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EDITORIAL  Hari Katha Is To Satisfy Hari, Not People BY SRIPAD SUKADEV DAS BRAHMACARI EDITORIAL, Jan 3 (VNN) — Pranams. All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga. When we are doing bhajan or katha it should be for the pleasure of the Lord. 'What we are doing' is not important as compared to 'what we are doing for'. If katha is done for getting money then it is not Hari katha but it is 'money katha' though outwardly it may seem to be Hari katha. If it is to satisfy people then it is 'jana katha'. If it is to show to others that we are good kirtanyas or good katha-karis then it is 'personal-katha'. If in an assembly if the number of attendants is less the speaker gets disappointed and says "why is the strength so less today? Ok we'll finish it fast. If no one is there to listen why to waste time, we can do some other service". Such people hardly realize that Hari katha is not for gathering too many people and that is also a service for personal purification, they just want to show their erudite scholarship in so-called spiritual knowledge. We get to see many persons speak this but we don't get to see persons who are actually acting on it than speaking. Is this world bereft of people who are actually doing what they speak. The answer is NO. Though such souls are rare to be found, we are not lacking them completely. May be, we have not identified them. Out of such rare souls Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj is one. Following instance that took place in Vrindavan few years back is one such example. Devotees were going on parikrama (by foot) along with His Divine Grace. Guruji led the kirtan for about 30 mins while going. After the party reached the place, Guruji spoke about the importance of the place. They had their lunch Prasad there and everyone started back on parikrama. Devotees felt drowsy after taking Prasad and hence while walking no one were doing kirtan. Guruji (since he does not say anything to anyone, even to his own disciples) started kirtan himself and he led for about 1 hour. Feeling ashamed, the players of kartal and Mridanga came forward. After reaching the Math in the late evening because of exhausion all devotees rested. 8.00 pm is the time for Hari katha. Everyone slept but Guruji (though he is very aged) came in time and saw that there were only 2 brahmacaris and 3 grihasta devotees in the pravacan hall. Guruji, in a very sober mood started his mangalacaran and started lecture. Few minutes after the lecture started brahmacaris and the grihastas who were sitting there (5 in total) were also taking a nap (sitting just infront of him). That did not disturbed Guruji's concentration. He continued speaking the glories of Hari. He was speaking loudly also but who is there to listen - "He himself". After the pravacan was over he woke up the sleeping devotees infront of him and asked them to do kirtan. When asked Guruji about why he speaks loudly in Katha he said "When we speak loudly our wicked mind will get controlled. My mind is wicked. So I have to speak loud." He also said " Hari Katha should be for our purification. When we speak Hari Katha our mind will be purified". Another such occassion occured few days after when Guruji was a bit late for the pravacan and many important guests were waiting. So one devotee said to Guruji before lecturing - "Guruji, please tell them why we had become late so that they will not get offended. That will please them also and gives a good impression about us". In reply to that Guruji said "Hari katha is not to satisfy people. Hari katha is to satisfy Hari. If purpose is correct everything is correct. If the purpose is wrong everything is wrong." Saying this he started his prayers before beginning pravacan. So, it is very important that we practice what we speak. Example is better than precept. Hare Krishna, Prasad Courtesy: Sripad Sukadev Das Brahmacari. Contact VNN about this story  Send this story to a friend
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