- Srimad Bhagavatam Class: SB 11.3.36
- Chapter Name: Liberation from the Illusory Energy
- Venue: Iskcon Newtown, Kolkata
- Day/Date: Saturday,31st May 2025
- Speaker: HG Surabhi Mataji (ACBSP)
About HG Surabhi Mataji (ACBSP)
HG Surabhi Mataji (ACBSP) is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada. She was born in Australia. From the age of 13, she had curiosity to know about God. And she was asking such questions about the Lord in her school. But no one was able to give a proper answer to her. Mataji would think that if this universe exists and functions properly then there must be a God who is doing all this. When she was 20 years old, she came to London to for studies. In 1971, she was fortunate to meet Hare Krishna devotees. From them she was able to get answer to all her questions about God. She came to know God is blackish in complexion, have curly hairs and he looks very beautiful. Later, she got initiated by Srila Prabhupada. She has taken up many services in Iskcon. She has been doing Book distribution service, cooking service, giving care to the devotees and currently travelling all over the world preaching the message of Krishna Consciousness.
In today’s Srimad Bhagavatam Class, HG Surabhi Mataji (ACBSP) said that “Everyone is a devotee of Krishna” and those who are not yet devotees of Krishna will eventually become a devotee of Krishna. It is just a matter of time. Mataji was speaking on SB 11.3.36.
naitan mano viśati vāg uta cakṣur ātmā
prāṇendriyāṇi ca yathānalam arciṣaḥ svāḥ
śabdo ’pi bodhaka-niṣedhatayātma-mūlam
arthoktam āha yad-ṛte na niṣedha-siddhiḥ
Translation
“Neither the mind nor the faculties of speech, sight, intelligence, the life air or any of the senses are capable of penetrating that Supreme Truth, any more than small sparks can affect the original fire from which they are generated. Not even the authoritative language of the Vedas can perfectly describe the Supreme Truth, since the Vedas themselves disclaim the possibility that the Truth can be expressed by words. But through indirect reference the Vedic sound does serve as evidence of the Supreme Truth, since without the existence of that Supreme Truth the various restrictions found in the Vedas would have no ultimate purpose.”
Important points from the purport of the verse SB 11.3.36
- The quantity of heat and light in the original fire is always superior to the quantity found in the insignificant sparks.
- The minute living entities, being aṁśaḥ, or sparks of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can never equal the Supreme Godhead in the quantity of their potency.
- Because the Personality of Godhead has supreme seeing power, hearing power, touching power, smelling power and tasting power, the living entities in a limited sense can also see, hear, touch, smell and taste, by the mercy of Hṛṣīkeśa. This idea is expressed in the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (4.4.18)
Below article is based on the class given by HG Surabhi Mataji (ACBSP)
We do not want Krishna to be God
We have to remember that Krishna is always reminding us who we really are. Just like maya devi is reminding us that we are not the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For example, we are walking on the street and are hit by a stone, and we have black eye then we know we are not God.
Krishna steals butter and dances with the gopis, but if we steal something police will catch us. Krishna steals butter and when mother Yashoda comes he hides, sometimes behind Balarama. When Yashoda comes and asks who did it, he says I did not do so, Balarama did it. And then he shows his reflection and says he has stolen butter. Krishna begins rubbing his eyes thinking that I will be in trouble.
Mother Yashoda would embrace him and say, “You are the sweetest little child.”
These are beautiful pastimes of Krishna, and we can’t imitate it. If we do so, we will be in trouble. Only Krishna can do these things. We have chosen to come to this world because we do not want Krishna to be God, we want to be God.
Understand we are not God & give everything to him
Even as devotees we can find that there will be some moment in a day when we think we are God. Krishna says, “If you want to become God, then its ok. You go and try to be what I am.” And so, he makes this world for us. He sends maya devi. And maya devi, put obstacles everywhere to show us that we are not God.
When we come to the point of being totally frustrated with material world, then we understand we are not God, and we surrender to God. And to get to that point, we have to understand that no one is our real friends.
Everyone is a devotee of Krishna. Some know and have become like us. Some have not become devotees of Krishna because they have not got kicks of maya. In this world, maya devi is there to give us kicks. We can’t enjoy here. Even if we try to enjoy, we can’t. Even the richest person can’t enjoy, if he is not Krishna Conscious.
Steve Jobs at Hare Krishna Temple
For example, Steve Jobs became big but later Krishna took everything away from him. Lord took everything through disease. When I see my grandchildren fighting for toys, I ask, “When you were born were you born with toys?” And they say, “No.” I say, “If not then how you can say that this toy belongs to you?”
Steve Jobs came with nothing in this world and later acquired a lot. At the time of death, he said, “When I was young, I had nothing.” He used to walk from one side of New York to another to get a meal at the Hare Krishna mandir. He remembered this at the time of death.
The prasadam he ate once a week at the temple, he was able to carry that memory with him but not the riches he had acquired. And after his death there was also dispute related to his property, there were court cases. So, better to give everything before death else you will have to come again to settle.
So, better give all riches to Krishna.
I do not have home or wealth, so what I will give to my 5 children and 9 grandchildren? Materially nothing. I have given my life to Krishna; I can give it to them. When my children used to be asked what your mother does. They would say she does “Hare Krishna” and they would tell about Govindas. When I am not then Govindas also helps them to remember Krishna. The supreme purpose of life is to help others remember Krishna.
This is what Srila Prabhupada did. He made us all understand that we all are devotee of Krishna.
Prabhupada most successful businessman
In America it is said Srila Prabhupada is most successful businessman. No one came from another country to the USA and did so much. Today there are temples and devotees are distributing thousands of books. Prabhupada is more famous than anyone else. And his legacy is still going on even after he has left this world.
So, never forget Srila Prabhupada. Today only 700 disciples of Prabhupada are left in this world. Almost daily, weekly or monthly one of his disciples are passing away. Devotees say that you speak about Prabhupada, and we feel Prabhupada is here.
Take care of Prabhupada’s disciples
While Prabhupada’s disciples are here I want you to take care of them. Because one day no one will be left.
Once in Mayapur, I had gone and there was no place for us to stay, there was no care for us. So, I decided to do something. I made arrangements so that there is a bus or cab to take them from Kolkata airport to Mayapur temple, there is a place for them to stay, prasadam arrangement is there, they get medicines on time. For this, funds were needed and within one hour I was able to arrange for the funds. Later I informed GBC what I am doing. Now the system has been established to take care of Prabhupada’s disciples.
I can walk for miles, but it is difficult for me to get up once I sit down. And I am just 75 years old. But there are disciples of Prabhupada who are more than 80 years old now. HG Jananivas prabhu is going to be 83 years old. Some do not have a place to live. We should find where every one of them are and should look after them. If they do not have money, then sponsor them. Because when they leave the world, we will miss the opportunity. Don’t wait till only one is left.
Don’t chant & sing Hare Krishna Mahamantra incorrectly
Mataji made everyone say the Hare Krishna Mahamantra the way we say while chanting our rounds. After everyone chanted the Mahamantra.
Mataji made the following observation about pronouncing the Mahamantra incorrectly.
I observe that devotees, especially while doing kirtan pronounce the word incorrectly. For example, instead of Rama they say Ramo, instead of Krishna they say Krishno.
When once Prabhupada heard “Hare Ramo” then he told to my godbrother HH Vishnujan Swami that who is “Hare Ramo.” Prabhupada further said that this will destroy the movement.
In Brisbane one lady asked me, “Which mantra is correct, the one which I know and chant or the one which is currently going on.” I said the one that you know is correct. Some say because of Bengali accent, pronunciation is different. But Prabhupada was Bengali, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakura was Bengali. So, how did they chant?
This is becoming plague – chanting in an incorrect way.
Think for whom you are chanting
While singing or chanting think for whom you are doing so. If you are not doing correctly then you are doing for yourself. My name is Surabhi and if someone calls me Surabho, I will not like it.
If you go to the spiritual world and say Krishno or Ramo then Krishna and Balarama will say what they are saying is wrong. They will ask us to go down and learn correctly the Mahamantra and then come back to the spiritual world. So, don’t miss the chance.
In Mayapur, a devotee was singing Ramo. He has millions of followers on you tube. I called him near Prabhupada deity and told him that Ramo is incorrect and since you have millions of followers then everyone will chant incorrectly. He said that I know this is incorrect but since it fits to my tune so I chant Ramo.
Media can be best in distributing Krishna Consciousness and can be enemy also, if we do it in wrong way.
Srila Prabhupada said do not change anything, not even a comma nor a dot and especially not the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
Please help me to spread Prabhupada’s movement, we want the whole world to know about Krishna.
