Indeed, they became struck with wonder upon seeing
the beauty of the Lord.

   They saw Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's very fair-complexioned body and its
bright luster, which conquered the brilliance of the sun. Over and above
this was the beauty of the saffron garments that glittered upon His body.

   People came and went with great pleasure. There was no calculating how
many people assembled there before the day was over.

			   *	  *	*

So we can end the reading now, and you can hand me the papers with the
questions to answer.

Sri Advaita Acarya Prabhu ki jaya!
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki jaya!

Question: Some devotees say that one who is chanting Hare Krsna can perform
fire sacrifice. Others say no. Please clarify.

Giriraj Swami: A fire sacrifice is meant to be performed on a specific
occasion, such as an initiation, marriage, or Deity installation. The fire
sacrifice can be performed by twice-initiated brahmanas who recite the
gayatri-mantra, not really by devotees who have only been initiated into
hari-nama.

Question: Sandalwood soap in not available in the supermarket. What soap
would you recommend us to buy?

Giriraj Swami: Om apavitrah pavitro va sarvavastham gato 'pi va / yah smaret
pundarikaksam sa bahyabhyantarah sucih: "One who remembers the lotus-eyed
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is purified within and without."

Question: If Krsna is the supreme creator, then why are there spiritual and
material creators?

Giriraj Swami: The Supreme Authority does not have to do everything Himself.
He has His agents to do His bidding. In fact, if Krsna had to do all of the
work Himself, what would be the meaning of His being Supreme? Being Supreme
means that His order cannot be disobeyed. Thus, He orders people to act on
His behalf.

There is an interesting story of a German scholar who went to India to find
God. He visited so many temples. Finally he came to the Radha-Krsna temple
in Calcutta, and he announced, "Now I have found God." The devotees asked
him, "How do you say that now you have found God?" The German scholar
replied, "I visited so many temples in this country, and in every temple I
saw that the Deity was engaged in some sort of work, either in meditating or
killing some demon--something. But here I see that this God is simply
playing on His flute and dancing, so He must be the Supreme: He doesn't have
any work to do."

Even in the ordinary world, a big man doesn't have much work to do. If the
big man wants to create a factory he just orders his secretary, the
secretary passes on the order, and the big man's agents do everything. The
big man simply says two words, and his agents do everything else. In the
same way, Krsna doesn't have to create personally. He just tells Brahma,
tapah, and Brahma creates the universe for Krsna. Although Brahma is the
immediate agent for executing the order of Krsna to create or engineer the
material universe, Krsna is the original cause of all causes. He is the
origin of Baladeva, His first expansion, and Baladeva expands into
Sankarsana, Vasudeva , Pradyumna, and Aniruddha, then Narayana, and then
another quadruple expansion. Eventually Maha-Visnu expands into
Garbhodakasayi Visnu, and from the lotus navel of the Garbhodakasayi Visnu
Lord Brahma is born, and Lord Brahma creates the material universe. Thus
Brahma is also an expansion of Krsna, indirectly. So Krsna has His potencies
to act on His behalf. Therefore the Vedas say, na tasya karyam karanam ca
vidyate na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate / parasya saktir vividhaiva
sruyate svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca. "The Supreme Lord has nothing to do,
but He has so many energies which do everything for Him, and those energies
act so perfectly that everything seems to be taking place automatically."
That is God.

(Even then, Brahma does not actually create the material elements. Lord
Visnu or Krsna supplies the material ingredients, and Brahma just fashions
and assembles them to form the universe.)


Question: Can it be recommended that the book "Process of Deity Worship" by
BBT be used to assist the householders in Deity worship?

Giriraj Swami: There are many books that can assist householders in Deity
worship. The Nectar of Devotion gives instructions about Deity worship, as
do the Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Caitanya-caritamrta. But if one is actually
serious about worshiping the Deity, the Deity has to be installed. Then one
must worship the Deity according to the rules and regulations. One must be
twice initiated as a brahmana to worship an installed Deity, and one must
follow the rules and regulations--just as we read of Advaita Acarya, the
ideal householder. One should follow the same rules and regulations at home
as in the temple. So if one is actually serious and able, one must follow
the standard process. Otherwise, Deities that are not installed may be like
pictures. To a picture you can offer as much as you like: you can offer a
flower, you can offer incense, you can offer arati, you can offer whatever
you can. So an uninstalled Deity may be considered the same as a picture in
the house. Of course, for the sake of show if one wants to keep Deities so
that others may think, "Oh, he is very advanced!" that's something else. But
if one is actually serious about making advancement in spiritual life, one
has to begin by following the regulative principles, chanting Hare Krsna,
sixteen rounds, taking initiation, and actually becoming qualified to
worship the Deity. Then one can really make advancement. And certainly the
GBC approved guidelines in the Deity worship book can help.

Question: If one cooks meat in the house and serves the family and then
comes and works in the temple, is there karma?

Giriraj Swami: If the woman cooks meat and serves the family because the
family insists on eating meat, she is implicated in the sinful activity of
animal slaughter. Now, when she comes to the temple and does voluntary
devotional service, she gets spiritual credit. You cannot say that because
she is cooking meat at home she can't come to the temple. It is better to
come to the temple and do some service even if one cannot follow all of the
rules and regulations at home. Sometimes the woman is in an awkward position
if the husband is not Krsna conscious, unfortunately. Still, Krsna knows the
sincerity of the person, so if she sincerely wants to serve Krsna, even if
by circumstances she is forced for some time to do something which is not
congenial, Krsna will appreciate her desire to become Krsna conscious and He
will help her. Of course, one should not develop the offensive mentality of
thinking that, "I can do all nonsense at home and then come to the temple
and chant Hare Krsna and do some service to nullify my sinful reactions so I
can go on with my sinful activities." We should never think like that; that
is very offensive. Rather, we should think that we must stop our sinful
activities and engage in the service of the Lord: then the service will be
effective. If one is trying to give up sinful activities, but due to
circumstances or bad association or previous conditioning one is not able to
give up sinful activities all at once, still one can endeavor to give up the
sinful activities and at the same time engage in devotional service. That
will help one advance.

Question: Is there any harm if we happen to worship the Deity of Lord Krsna
at home?

Giriraj Swami: Generally, worshiping the Deities is beneficial if one
worships according to the rules and regulations. But if one worships and
commits offenses--of course, even if one worships and commits offenses by
accident one can still improve. Still, to protect oneself from offenses one
may begin with the worship of the most merciful Panca-tattva or Sri Sri
Gaura-Nitai.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Hare Krsna.