Evening class, Sunday 13 December 1998

	That evening Srila Gurudeva returned to the house he had 
stayed at during his previous visit to Singapore to speak, where he 
had been invited by Elangovan.

	Srila Gurudeva started his class by talking about the nature 
of the material world. However much one has, one is never satisfied, 
and always hankers for something more. To illustrate this, he told 
the story from the Srimad-Bhagavatam about Citraketu Maharaja.

	"He was an unlimitedly wealthy king, possessing everything a 
man could desire. He had more than one lakh beautiful and qualified 
wives. But there was one problem. All of them were barren. One day 
the great sage Angirah Rsi who was travelling all over the universe 
came to visit Citraketu. Angirah Rsi was self-satisfied. He had not 
come to beg. Citraketu received him with great honor and Angirah 
Rsi, being pleased, asked him if his life was happy in all 
respects. Citraketu then said that he had no son, and he begged 
Angirah Rsi to bless him with one. Angirah Rsi told Citraketu that 
he did not have the karma to get a son, no matter how many wives he 
might have. But Citraketu persisted with his request: 'Yes, but by 
your blessings it can still happen.' Angirah tried to persuade him 
to do bhajana and in this way become truly happy. Citraketu answered 
him: 'Yes, I will do this, but will you please bless me with a son 
first?' Because Citraketu was so attached to this desire, Angirah 
Rsi performed a yajna on his behalf. When it was complete, the sage 
told Citraketu to give the offering from the yajna to his most 
qualified wife, whose name was Krtadyuti. Although it was not 
possible for Citraketu to have a son since he did not have the 
necessary karma, Angirah was still able to arrange it. Being more 
powerful than lakhs and lakhs of Sankaracaryas, he retained his form 
as a sage, and simultaneously entered the womb of Krtadyuti to 
become her son. This is not written in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Angirah 
Rsi only wanted to teach Citraketu a lesson. He told the king that 
he would have a son, who would be the cause of both happiness and 
misery. Hearing this, the king thought: 'Oh, maybe he won't obey me, 
but at least I can go to the forest, and leave my kingdom to him.' 
Citraketu was very anxious to have a son, because he wanted his 
lineage to continue so that his son and their descendents would 
offer pinda to him and his forefathers in his afterlife, thus saving 
him from hell. In this world we commit so much sin, such as eating 
flesh. Even unknowingly, we kill so many insects and worms, simply 
by walking, simply by breathing. So, besides some rare exceptions, 
everyone is going to hell. Therefore it is the Vedic custom to offer 
prasada to one's forefathers. The offering is called sraddha, 
oblations. It is necessary.

	"Citraketu thought that he could not exist without a son, 
but Angirah Rsi told him that it was no solution. Even lakhs of 
sons could not help him, but only give more problems.

	"In due course of time Citraketu's son was born, and he was 
extremely beautiful. Citraketu and Krtadyuti became excessively 
attached to him, and Citraketu now completely neglected his other 
wives. Receiving no attention from Citraketu, they began to think 
that they were better off before this child had been born. Plotting 
together, they decided to kill Citraketu's son. When the child was 
alone they gave him poisoned milk. By the effect of the poison the 
boy began to convulse, his body became black and within a short time 
he was dead. When his parents discovered him, their grief was 
unlimited. Just as they were weeping wretchedly, so did all the 
rest of their subjects, yet none cried so loudly as the guilty 
queens. Upon this pitiful scene, Angirah Rsi and Narada Muni 
descended. Seeing Citraketu and Krtadyuti weeping, Narada Muni told 
them to stop, saying that he would bring their son back to life. He 
invited their son to return to his body, to now enjoy his father's 
kingdom in the company of friends, family and parents. As soon as he 
had spoken, the young boy sat up, and Narada Muni urged him to speak 
to his parents, who had given him so much love and affection. When 
he heard this, Citraketu's son, said to them: 'Why should I accept 
these people as my parents? I have traveled in so many births, and 
have had so many parents. Krsna is everything to me, but, forgetting 
Him for five years I came and took birth as their son.' By hearing 
the boy speak, Citraketu and Krtadyuti became free from illusion, 
and gave up their excessive attachment for their son, who was in 
fact Angirah Rsi.

	"Citraketu wanted to receive mantra so he begged this from 
the two rsis."

	Devotee: "Who gave the mantra - Angirah Rsi or Narada Muni?"

	Srila Gurudeva: "Narada Muni. He gave the Sankarsana-mantra 
to both Citraketu and Krtadyuti. Narada Muni and Angirah Rsi both 
humbly requested each other to initiate the king and his wife. 
	
	'You should give them mantra.' 
	
	'No, I am so unqualified, you should do it'. 

	Not like today when so-called gurus fight over followers 
instead. 
	
	'He is my disciple' 

	'No, he is mine!' 

	Bogus gurus are changing their moods twenty, thirty times a 
day.  When they leave Krsna consciousness we think 

	'Oh, he has fallen down' 

	but it is not that they fell, they were always fallen. Guru 
must at least be a madhyama, liberated. We see that sannyasis say 
you should not go to hear from any qualified person. But if one is 
without vaisnava sanga he cannot develop his Krsna consciousness. So 
if a leader is saying to the devotees that they shouldn't go to hear 
from any vaisnava, then it means that he's doing all kinds of 
nonsense. It is the most serious offence.

	"If a man decorates himself to look like a beautiful woman, 
and another man becomes attracted, then he will be horrified when he 
sees his beautiful consort without clothes and realizes his mistake. 
Similarly, for a self-realized soul it is quite hilarious to see 
conditioned souls marrying one another thinking themselves to be men 
and women. Really we are all female, and Krsna is the only object of 
love. Even Baladeva and Nityananda are the asraya of love to Him. 
Krsna has come with his hladini-sakti as a mantra Hare Krsna. The 
meaning of this is Radha Krsna. Don't remember only Krsna. Without 
light the sun is zero, so similarly Krsna without Srimati Radharani 
is also zero, nirvisesa-brahma. You can only know these things from 
bonafide guru. Without such guru, you cannot make progress. Although 
you may be chanting and remembering the only result you will get 
will be wealth, reputation, maybe heaven or mukti, but not more than 
that. So those who don't have such a guru should very quickly take 
shelter of such a person, otherwise lakhs and lakhs of lifetimes may 
pass before another chance."

	The next day, most of us left for Bali, while Srila Gurudeva 
remained in Singapore until 17th December. His short visit to 
Singapore was most successful, at the end of which he gave harinama 
to five new disciples.

end

Many thanks to Pundarika prabhu who patiently read through this 
after I had finished it and corrected any mistakes.

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