Krishna The Person (last part- part5)

Question: I just have a question because of the nature of the purport about how Krishna's body is never material. When He takes birth it's not normal
birth and He appears in the world. So I had a devotee come up to me
yesterday and he said they went up to Ekacakra and they visited Nityananda's
appearance place and they said in that village they have a kund where
Nityananda,s umbilical cord was put or placed so it was considered sacred
place or kund. So he said to me, "How Nityananda had an umbilical cord?" So
I just want to know your comment on that.

HH KKS: Well first of all I don't know if it's true or not.
If it's anyway confirmed by an acarya or in the scripture about this kund is
really containing the umbilical cord …….but how could Lord Nityananda not have
an umbilical cord? Are you saying that you want to limit Lord Nityananda? So
of course he has everything he can have all these things. But in his case it
is part of the illusory energy just as in his mausalya lila Krishna is
leaving a material body behind and then ascends with Daruka in His chariot
to the spiritual sky.

In this way Lord Nityananda appears in this world but can leave some sort of
remblance of a birth for those who want to believe that he took a birth. But
we understand the transcendental purport by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada.
So for us it's easy. And it's easy because once you have a mercy of
transcendental person then all these questions becomes very easy. Of course
Nityananda is transcendental its beyond doubt.

So if he left an umbilical cord its just an arrangement, its part of his
playful nature and to bewilder a few atheist on the way as well. So multi
purpose, the Lord is daksha. So for the devotees its fun ………………for the atheist its
confirmation that He is material like that! Multi purpose! That's all. I
think we need not worry about such apparent contradictions. Personally I
feel no confusions when I think of such things.
Ok your turn. Over there right.

Question: Maharaja my question is that when did you realize that the
impersonal philosophy was inferior to the personal and what were the
circumstances at the time of realization?

HH KKS: Ok. I had joined the Krishna Balarama temple in
Vrindavana and but I wasn't really sure what I have joined. I escaped after
a few days and I was in the city of Beneras and a sadhu came with a long
beard and he chanted Hare Krishna. He came out of nowhere. Usually these
sadhus they come and they say what is your country what is your name. This
one didn't say anything. He sat down next to me with an ektara and just sang
Hare Krishna.

So I was very shocked because I thought that Krishna was after me. Sort of
distinct feeling that He was a person interfering with things. And then I
stayed there and the next morning there was a harinam party chanting Hare
Krishna in the streets. So I got very worried and I thought where do I go
now to escape from Krishna?! So I decided let me go to the Tibetan Buddhists.
There probably I had best chance! I was there and I sat there high in the
Himalayas and there are these prayer mills which are cylindrical forms
sitting on axis's and they spin them around. One circle is a prayer. Huge
one all kinds. And they have batteries. In the center of town they were a
whole bunch and they all run around in circles and they keep on pushing
these mills this way.

So I was sitting there and this lama was walking around and I was a little
interested in him and I was trying to talk to him and he didn't speak a
word, nothing. I greeted him and he walked passed. No reaction. So I thought
may be he is deaf. So the next time I spoke more aloud. Still he didn't
recognized. And he walked past. So that I thought was very awkward. And then
I still had the Bhagavad-gita. So I read the Bhagavad-gita and then I read
the difference between the impersonalist and devotees. And then I realized
this man is an impersonalist. He is thinking that I am illusion to him. That
I am just not even existing! Then I just completely, completely rejected
that impersonalism right there. And then I went back down the mountain back
to the temple!

(Audience exclaims Haribol!)

Of course I escaped again later on but that's another story. But Krishna
brought me back again and again. That's His kindness. So there is no doubt
that Krishna is a person and that Krishna makes personal arrangements in our
lives all the time to help us to protect us from maya, to pull us out of
maya, to pull us out of the material world to keep us in this movement.
Krishna is with us every step of the way. There is no doubt about it.
Ok one last question and I will stop because it's getting late…..

Question: Hare Krishna Maharaja My question is about the impersonalism
versus the personal form again, and my question is, isn't having this
impersonal idea of God one stage before we reach the platform of personal?

HH KKS: Well is it a stage before we reach to personal?
Everything starts in an eternal relationship with Krishna. That is where it
began. We were in eternal relationship with Krishna but then somehow or
other due to our smallness and due to Krishna's unlimited energies we became
bewildered and we fell from that original position. And the result is that
we became covered with the material energy and now we are on the way back.

Do we have to go from the stage of impersonalism? Not necessarily so. It
depends. If we get the mercy of a Vaisnava then it’s not required. Then we
can become the devotees straight away. So it is not required. It depends on
the mercy of the Vaisnavas. Thus let us look for the mercy of the Vaisnava
so that if there is some remnant of an impersonalist within us then we can
get rid of it now once and for all and we may get cured of this disease and
the symptoms may not recover. Hare Krishna!

Thank you very much!
Srila Prabhupada ki, Jai!