Sat-sanga and Jana-sanga: What’s the Difference

Transcript

0:33With the blessings of Abhinandana Prabhu, we will begin today’s Krishna-katha. Thank you all for coming today. We now have one week less to live. There is a wonderful text in the Bhagavatam:

2:18Sanga and prasanga

2:23The word prasanga. Sanga means “association”; sanga means close association, contact; and sanga means “attachment.” Prasanga and sanga are practically the same word; pra is a prefix. Prasangam ajaram pasam: material association, association with people who are attached to the external world, above all to their own bodies and to how to satisfy the body. People who think the whole world revolves around them. According to the Srimad-Bhagavatam, association with such people turns a person into a slave. Slavery: yajnarthat karmano ’nyatra loko ’yam karma-bandhanah. Bandha means “slavery”—if a person lives not for the sake of performing sacrifice, literally, for the sake of yajna.

3:48Yajna: the process of pleasing the Lord

3:49Yajna means “sacrifice.” Yajna is one of the names of the Lord. Yajna is also the process of pleasing the Lord: when we perform the activities prescribed by the scriptures and aimed at pleasing the Lord, not at any other goal. Anyabhilasita-sunyam… anukulyena krishnanusilanam bhaktir uttama. Perfect bhakti, perfect devotion, is the devotion that is aimed at pleasing Krishna.

4:26But if a person acts driven by selfish motives… A selfish motive means acting for the pleasure of this body’s senses. The bodily concept of life. And association with such people, according to the Bhagavatam, turns a person into a slave.

4:46The association that turns a person into a slave

4:47Slavery to one’s own desires, slavery of dependence on pleasure, slavery of dependence on honor, on recognition, on money. Dhana, jana, sundari, as we just sang: wealth, followers, beautiful women. Who on this planet is not interested in these things? Naturally, this is what the heart is drawn to. This is the goal worth living for: to be the center of attention, to have wealth, fame, honor.

5:40Krishna says—or more precisely, Lord Kapila says this to His mother Devahuti: prasanga. Association with such people is very destructive for the soul. People become suicides when they destroy their spirit, not when the body perishes. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire: when the body is destroyed, the soul is not destroyed. But when the soul is destroyed, then life is destroyed. Prana means “life energy.” As long as a person takes in prana, he moves; as soon as the prana, the life, leaves the body, the body becomes dead and unattractive.

6:46So if a person is too attached to the fruits of his work, to sense gratification, association with such a person is destructive. Hare Krishna, right? What to speak of being such a person! There is also an interesting text in the Bhagavatam which says that association with women for sense pleasure—that much is obvious—is not as destructive as association with those who are attached to enjoying women. Think about that. Association with those attached to enjoying women is more destructive than association with women themselves. Here the word “woman” stands for sense gratification.

7:42And when a person is attached to matter, in other words… It’s astonishing how this illusion works! A person can follow the spiritual path and yet passionately want to be the center of attention and be proud of himself. Passionately, very strongly. And such a person suffers terribly because of his pride. Terribly. Actually, we are all proud, of course. And such a suffering person becomes irritable. As Saint Silouan the Athonite says, if a person becomes irritable, that is a real disaster. He speaks about the demons that attack the soul. In fact, irritability is a very clear sign that a person is in a bad state, that life is very hard for him. A painful perception of the world. And illness comes from a wrong way of life.

9:11Sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah: all good qualities should manifest in a person who practices bhakti. Of course, this doesn’t happen at once, but if a person engages in devotional service, all good qualities should appear.

9:30What bad association does to a Vaishnava

9:35But if… Simply because of bad association, a devotee, a practicing Vaishnava, will at best stand still, and usually—in the worst case—he will keep sliding backward. Because this association is like the waves of the ocean: again and again, new ones keep coming and throwing the Vaishnava off the path of devotional service.

10:10Prasangam ajaram pasam. Association with materialists is strongly condemned by Rupa Gosvami in The Nectar of Instruction. The Nectar of Instruction is essentially the fundamental book for our practice:

10:29Jana-sanga literally translates as “association with people.” Jana means “person.” We sing: na dhanam na janam na sundarim. Literally this means: “I don’t need money, and I don’t need people whom I can control by my authority, my achievements, beauty, knowledge and so on. I don’t need people,” says Mahaprabhu. “I want pure devotional service to You, my dear Lord.”

11:00So jana-sanga literally means association with people. Sadbhir bhaktir vinasyati: it destroys bhakti. Just imagine: it destroys devotion, love and compassion in your heart. Jana-sanga.

11:19And in the next text Rupa Gosvami speaks about what is favorable for devotional service. First he condemned what is very unfavorable—association with people. He said: “Jana-sanga? Thank you very much. It doesn’t deserve the attention of such elevated souls.”

11:46Jana-sanga literally means association with people, because ordinary people are materialistic people. This does not mean that a Vaishnava treats them with contempt: “Oh, you live your pitiful, insignificant life with your whatever… Not like me, an elevated soul who has fully and completely surrendered to the service of Krishna and His devotees.” No! A devotee never elevates himself in his own eyes. He treats people with compassion, with love, in other words.

12:27He gives to people; he lives in the mode of giving. Even when he enters into association with people, in essence it is not association, it is giving. It is not association—it is service.

12:56A Vaishnava’s dealings with people are service

When a Vaishnava associates with people, he is actually serving them, because the one who serves is the one who gives, who gives away. When someone serves in order to please, it means he gives. He serves, so he gives. To serve means to please. The one who serves wants to please. That is why a Vaishnava is actually everyone’s servant.

13:29And when he receives the instruction not to become attached to association and not to enter into association, it means that he doesn’t take from people their interests, their attachment to this beautiful world of birth and death. He doesn’t take on that attachment. That is what prasangam means, because he understands very well: attachment destroys me. It simply, gradually, plunges me into depression.

14:10Not what comes after death, but what happens now

The question is not what will happen to me after death; the question is what is happening to me here and now. What is the point of following a religion that promises you something only after death? Suffer now, and after death you’ll get the benefit. But that’s not our topic. We are intelligent people; we want to enjoy here and now. Right? So no. A Vaishnava understands: if I take on people’s interests, if I keep up heartfelt association, my life will be ruined. Their life will be ruined, and my life will be ruined. I will be like a drowning man who pulls another down with him.

14:56So prasangam ajaram pasam refers to heartfelt, friendly association, when we sit there going, “Ah, yes, yes, yes.” It’s not that you visit your grandma, she complains to you about the politicians, and you say, “Grandma, stop, enough, this is all prajalpa!” You sit there: “Yes, yes, my dear granny, my sweetheart,” but you don’t share that kind of conversation in your heart. And as soon as there’s a chance: “Granny, try these sweets!” “Where are they from?” “From over there.” (Laughter.) “Eat, eat, eat.” A Vaishnava naturally shares prasadam. A Vaishnava shares Krishna’s mercy, not his own.

16:01Prasangam ajaram pasam. All this binds a person hand and foot, because sense pleasure, the thirst for recognition and power—all this binds a person. Lust binds, anger binds, irritability binds. “I want everything to be the way I want it, without exception.” But this world works by other laws, Prabhu, by other laws. Here everything happens the way you don’t want.

16:38In this world nothing goes the way you want

16:39Even if you have the best of intentions, this world still won’t work by the laws you want. There will be obstacles for you all the time. You will be forced to undergo austerities. You have no other options. Pasam. All this binds a person, turns him into… Pasam means “animal.” Pashu means one who is bound.

17:15Jana-sanga turns a person into an animal

A pashu is an animal: they put reins on it, harness it to some plow, and hang a carrot in front of it. And it spends the whole day just to get that carrot. What do you call such a person in Sanskrit?

17:40Someone answers: “Mudha.” Mudha. You can tell there’s an academic education here! That’s the academy for you—spot on. Yes, a donkey. Just a donkey that toils for the fruits, for enjoyment. Not for the higher goal, but for a carrot. Hare Krishna.

18:08This means that heartfelt, friendly association with materialists turns us into animals, into mudhas.

18:33Mudhas never surrender. Krishna speaks with Arjuna very warmly, as with His friend and as with His ward. He says: “Arjuna, the mudhas never surrender to Me, the fools. Their knowledge has been stolen by illusion. Na mam duskritino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah—the lowest among men.” Krishna is quite critical of those who don’t surrender to Him.

19:10Krishna is strict with those who don’t surrender

I would love to hear, just once, how Krishna, there on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, pronounces this word while looking His friend Arjuna in the eyes: “Well, yes, na mam duskritino mudhah.” He says it with love. He never says it with contempt. Well, sometimes, when the lila requires it, there is a certain contempt. For example, Krishna showed such contempt… That is also part of the rasa.

19:43Rukmi, Rukmini’s brother—he hated Krishna! With every atom of his body he hated Krishna, who stole his beloved sister, whom he was supposed to give in marriage to his friend, his beloved, dear friend. What was his name? Someone calls out: “Shishupala.” (Laughter.) What are you doing! That’s the academy for you, devotees. So you see, you need to go to the academy. Shishupala. He was supposed to marry the beautiful Rukmini, a woman of amazing beauty, the goddess of fortune incarnate. Hare Krishna. Transcendental.

20:42And it all happened so beautifully. Krishna—just like that!—and Krishna is sitting in the chariot. All these kshatriyas—big, hairy, muscular, in their armor, their kavachas, with their weapons, mystic, mighty, magical. And there is Krishna. It’s Krishna! Krishna, beautiful, radiant, dark-complexioned, with enormous eyes and flowing hair, in His garments—a beautiful silk dhoti shining with special beauty on His blissful dark body. Shyamasundara. And He, together with His… This kind of marriage is called rakshasa-vivaha, when the bride is stolen. He simply steals the beautiful bride, Rukmini. Everyone is beside themselves with rage—everyone who came to this wedding. Krishna takes her right from the wedding! They shoot arrows at Him, they try somehow to catch Him, they raise dust with their horses—or rather, the horses with their hooves.

22:06And Krishna… Some people say that Rukmini was, so to speak, at the wheel. Actually, this is—how shall I put it gently, in a Vaishnava way… Well, you practically don’t find this anywhere. Practically nowhere. At least in the Bhagavatam’s description of this lila, no one mentions it. Anyway, one way or another, Krishna stole His beloved, dear Rukmini, and the one who hated Krishna most for it was Rukmi. He hated Him most of all. How could that be? He was simply beside himself with rage, even more than Shishupala. At that moment they were practically on the same level. Hare Krishna.

23:18And there was a battle, there were attacks. And then, one way or another, Krishna, with contempt precisely, seized this Rukmi and wanted to kill him. They essentially fought in single combat. He seized this Rukmi and wanted to kill him. But Rukmini, with her soft, compassionate heart, begged Krishna, for whom she had waited so long. This Rukmi had been nothing but an obstacle in her life. And now Krishna is beside her, He is already her husband—He has in fact taken responsibility, because to become a husband means to take responsibility.

24:07To become a husband is to take responsibility

24:09She said: “Please, forgive him, please forgive him, don’t kill him, please, Krishna!” And Krishna… At that moment there was contempt for this insignificant fellow. But when He says “mudha” at Kurukshetra, He has no such contempt. Here, with contempt, He took Rukmi and shaved him with His razor-sharp sword so that it would look very ugly and disgusting: He shaved off half and left the other half. (Laughter.) And this lump of ignorance simply fell down, and that was it.

24:57And at that moment Krishna’s elder brother, Balarama, appeared. He said: “Krishna, Krishna, that’s not good! Why did You do that?” He actually rebuked Krishna in front of everyone. He said: “Don’t do that. Why did You disgrace him? He still has some dignity, he’s still a kshatriya. You can’t act like that, Krishna.” Someone adds: “A relative!” A relative, all the more so. A brand-new one. What do you call it? The wife’s brother… “Brother-in-law.” See, they don’t teach you that at the academy. (Laughter.) And thank God, that’s very good. (Laughter.)

25:44But when Krishna says it… If you listen to how Srila Prabhupada calls people rascals, he says it very sweetly. If you hear Prabhupada without translation, you can hear it: he always says it very sweetly, without contempt. “These rascals,” Krishna says, “these rascals will never surrender to Me.” Na mam duskritino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah: the lowest among men. Mayayapahrita-jnana: their knowledge is stolen by maya. Asuram bhavam asritah: they acquire a demonic mood, asuram—they take shelter in that mood. Na mam duskritino mudhah prapadyante. Hare Krishna. So, prasangam ajaram pasam. That means such a person is incapable—he loses the qualification to surrender to Krishna naturally.

27:15To surrender is to exchange love with Krishna

To surrender means to exchange love with Krishna in the spirit of service. To love Krishna. To love Krishna means to love everything, living and nonliving, because Krishna is the source of everything that exists—and even to love the demons, while avoiding their company.

27:34So, prasangam ajaram pasam atmanah kavayo viduh. People who have understood the spirit (atma means “soul”), those who have realized spiritual reality, know that association with materialists is very destructive. Attachment to such association is very destructive.

28:04And by the way, this includes smartphones, through which we get association with this beautiful world of birth and death. Because Facebook, Instagram, TikTok… Someone adds: “YouTube!” (Laughter.) Who said that? There, you see—well, that’s it, it means you no longer see anything but Krishna around you.

28:47Actually, smartphones are only those “phones” that are used for the right purpose: smart, by intelligent people. Intelligent people have learned from their smartphones everything they need to serve the Lord. But a mudhaphone is exactly the device that gives us a portal into prajalpa: into the world of gossip, the world of slander, of idle talk, and simply into the world of the dirt of the mind. Hare Krishna. All this is prasanga; all this is materialistic association. And all this turns us into slaves. Atmanah kavayo viduh: people who have realized spiritual reality know this very well. Atmanah kavayah: kavi means “sage,” viduh means “they know.”

29:49But what should we do? That’s the question. If I feel that I’m attached… After all, I can’t live without attachment. I have to be attached to something. As we often say, renunciation, true renunciation, is based on attachment.

30:07True renunciation rests on attachment

30:09People assume that renunciation is the absence of attachment. But true renunciation is based on attachment. But attachment to whom? That is the question.

30:30That very same attachment, if it is directed toward the sadhu, toward Krishna’s saintly people, toward those who are devoted to the Lord with all their heart—sa eva, that same attachment, sadhusu krito moksha-dvaram apavritam—opens the door of moksha, that is, of liberation. It frees a person from all attachments: it frees him from lust, frees him from anger, the consequence of lust, frees him from greed and from all the other influences of the modes of passion and ignorance. Because real slavery is slavery to passion and ignorance.

31:14Real slavery is slavery to passion and ignorance

31:15Slavery to passion above all, which ends in ignorance. That is why attachment to the sadhu, attachment to the association of devotees, is what opens the door to liberation. At any cost a person should accept any austerity in order to get the association of sadhus. A sadhu is the one who, moksha-dvaram apavritam, opens the door of liberation. The one thanks to whom I grow wings.

31:51The sadhu opens the door to liberation

31:55Hare Krishna. Truly, a sadhu is one who can turn a satan into an angel, return him to his original position. Because a satan is a fallen angel. But for a fallen angel to stop being a fallen angel, he has to be uplifted.

32:12That is why this whole world is made up of little satans, satanlings, satanikins… (Laughter.) What else? “Satanette.” “Satanovich!” Satanovich—that has a certain ring to it… Krishna! What other options? Little satans, satanlings, satankins… You’re someone who played KVN, the club of the funny and quick-witted, so here’s a task for you right away. “Satanykins.” “We need to come up with an affectionate diminutive.” “Well, any one at all.” “What about just ‘satanists’?” (Laughter.) “Come in, come in.” “I passed the exam.” You know, sometimes they give a spiritual name like this: Satananda! (Laughter.) Sat-ananda—eternal bliss. Satananda Das! (Laughter.)

33:59By the way, the word “satan” itself has Sanskrit roots: shatana. Shatana is a Sanskrit word; it points to a malicious personality, such as Kamsa.

34:14Sa eva sadhusu. So, to be filled with the joy and bliss of spiritual life, one has to develop an attachment to associating warmly, in a friendly way, with devotees. We need to invest in friendships with devotees. That means we need to serve devotees, love devotees, feed devotees, listen to devotees—those devotees who tell us not gossip, political or critical, not their opinions about other devotees. The moment a devotee starts telling us all kinds of prajalpa, he stops being a devotee for us in the sense of someone to receive something from. He immediately falls into the category of those to whom we should give something, or from whom we should keep our distance.

35:10Keep away from overly critical people

Even in the society of devotees we should keep away from people who are critically minded, from those who are excessively critical. Because, after all, we are trying. We are all critical, we are all prone to anger, there is a lot wrong with all of us, but we are all trying little by little. The idea is to find, in the society of devotees, people with whom I can talk about Krishna, about the philosophy of Krishna consciousness, sing kirtan, honor sweet prasadam.

35:42Prasangam ajaram pasam… sa eva sadhusu krito moksha-dvaram apavritam. The same attachment, directed toward the sadhu, liberates. Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Do you have any questions or additions? Abhinandana Prabhu, please add something, enlighten us with your transcendental wisdom about sa eva sadhusu krito moksha-dvaram apavritam.

36:36Abhinandana Prabhu: By special good fortune a person comes into prasanga, into the association of the satam—the devotees who glorify the wonderful qualities of the Lord. And then there arise hrit-karna-rasayana kathah—talks connected with the Lord. They become the cause of the heart’s satisfaction—they bring satisfaction to the heart and the ears. And then, because of this, mercy appears: gradually shraddha grows strong in the devotee’s heart, and rati increases—attachment to the Lord and His devotees.

37:32Devotees choose sat-sanga, mudhas choose mudhaphones

Abhinandana Prabhu: Devotees choose sat-sanga, where topics connected with the Lord are discussed, while the mudhas choose mudhaphones—they are attracted by the topics of the material world. So we are especially fortunate that we have come into this prasanga and can hear these topics. Hare Krishna. Thank you very much.

38:06Thank you very much, dear devotees! Thank you for coming, for making the journey here in these difficult times. Hare Krishna.

39:07Well, dear devotees, I stopped on a note of gratitude. Thank you so much for coming here in these truly difficult times. So let us hold on together—to our association with one another, to singing kirtan and to honoring prasadam. Please, nobody leave.