Expressions researched:
"Offering gifts in charity"
|"bhunkte bhojayate caiva"
|"dadati pratigrhnati"
|"guhyam akhyati prcchati"
|"revealing one's mind in confidence"
|"sad-vidham priti-laksanam"
A Vaiṣṇava, a devotee, should simply discard intimate association with nondevotees. In his Upadeśāmṛta (4), Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has described the symptoms of intimate relationships in this way:
The words bhuṅkte bhojayate indicate that one should eat with devotees. One should carefully avoid eating food offered by nondevotees. Indeed, a devotee should be very strict in not accepting food from a nondevotee, especially food prepared in restaurants or hotels or on airplanes. Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu's reference in this connection is meant to emphasize that one should avoid eating with Māyāvādīs and covert Māyāvādīs like the sahajiyā Vaiṣṇavas, who are materially affected.
Offering gifts in charity, accepting charitable gifts, revealing one's mind in confidence, inquiring confidentially, accepting prasāda and offering prasāda are the six symptoms of love shared by one devotee and another.
In this verse Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī explains how to perform devotional activities in the association of other devotees. There are six kinds of activities: (1) giving charity to the devotees, (2) accepting from the devotees whatever they may offer in return, (3) opening one's mind to the devotees, (4) inquiring from them about the confidential service of the Lord, (5) honoring prasāda, or spiritual food, given by the devotees, and (6) feeding the devotees with prasāda. An experienced devotee explains, and an inexperienced devotee learns from him. This is guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati. When a devotee distributes prasāda, remnants of food offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in order to maintain our spirit of devotional service we must accept this prasāda as the Lord's grace received through the pure devotees. We should also invite pure devotees to our home, offer them prasāda and be prepared to please them in all respects. This is called bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva.
Even in ordinary social activities, these six types of dealings between two loving friends are absolutely necessary. For instance, when one businessman wishes to contact another businessman he arranges a feast in a hotel, and over the feast openly expresses what he wishes to do. He then inquires from his business friend how he should act, and sometimes presents are exchanged. Thus whenever there is a dealing of prīti, or love in intimate dealings, these six activities are executed. In the previous verse, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī advised that one should renounce worldly association and keep company with the devotees (saṅga-tyāgāt sato vṛtteḥ). The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has been established to facilitate these six kinds of loving exchanges between devotees. This Society was started single-handedly, but because people are coming forward and dealing with the give—and—take policy, the Society is now expanding all over the world. We are glad that people are donating very liberally to the development of the Society's activities, and people are also eagerly accepting whatever humble contribution we are giving them in the shape of books and magazines dealing strictly with the subject matter of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We sometimes hold Hare Kṛṣṇa festivals and invite life members and friends to participate in the feasting by accepting prasāda.
Contributing or distributing the holy name of the Lord is a sublime example of contributing or giving charity (the dadāti principle). By the same token, one must also follow the pratigṛhṇāti principle and be willing and ready to receive the transcendental gift. One should inquire about the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and open his mind in order to understand the situation of this material world. Thus the guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati principles can be served.
When a person realizes himself to be an eternal servitor of Kṛṣṇa, he loses interest in everything but Kṛṣṇa's service. Always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, devising means by which to spread the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, he understands that his only business is in spreading the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world. Such a person is to be recognized as an uttama-adhikārī, and his association should be immediately accepted according to the six processes (dadāti pratigṛhṇāti, etc.). Indeed, the advanced uttama-adhikārī Vaiṣṇava devotee should be accepted as a spiritual master. Everything one possesses should be offered to him, for it is enjoined that one should deliver whatever he has to the spiritual master. The brahmacārī in particular is supposed to beg alms from others and offer them to the spiritual master. However, one should not imitate the behavior of an advanced devotee or mahā-bhāgavata without being self-realized, for by such imitation one will eventually become degraded.
But you will develop your love. The love means, just like it is said, dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. You are coming into the temple if you give something, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ. Little things. "Kṛṣṇa, I have brought You. I could not bring any very costly thing, but I've collected these patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ. Kṛṣṇa is pleased, tad aham aśnāmi. Kṛṣṇa says
Jaya-gopāla: Is taking prasādam one of the exchanges of love, where we accept food from a lover?
Prabhupāda: Yes. You offer and you take. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca. You disclose your mind to Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa will give you direction also. You see. You offer Kṛṣṇa, that "Kṛṣṇa, You have given us so many nice things. So You first of all taste. Then we shall take." Kṛṣṇa will be pleased. Yes, that's all. Kṛṣṇa eats, and Kṛṣṇa puts again in the same way. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). We are offering Kṛṣṇa, that does not mean that Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa is eating, but Kṛṣṇa is so full, complete, that He's leaving the whole thing complete. So people do not even understand these things that we are not loser by offering Kṛṣṇa.
So continue this habit. Daily come, see Bhagavān. Offer little obeisances. Bhagavān does not want anything from you. He is self-sufficient. Bhagavān. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya. But if you give something to Bhagavān, it is love. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. You are taking so many things from Bhagavān. And if you give something, what is the wrong? It is exchange of love. And Bhagavān does not want your whole estate. Bhagavān says patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Little leaf, patram; little flower, a little fruit, a little water. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā. Bhagavān wants your bhakti. If you bring little leaf, little flower, little fruit and little water... "Bhagavān, I am very poor man.
You simply take from him, but you don't give. Oh, do you think it is very good? No. It is not good. That is not love. That is exploitation. If I go on simply taking from you, and if I don't offer you anything, that is simply exploitation. So love means you must take, you must give. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte, bhuṅkte bhojayate. You must eat, and you must give to eat. Simply don't go on eating kṛṣṇa-prasāda, but give something to Kṛṣṇa for eating. So that...
It is a system in India that if somebody's invited to take prasādam, he takes something, some fruits, some sweetmeats, something, and offers to the Deity. Of course, that is distributed amongst the prasādam, but it is the system. When a, when a man goes to see a saintly person, or goes to a temple, he takes some fruit, as far as he, as he can acquire. So giving and taking, eating and feeding. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate, guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca. Guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati. You have to hear Bhagavad-gītā and, if you have got any distress, you have got any confidential thing, you have to submit to Kṛṣṇa, "Kṛṣṇa, I am in suffering this way. I am fallen in this tossing ocean of material illusion. Kindly save me. I can understand now that I have no identification with this material world. I am simply put here." Just like if I am put into the Atlantic Ocean, I have no identification with the ocean, but I am subjected to the tossing waves of the ocean, similarly, we are spiritual spark, fragmental part of Kṛṣṇa.
So love means... There are six principles of loving. What is that? Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate, guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam. How one can understand I love you, or you can understand that I love you? There is... There are six kinds of reciprocation, six kinds of exchange, reciprocation. What is that? Dadāti. One whom you love, you must give something. And you must take something from him. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. Bhuṅkte bhojayate: You must give him something to eat, and you must accept also what he gives to eat. And dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate, guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca: You must disclose your mind, and you must hear him. If your lover is also in some difficulty, he discloses his mind. So these six things, dadāti, giving, and pratigṛhṇāti, accepting, and bhuṅkte, to offer foodstuff and accept foodstuff, and disclose your mind and hear him also, these things...
What is that? You give something to your lover, and you accept something from your lover. If you simply go on giving your lover, and if you don't..., your lover does not give you something, then there is no love. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. Everything is defined in the Vedic literature. Love means one should give and should accept also. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate. One should give the lover eatables and accept eatables from him or her. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca... You should not keep anything secret within your mind, and the lover should not keep anything secret within the mind. If these six kinds of exchanges are there, then there is love. And that love should be without any reason and without being stopped by any material cause.
Just like I have given this example many times, that I am sitting here, and the bug is also sitting here. That does not mean we are very confidential. No. Bug is different visions (business?), and my business different. And bug's business is biting. That kind of association will not help. Association means to develop love for the person. That is association.
So we have to become associate of Kṛṣṇa, as Arjuna became. Always with Kṛṣṇa-eating with Kṛṣṇa, sitting with Kṛṣṇa, talking with Kṛṣṇa, joking with Kṛṣṇa, fighting with Kṛṣṇa—everything Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. Not a single moment. Therefore Kṛṣṇa certifies, bhakto 'si priyo 'si me: (BG 4.3) "My dear Arjuna, you are very dear to Me." Naturally if Arjuna is always with Kṛṣṇa, sitting with Kṛṣṇa, talking with Kṛṣṇa, consulting with Kṛṣṇa, joking with Kṛṣṇa, eating with Kṛṣṇa, so why he should not be very dear? Kṛṣṇa, does He remain with anyone unless he is very dear?
The rascal means the Māyāvādī, karmī, jñānī, yogi, all they are rascals. It is our open declaration. So we have to give up the company of these rascals. If we actually serious about advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we should not mix with them. We should not even invite them. Neither we shall take their foodstuff, accept their foodstuff. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate ca... Guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca. Bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam. Prīti. If you want to make one friends, then these six kinds of dealings must be there. Dadāti. Dadāti means there must be... One must give something to the other, a friend. Just like I am friend. You are friend. I give you something. In return you give me something. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. Guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca. I open my mind to you, you also inquire confidential things from me. Or I inquire. Guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca. And then bhuṅkte bhojayate. Whatever you give me, I eat. And I give you, you eat. By these six kinds of dealing, prīti, love increases.
So in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we practice this. As far as possible, we are giving and taking. We are... We have made this program, life membership. We are giving our books, knowledge. Whatever we have got, little knowledge, we have written in our books, we are giving them: "Take it." And they are also giving: "Take this eleven hundred rupees." So this is dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. And they also come here to inquire: "Swamiji, your movement is very nice. What is the meaning of this? What is the meaning of that?" Guhyam ākhyāti, expresses their mind. Pṛcchati. They explain, "This is my position. I cannot do it.
Just like here we can see, somebody cannot live without smoking. It is practical. But none of our devotees smoke. So it is possible. Because a devotee is associating with the devotees, therefore he is acquiring the quality by association, contamination. This is a fact. If you go to a contaminated, diseased person, you are infected. We should be very careful.
Intimate relation with somebody, so there is bhuṅkte bhojayate. When you become intimate with certain friend, he gives to eat you, something you eat, and you also give him something to eat, he eats. But if there are different quality, then by eating, you contaminate, you are contaminated by his infection, and he is contaminated by infection. That is practical, medical science. If you eat the remnants of foodstuff of a tuberculosis patient, then you are attacked with tuberculosis. Or cholera patient.
The whole system was that. Love exchange. I give you some service; you give me something, out of your love. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. Love means six symptoms. I give you something, you give me something. I give you something for eating, you also give me something for eating. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate, guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati. If I am in trouble, I express my mind, I open my mind before you, and you also try to help me. These are the six signs of love. That is Vedic civilization. Everything exchange of love. No business, mercantile. All right, let us have kīrtana. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
If you want to make progress, don't associate. Associate does not mean to talk with a nondevotee is association. No. That we have to do. As gentlemen, as devotee, we can. But not intimately. Associate means dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva, guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca. These are intimate relationship, dealing: giving something to your friend, accepting something from your friend, feeding your friend, accept food from him, and disclose your mind to your friend, and understand his mind. Ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam. So with devotee we should deal in six ways, ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti. Īśvare prema tad-adhīneṣu maitrī. This is friendly behavior. And kṛpa bāliśeṣu. Those who are innocent, does not know what is God or what is our relationship with Him, but they are not atheist—they do not know—to such persons, kṛpa, daya. Īṣvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu.
So this little fruit, little flower and little water can be secured any part of the world by any man, poor or rich. And can be offered. Simply we have to try, we have to learn how to love Kṛṣṇa. And love begins with this give and take. You give something to your lover; he gives you, something to you. In this way love develops. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. The development takes place, loving affairs, by giving and taking. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva. When you create loving transaction with any boy or girl or any man, any friend, the give and take. So Kṛṣṇa is teaching us give and take. "You give something," Kṛṣṇa is begging. "You try to love Me. You learn how to love Me. Give Me." "Sir, I have nothing to give You." "Oh, you cannot collect a little fruit and flower and leaf and little water?" "Oh, yes. Why not? Anyone can collect." So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice. You can make direct friendship with Kṛṣṇa. You can become direct servant of Kṛṣṇa.
Therefore arcana, the Deity worship, very essential. Everyone should try. The system is: anyone comes to the temple, he brings something, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ, just to offer to the Deity. It is the beginning. That is the beginning of love, dadāti, give something. Dadāti pratigṛhnāti bhuṅkte bhojāyate caiva. This is the beginning of love. If I love you, I must give you something, and whatever you'll give me I shall accept it. Dadāti pratigṛhnāti. So give something to Kṛṣṇa and take His instruction. Dadāti pratigṛhnāti. This is beginning of love. Therefore the Deity is there. The instruction is here. If people take advantage, automatically he becomes a devotee, a lover of Kṛṣṇa. That is the success of life.
Simply to know "God is great and I am engaged in my own occupational duty," there is no symptom of love. Symptom of love means when one is eager to render some service to the beloved. That is love. Simply I love you and you love me, formality, but there is no service, that is not real love. Real love begins as it is stated in the śāstra, dadāti pratigṛhṇāti: to give something to the lover, to the beloved, and to take something. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate: to accept some eatables from your beloved, and offer him something for eating. Bhuṅkte bhojayate. Guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati. And you disclose your mind; there is no secrecy between the lover and the beloved. And the other party also discloses. In this way, love becomes manifest. And our business in this human life, as recommended by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, premā pumartho mahān. The highest achievement of life is to be situated on the loving platform with God. That is the highest perfection.
In this way there are six principles of love. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. You have to give and you have to take. I love somebody. I give him something: "My dear, you take this." And when he offers also, if he also loves you, he also return you. Not exactly for returning. It is love to give and take. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca. Opening mind. "My dear lover, I like this." And the other party also opens his mind. Guhyam ākhyāti... Guhyam means very confidential things. Ākhyāti, disclosed, exchanged. Guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca. And bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva. And giving the lover to eat something and accept from him some eatable. These are the six ways of increasing love. If you act in that way with Kṛṣṇa...
Prabhupāda: Love means service. Just like mother loves the child, she gives, she gives service. The father loves the child, she gives the service, he gives the service. So,
Love means to give and to accept some gift from the lover, dadāti pratigṛhṇāti, to feed him and to take foodstuff from him, to disclose his mind to him and understand his mind also. These six reciprocation of dealings is love. So love includes service.
Prabhupāda: But you must show how your love... Simply if you say... Suppose, anywhere in this material world, if you say somebody that "I love you," but there is no symptoms of love, then what kind of love? Love symptoms means dadāti, giving. First symptom. Just like when a boy goes to love a girl, he brings something. That is ordinary etiquette. So first beginning of love is dadāti, pratigṛhṇāti. If I love you, I must give you. And if you offer me, I will take it, I will take something. Pratigṛhṇāti. Exchange, giving and taking. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti, bhuṅkte bhojayate. If you love somebody, give him to eat, and whatever he gives you, you also eat. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate, guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati. And if you love somebody then you disclose your mind to him and try to understand him also. By these six processes the symptoms of love is there. But if you say that "I love you," but there is no action...
Prabhupāda: The devotional service develops by association. So if the associates are pure devotees, anyone who will come to that association will become devotee. (break) ...just like a young man and young woman. The devotion is there, love is there, but in the beginning, they should mix, or some presentation should be given, some, something eatable should be accepted, should be given. In this way, when the association is thick and thin, the love is there. The love is already there. It has to awakened by a certain process. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam. These are six types of loving principles, that you give, if you want to love somebody, you give something. And whatever he or she offers, you take from him. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. You give him something to eat, and whatever he or she gives, you eat. Bhuṅkte bhojayate ca. And guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati. And you try to understand his heart, and your heart be disclosed to him or her. If you follow these principles, automatically the loving propensity will awaken. It is already there. It is not artificial. It has simply to be awakened by a certain process. So that process we are prescribing, to rise early in the morning, have maṅgala-ārātrika, worship Deity, offer food stuff, eat prasādam, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: These are the six reciprocal exchanges between the lover and the beloved. If I love you, because you are beautiful, for my sense gratification, but I keep everything secret, that is not love. That is sense gratification. Lust. These are the signs of love.
Prīti means love. These are the symptoms. Give and take, eat and give to eat, open you mind, and know the other party's mind also. This is love. The more you increase the six kinds of exchange, there is increase in the love.
Prabhupāda: Well, love does not mean that you come once in a week at my house. Love means you come to my house, give me some presentation, and take something from me. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam. Love means if you love somebody, then you must give him something, you must accept something from him. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. You must disclose your mind to him and he should disclose his mind to you. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati, and bhuṅkte bhojayate. If you love somebody, you give him something eatable and whatever eatable he offers you accept. These six kinds of exchange makes love. But if you do not know the person, the boy or the girl, then where is the question of love? Love begins... If you love some girl, if you love some boy, then you give something, some presentation, and he gives you some presentation. That develops love.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is very important thing. That is important, yes. But love means two persons, there is exchange. Giving something, taking something, feeding something and to eat something, and speaking everything, no secrecy, and to know everything of the other person. When these things are transacted, then there is love. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati. If I love you and if I have got some secrecy, I don't disclose to you, that is not perfect love. I must deal with you open-hearted, you must deal with me open-hearted, then there is love. This is one of the basic principles. I shall invite you to eat with me and I shall accept your invitation to eat with me. I shall give you some presentation, you shall give me some presentation. In this way love develops.
Prabhupāda: Understanding, guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati. You try to understand God, and He'll explain what He is. You try to understand.
Ali: But I have been trained through intellect, trying to discern things the way that intellect functions. And I don't have spiritual training.
Prabhupāda: That training is given here, spiritual training.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.
Ram Jethmalani: I will be very glad to see that you have taken. Bring immediately.
Prabhupāda:
Six kinds of loving exchange. One of them is bhuṅkte bhojayate. (Hindi conversation) This is, out of the six items, the two items. (Hindi) Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. (Hindi) This is the science of love. Everything is there.
Ram Jethmalani: What are the other four? You told us two.
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Prabhupāda: These six is sufficient.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You gave two. He wanted to know what the first...
Prabhupāda: Oh, dadāti pratigṛhṇāti, to give and to accept. And (Hindi), to give him food, and when he offers, take it. You open your mind to him and let him open his mind to you. Guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati. Guhyam means confidential. Unless you love me, how can I speak to you my confidential subject? So give and take, the English word is love. This is love, beginning. In European, American countries there is free love. So they offer flower. He or she accepts. And in this way love begins. Kṛṣṇa also says, love of Kṛṣṇa begins also in that way. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. (break) These things.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Another nice feature, Śrīla Prabhupāda, is that we all eat together.
Prabhupāda: Catur-vidha-śrī-bhagavat-prasāda-svādv-anna-tṛptān hari-bhakta-saṅghān, kṛtvaiva tṛptiṁ bhajataḥ sadaiva **. This is also bhajana, to be satisfied that others are taking first-class prasādam.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. We want to treat them very nicely outside the conference, like giving nice prasādam. (break) ...yes. So we have specifically arranged for this nice prasādam.
| Page Title: | NOI 04 dadati pratigrhnati... cited |
| Compiler: | MadhuGopaldas, JayaNitaiGaura |
| Created: | 11 of Feb, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=1, OB=3, Lec=18, Con=9, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 31 |