SAVE YOUR SELF !

We had 309 participants today. Today many Solapur devotees are chanting on the conference. All three of my brothers, – Ramdas, Dharmavatar and Nandalal, who are my disciples are chanting with us along with their family members from Aravade. This way we make our association available through this conference. Many are taking advantage, and I am happy about it.

Yesterday we had this SGGS gathering. More then 100 Gurus and sannyasis were there. They were taking each other’s association in that Sanga. There were many topics. One of them was ‘Saving yourself ’. They were making reference of one of the letter Prabhupada wrote to Rameshwar Prabhu. Towards the end of the letter, Prabhupada had written that the ‘most important thing is to save yourself.’ We try to save others by preaching, book distribution, prasada distribution, arranging festivals, or conducting padayatras, Nagar sankirtana. This is important and must go on . But Prabhupada had written, “Do not forget that the most important thing is to ‘save yourself’ while saving others. Don’t forget to save yourself.” There was also more discussion on taking care of yourself.

‘How to save yourself ? How to take care of yourself?’ became a topic. Sadhana was one item. Before even sadhana there was ‘Take care of yourself.’ Then talking of sadhana, some were insisting strongly that the most important aspect of our sadhana is the chanting of

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA HARE HARE.

yoginam api nirnitam harer namanukirtanam ( SB. 2.1.11)

In Bhagavatam it is mentioned that all the Yogis have come to the conclusion – harer naamanukirtanam. There the Yogis mention that Harinama is the way. In the beginning of the Second canto Sukadev also mentions it. So I was thinking our colleagues, SGGS members about 100 of them also came to the similar conclusion. Chanting the holy name is the most important sadhana.

There was more discussion about chanting japa. One GBC member said, “ On Ekadasi I chant 64 rounds.” There was my god-brother Narahari from Hawaii. He said that he gets up at 2.00 am everyday and the first thing he does, is chant his rounds. His experience is that the morning hours are the best because it is predominated by the mode of goodness. It’s the best time of the day for chanting. Try to chant during the day, not the night. He was comparing it with riding a bike uphill and riding it downhill. You understand the difference? You are at the foothill and trying to climb the mountain. Get to the top and then come downhill. So he said – Chanting in the early morning hours is like riding downhill. It goes fast and easy. Don’t have to make much effort. It could be at the top of the hill also. Some hills are flat on top. They are table mountains. I have seen a few mountains like that with a flat roof. Once you climb uphill, then it’s flat and you have a smooth ride – walking or driving or cycling. Then what to speak of going down. This was his experience.

Use brahmamuhurta time. Don’t miss it. If you haven’t completed your rounds, then of course one can chant in the morning or night. Better to chant than not to chant. Krishnasetra Maharaja was praising the book written by HG. Mahatma Prabhu. He is also one of the Japa promotors. He conducts japa retreats on how to improve your chanting. He has written a small booklet. HH Krishnaksetra Maharaja was strongly recommending that you get that booklet. There are some 20 tips on how to improve your chanting. The leaders in the discussion could sense how there are concerns about chanting. We are still chanting, setting the example before the second and now even third generation in our movement. There are certain observations.

We grew up in Krishna consciousness and after some time Prabhupada was no more with us. We didn’t have anyone to look up to . We didn’t have role models before us. We were by ourselves, but now in our society we all Prabhupada disciples are first generation. Our disciples are second generation and some of our god brothers , godsisters and others are becoming grand parents. For you all this Prabhupada disciples batch is in front of you. You can take inspiration and blessings from them. Not only have they grown old in age, but they have grown old in experience also. vayovridhha and jnanavridhha. There are two ways you can get older. One way is easy, just make sure you don’t die. Every day you are getting older and older. We celebrate our birthdays and keep getting old. This is nature. Whoever and whatever was young at one time becomes old. That applies to the trees also. It applies to all the species. It’s not that only human beings are specialised in getting old. Old age business is all pervading. So there is nothing glorious just to keep becoming older and older, but it is glorious if we could grow more mature or older by our experience or by acquiring more and more knowledge. More knowledge means that the person is considered more mature , experienced.

You know the story of Raghunandan who fed the laddus to the Lord. The question is being asked, “Who is the father and who is the son? The father said, ‘My son is my father. He is ‘older’ then me. Because my son is a more pure devotee than I am. He is more advanced, more knowledgeable, more realized than I am.’ Prabhupada disciples are not only old in age but in knowledge and experience also. You could take advantage of the association of the first generation of devotees, Prabhupada disciples. Their bodies are old but more importantly, they are old by their intelligence. They are mature like a ripened fruit. While we are young, we are raw and sour sometimes. These senior devotees are ripened, advanced, realised and experienced. They are getting together today and tomorrow. They are taking notes of different things being discussed and arriving at conclusions. That knowledge will be made available to devotees around the world in some shape , some form. You will get to know in course of time. I am just sharing the glimpses in advance. So keep chanting.

Now you know the best time for chanting. You also know that you have to chant every single day, like these devotees are chanting for the last 40 – 45 years or some even for the last 50 years. They are not tired or they are not giving up. Follow in their footsteps and the footsteps of Srila Prabhupada. Follow in the footsteps of Namacarya Srila Haridas Thakur. All glories to him. Follow in the footsteps of Lord Siva.

Today we are celebrating Shivaratri. Lord Shiva is known for chanting the same mantra that we chant. There is also song –

brahma bole chaturmukhe krsna krsna hare hare
mahadev panchmukhe rama rama hare hare

There is also island called Godrum dwip which is considered non different from Varanasi. Godrum dwip is called maha-Varanasi and is known for sravanam, kirtanam and especially kirtana. Guess who is doing kirtana there? Lord Siva is doing kirtana in Godrum dwip all the time. They say if you happen to leave your body in Godrum dwip then at the verge of death Siva comes and chants ‘Gauranga. Gauranga’ in your ears. He reminds the dying person of Gauranga and that person attends liberation. Today Sivaratri Mahotsav is being celebrated at our Rajapur Jagannatha mandir. There is a Sivalinga there and Simantini Parvati also resides there. In the afternoon there will be lots of festivities – talks, kirtanas, abhishek and prasada. So you are welcome to join Sivaratri Mahotsav.

Kirtan Mela is on. It is on from 10 am to 10 pm. All day different singers and chanters will be taking their turn. Be part of the kirtana mela. Kirtan Mahotsav ki jay!

Hare Krishna!

Guru mora murkh dekhi

There is a place called Omsk in Russia. Devotees are chanting from there with us. In Russia they have to get up at 2.30 am. Also Mauritius and South Africa devotees have to get up early. It’s 3.5 hours difference with South Africa. Devotees are undergoing this physical inconveniences just to chant. So to chant must be something important. Why on the earth in some place called Omsk would devotees be getting up at 2.30 am chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna ? It’s amazing. Caitanya Caritamrita says, ‘You will be amazed to see the mercy of Gauranga’. So these are also soul connections. Souls are getting united with the Lord. I was also thinking of the pastimes of Pancatattva. The very latest thing that you have done, remains fresh in your mind. The night before and early in the morning whatever you do , it is like – fresh, fresher and freshest. Last night we were reciting the pastimes of Pancatattva, so naturally that remains fresh in your mind. In the computer also it shows recently opened files. The computer functions like that. The brain also functions similarly, or we should say the computer also functions like the brain. The brain always functions like a brain, but now the computer has started functioning like a brain. Whatever is very recent stays in your brain.

Pancatattva were relishing the chanting so much that they became intoxicated. We have articles like – How I came to Krishna conscious. Similarly Caitanya Mahaprabhu was discussing with Prakasananda Saraswati. – ‘guru more murkh dekhi ‘ – My spiritual master considered me fool and to have no eligibility to do the vedanta adhyayan, so He was told, ‘ You should just chant. You are just fit for chanting.’ That is why I have taken up this chanting. Last night I was thinking that Caitanya Mahaprabhu was known as Nimai Pandit. He was very, very learned. He even defeated Keshav Kashmiri. In the 64th verse He pointed out the good part of and then the flaws. He has intelligently designed this world for all of us so He is most intelligent and learned. So if His Guru says , murkh dekhi I was thinking this applies to us and not that Mahaprabhu was murkh. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was so clever. He is trying to bring our foolishness and what fools we are to our notice. For those ignorant fools, fallen souls the only hope is chanting. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “My Guru Maharaja shared one mantra:

harer naam harer naam harer naam eva kevalam
kalau nastyeva nastyeva nastyeva gatiranyatha. ( CC. Adi 7.26)

So that is how I took up chanting.” It started in Gaya. We mentioned yesterday, that as soon as He started chanting , instantly ( like instant coffee, which doesn’t take much time to cook ) He became Krishna conscious, Vrindavan conscious and He wanted to run to Vrindavan. But He was dissuaded and brought back to Mayapur instead. By seeing Nimai the way He was acting, dealing , behaving , rolling on the ground, crying and becoming stunned like a stambha – pillar. A pillar never moves. One of the symptoms of ecstasy is that He became like a pillar. Nothing moves because you are simply fixed on Krsna. Your soul , mind and body is fixed. There is nothing to move. The body doesn’t move because the mover , the mind and the soul are preoccupied. They are busy with Krsna and there is no attention to the body. They are attentive. As we say no external consciousness. Everything is internalized so much so that the body becomes stunned like a stambh. So the Navadwipvasi’s , Mayapurvasi’s were watching Mahaprabhu in that state , The bodily form. His activities were like a mad man. He had become pagal (mad). So that’s ‘How I came to Krishna consiousness.’ We would like to experience a glimpse of what Pancatattva members are going through, what they are experiencing. It would be prema when that day would be mine.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu also says in Siksastakam prayers –

nayanam galadashru dharaya vadanam gad gad hridaya gira ,
pulakainrichitam vapuhu kada tava naam grahanai bhavishyati

(when) tav nam grahanai (as I chant your holy names) bhavishayati ( when would this happen)

nayanam galadashru dharaya – when would that happen? pulakivachitam vapu kada tava naam grahanai. Sahajiyas exhibit these symptoms. They are very expert in shedding tears, crying and rolling on the ground. In Bengal it’s very common. Soon after the kirtana begins all the kirtaniyas all over Bengal start exhibiting symptoms of ecstasy. They put on a very good show. I have seen during padayatra people smoking bidi , then somehow they notice some sadhu somewhere. They run to the sadhu and on the way they throw the bidi and then they touch his feet. By the time they look up there are shedding tears. In thirty seconds the tears are ready. Those are sahajiyas, one of the cult. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura pointed out that we should be aware, stay away and not be impressed by these sahajiyas. They exhibit so much bhava. HH Jayapataka Maharaja explains it as chilli bhava. When they come for 24 hour kirtana or astaprahar kirtan, where party after party sings, some of them carry little red chillies. While chanting and dancing they throw little chilli and then they shed tears. Chilli bhava – bhava caused by real chilli, not the natural bhava aroused in the soul by devotion. In order to manifest genuine symptoms we have to have genuine practice.

Chant every day as per your instructions. When we are instructed or when we receive our mantra at the time of initiation and we also take a vow of following four regulative principles. We are also reminded of the ten offences against the holy name at the time of initiation. I remember when I was initiated either Prabhupada would recite and explain the ten offences or sometimes get the head priest, Pradyumna Prabhu to repeat it.

Chant every single day and then how you chant by avoiding all the offences needs special efforts, especially Vaisnava aparadh.

abhyasena tu kaunteya
vairagyena ca gṛhyate ( BG. 6.35)

We should remember these two things. abhyasena and vairagyena. The mind is said to be cancala. Make the mind steady and calm. Then Krsna advises in the chapter of Bhagavad-Gita. You do abhyas – practice and then vairagya. Practice should be in the spirit of detachment.

virag – ‘rag’ means attachment and prefix – vi means just the opposite. So develop detachment. That becomes vairagya. From virag comes Vairagya.

So chant every day practising this Vairagya.

Today is a big action packed day. We have something to do every hour, every moment. Some Krsna conscious thing to do, getting association of the devotees. Mayapur festival – 2019 is being inaugurated this morning. SGGS is also starting this morning. It is ‘ Sannyasi Guru GBC Sangha’. There will be a get together of all ISKCON sanyasis , Gurus and GBCs. This is going on for a few years. It is happening again this morning. Then there are meetings all day and there is also Kirtana mela adhivas. The prefix is ‘adi’ and not ‘aadi’. It’s like adhibhautik, etc.

Haribol!

JUMP IN THE BOAT CALLED ‘ISKCON’

Even children are taking part in the conference. Many are chanting with their kids. I even saw one cow today. The whole world is chanting. Nagaradi gram. I get to see that the whole world is chanting. Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s prediction has come true. It’s proof. Devotees from Australia, New Jersey, South Africa, Middle East etc –

nama nache jiva nache nache premadhan

Harinama Cintamani says that when there is chanting nama nache – the holy name dances. Who is the holy name? Radha and Krsna. jiva nache – all the living entities are chanting and dancing. prema nache – Krsna Prema is also dancing. This Krsna Prema is also the goal. Prabhupada said that the goal of life is to join the dancing party of Radha and Krsna. So this chanting is like a rehearsal so that one day we can join the chanting party of Radha and Krsna. While we are chanting we are with Radha and Krsna. When our chanting becomes better and better, more ecstatic, more joyful, more dancing will happen. One kind of dance of Caitanya Mahaprabhu was called uddanda nritya. He would fly in the air .

tathai tathai bajalo khol,
ghana ghana tahe jhajera rol,
preme dhala dhala sonara anga,
carane nupura baje

The mṛdangas (khol) resounded “tathai tathai” and the jhajas [large metal karatalas that look like small cymbals] in that kirtana played in time. Lord Gauranga’s golden form slightly trembled in ecstatic love of Godhead, and His foot-bells jingled. ( Arunodaya Kirtana 1, Bhaktivinoda Thakura)

That’s one kind. His ankle bells would tinkle. Dhala dhala – almost like a swami step. Then there is more dancing. Much uddanda nirtya took place in Santipur. Sacimata was there. After Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa He immediately wanted to go to Vrindavan. Why stay anywhere else in the world? Go to the final destination. Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to go to Vrindavan. He received initiation from Isvara Puri in Gaya and as soon as he started chanting …..

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

…. He became very ecstatic and was ready to go to Vrindavan. Just a few minutes after his initiation ceremony and as He began chanting, He attained perfection of chanting.

aparadha-sunya ho’ye loho krsna-nama ( Verse 3 – Nadiya Godrume Nityananda Mahajana – Bhaktivinoda Thakura)

He had to be pacified. Candrashekhar Acarya who was there at the time of the initiation literally stopped Him. Already love for the Lord was aroused in Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s personality and then He wanted to go to Vrindavan. If you don’t want to be in Ahmedabad or Moscow, then all other places are like that. Whichever place you take in the world, it’s not worth living there. Chanter leaves that place behind and he faces Vrindavan. Some devotees from Vrindavan are smiling. We are already in Vrindavan. But not sure really, how much we are in Vrindavan. We are also in Mayapur, but not sure how much we are in Mayapur. We may still have our legs in two boats. One leg in Mayapur, one leg in Ahmedabad. There is a ‘tug of war’. Mayapur is pulling and the world is pulling.

If you chant and chant, then you cut all the bonds. They say there are so many strings and all the strings are attached.

bhidyate hrdaya-granthis
chidyante sarva-samsayah
ksiyante casya karmani
drsta evatmanisvare

Thus the knot in the heart is pierced, and all misgivings are cut to pieces. The chain of fruitive actions is terminated when one sees the self as master. ( S.B. 1.2.21)

We chant and chant with attention and the results is bhidyate hrdaya-granthis. All the knots in heart, on top of the other knots are removed. Another bondage is

dhyayato visayan pumsah
sangas teṣupajayate
sangat sanjayate kamah
kamat krodho ’bhijayate

While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises. ( BG. 2.62)

As we contemplate on the worldly objects, sangat sanjayate attachment develops. There are so many attachments, so many strings, so many knots. If you have a big rope with knots then untying of those knots can be done. But if there is fine silk thread with knots its removal of knots is very difficult. There are so many knots in the chanting of Hare Krishna. It does that untying or breaking those knots.

ajnas casraddadhanas ca
samsayatma vinasyati
nayam loko ’sti na paro
na sukham samsayatmanah

But ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures do not attain God consciousness; they fall down. For the doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next. (BG. 4.40)

If you have doubts you are doomed. We have to also become free from doubts. Chanting of Hare Krishna would free us from doubts and then …

bhidyate hridaya-grantih chhidyante sarva-samsayah
kshiyante sarva-karmani guroh karunaya sive (Verse 306)

O Parvati! All the knots of the heart are rent asunder, all doubts are cleared, all the karmas are destroyed by the grace of mercy of the Guru. [This Verse is mentioned by Bhagavan Ramana in Talks No. 500 dated 10.6.1938.]

… will happen. Our karma is keeping us in this world . Karma beeja and then this and that happens. Karma beeja is kshiyante. All that is burnt to ashes. We become free from all the doubts. When we hear the glories of the holy name, then what happens but

yathaidhamsi samiddho ’gnir
bhasma-sat kurute ’rjuna
jnanagniḥ sarva-karmaṇi
bhasma-sat kurute tatha

As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities.( BG. 4.37)

From fire comes light and heat. Krsna kindly lights the lamp in our hearts .

tesam evanukampartham
aham ajnana-jam tamah
nasayamy atma-bhava-stho
jnana-dipena bhasvata

To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.( BG. 10.11)

That lamp of knowledge, fire of knowledge, sword of knowledge, cuts , burns all the beejas. All the stock that there is in our hearts which are like mountain is cut if you surrender to Krsna, He says

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah

Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear. ( BG. 18.66)

Karma beeja could be paap beeja or punya beeja , but both are not desirable. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said to Prakashanand Saraswat in Varanasi,” My Guru Maharaja thought I was a fool.” Is it the fault of a Guru that he thought of me as fool? We don’t like a Guru calling us a fool, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu was happy to share what His Guru told him and then he instructed, “Guru also said, ‘Come closer and whispered

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari (CC Adi 7.21)

yathaidhamsi samiddho ‘gnir
bhasma-sat kurute ‘rjuna
jnanagnih sarva-karmani
bhasma-sat kurute tatha

As the blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities. (4.37)

Then everything is out of our way. The path is clear, no strings attached. We are free from all the doubts and there are no more karmic reactions. You have become mukta. Then only thing that remains now is to become bhakta. Mukta becomes bhakta and then he continues to chant. Chanting is our sadhana and sadhya. It is the means and the goal. We chant here as sadhakas. When we chant, bhava develops and we chant with love. Loving emotions, feelings are aroused in us. As our padayatris say – we go back home while chanting and dancing. Haathi hai na ghoda hai , waha paidal hi jana hai. We have to go walking, chanting …..

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA HARE HARE.

We return to where we had come down here. Caitanya Mahaprabhu kindly came down here and gave us the mahamantra. He had initiated the whole world. Krishnam vande Jagadgurum. He gave the mantra to the whole world. Then as one takes shelter of the holy name –

bahu-anga sadhane, bhai, nahi prayojana
krsna-namasraye suddha karaha jivana

If you want to advance on the path of suddha-bhakti, not many rules and spiritual practices are necessary. Simply beg for the complete shelter of krsna-nama and thus purify your heart and consciousness. (Jaiva Dharma – Bahktivinoda Thakura)

This name will bring us back home. So we are going back home, back to Godhead. ISKCON is a boat and Prabhupada is the captain. Join him. Jump in this boat. We are going back home. You are welcome. Take your seat and never leave this boat, even if you find some defects. The boat is in the ocean. It will be a foolish thing to do. If there is some difficulty in the boat and you jump out , where will you be then. There is no better situation or location in the world. This is the safest, amidst the devotees in the dham chanting the holy names, eating Krsna prasada, hearing about Krsna and what he had to say in the battle of Kurukshetra. Follow the instructions. Lord said:

patram pushpam phalam toyam ( BG. 9.26)

Give up matanam, chickenam. This is the life of Krishna consciousness. Otherwise it’s a deaf and dead matter. Be convinced. Don’t only remain sraddhavan. You have to become nisthavan. Prabhupad would ask from time to time, “Are you convinced?” So get convinced. Become free from all doubts. Doubts are enemies. Arjuna called Krsna Madhusudana. Make me free from doubts. Take advantage of devotee association. Prabhupada has given us everything, including this festival – Mayapur-Vrindavan festival. Here we come and get charged, become more enthusiastic.

From utsava comes utsaha.

Hare Krishna!

Most Important Business

What we are doing in the conference is to follow in the footsteps of Rupa and Sanatan Goswamis. Krsna is kind. We have a large group of devotees from New Jersey. If I speak in English is it okay? This is Sayaber math. In Vrindavan we have Angrej ka mandir. Bengali’s used to call it Sayber math referring to the foreign devotees as Saheb.

One thought is when we chant Hare Krishna wherever, or on this conference, it’s like a family reunion. We are different members of Krsna’s family. We reunite and connect with Krsna. We connect with each other also. So it’s a reunion. Now we have bodies, but if we keep chanting and chanting and become pure devotees then we will all continue to be with Krsna. The holy name is uniting us. Now in this world in physical bodies then we will have spiritual bodies and we will be united.

We are not in this world – Kolkata world or this world or that world. Mayapur is not in this world. It is out of this world. So we have reached! But the challenge is to stay here. Stay high forever! If we stay high by chanting higher and higher then even if we go away, so called going away to Pune or somewhere else , then we haven’t left Mayapur or Vrindavan. We are part of Vrindavan, part of Mayapur. Consciousness is what makes us belong to this or that place. Prabhupada would make those claims, which is a fact. Being in New York, he would say, ‘I am not in New York.’ He was thinking of his Radha-Damodar in Vrindavan and felt he was there.

So keep chanting. Is your chanting getting better? Trying, struggling, lots of challenges? Every day could be a new challenge also. Did you face some challenges today while chanting? No challenge! No one was stopping you? No opposition party? Maya is in so many forms. Did any one face any challenge? Sleep is also a challenge. Some of you are defeated by sleep and thoughts – thinking, feeling, willing. Mind makes lots of plans. Did it happen today? Today is Ekadasi and you have to fast. That’s also a challenge. Ekadasi is upavas -fasting. Previous Ekadasi I was talking about upavas . In Maharashtra they say, aaj upavas ache – Ekadasi upavas or Shivaratri upavas. So today is the day to get closer to the Lord. ‘Up’ means near and ‘vas’ means to reside. Reside near Krsna. Today is that day. We observe the upavas day by fasting from grains and if you could fast from Maya then it will be real upavas. Today we will fast from Maya. Normally we have lots of feasting on Maya. The mind, the senses are feasting or planning. So endeavour to fast from Maya. We fast. We eat less or don’t even eat, or don’t even drink. Survive only on air. They also spiritualise the air. When we chant ……

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

…… we purify the air. The air gets Krsnaised. While taking out the air that we have taken in, we Krsnaise the air and we hear that air, the sound. That’s what some of the devotees do. No eating, no drinking. It is kind of pranayam. Taking air in and then out, then we chant. They chant lots of rounds, lot of hearing, studying. If we do more hearing, more chanting, along with more association, then we will manage to stay near Krsna. That Is real meaning of upavas. If we manage to stay near Krsna, with Krsna, then that is upavas. Just fasting doesn’t make a successful upavas. Whether we have stayed with Krsna, connected with Krishna should be introspected.

One of the recommendations of Bhaktivinoda Thakur on Ekadasi is to compare your sadhana performance from the last Ekadasi to this Ekadasi. How was my performance? Was it a Krishna conscious performance. My practises? How was my sadhana? Did I miss something? My hearing and Reading. Dharmaraj Prabhu keeps daily record of sadhana and sends it to me at the end of month for my review or comments. Bhaktivinod Thakur has suggested , you should review your performance. You should keep record or have a sadhana card. If you have so much faith in your memory, that you can remember your sadhana this day and that day , then you may not write. That is something Bhaktivinoda Thakur recommended. These were my strong points and some weak points and till next Ekadasi I have to improve here and improve there. So such analysis is important to improve own sadhana.
Chanting is a serious activity, the most important business. We break our heads, do lots of planning, work out strategies and resources, timelines. So why not apply all those things to this Krishna conscious business of chanting. Planning, preparation is important. I have been saying this on the conference. For this morning’s chanting you prepare the night before or the day before or two days before. You have chanted today and till tomorrow’s chanting in between is preparation time. They say in this world 80% is preparation and 20% is execution. You have spent 80% of your time and energy to prepare and then implement 20%. If you have done good planning, then execution and implementation will go smoothly. The potential difficulties you will be facing next morning will be lesser. Prevention is better than cure. Maybe you didn’t sleep enough, you spent your night doing some useless things or other businesses. All these things which what you did the night before and what you did not do . How many Vaisnavas have you offended? Instead of doing that we should think otherwise. How many Vaisnavas have I served today? I will serve at least three Vaisnavas in a smaller or bigger way. That is preparation. Like that many different types of preparations are there. The next morning’s chanting becomes focused and with concentration. They will take that seriously.

I have been telling this incident from time to time about when I was new bhakta in Mumbai. One gentleman, a life member came from downtown Mumbai and he wanted to see the president. I looked for the president. He was chanting. When I gave the message to the president, he said,” Tell him I am busy.” My response in my mind was, “You are not busy. You are just chanting. Just chanting can’t be a serious business.” I didn’t tell him this. Later on I kept thinking and I realised that SITTING DOWN AND CHANTING IS A SERIOUS BUSINESS! You are supposed to be busy, fully busy, not partially busy or somewhat busy. Whole being has to be busy. Your body has to be busy, the mind has to be busy, intelligence has to be alert and employed and of course basically your soul has to be busy. Isn’t it a serious business? You should have this understanding that you are busy with the chanting. When others see you, just by seeing they should have this understanding that you are busy.

Once one devotee from Surat was chanting. I could see he is not busy, kind of spaced out. hE was not looking for Krsna, but looking around. When people don’t sit properly it doesn’t feel as if they are busy. Sitting properly is important. In army after the parade, when there is break or relaxation, when commander says, ‘ Savadhan’, then even the beginners tighten their belts. They stop everything else and drop everything to get ready for the next instruction.They don’t move their eyesight. It is also fixed.They are not rolling their eyes. While chanting we should also come to such savadhan state.

Once during Hyderabad Ratha-yatra, one policeman was there for security. I happened to tell him – “Chant Hare Krishna.” His response was, “I am on duty! I can’t do anything else.” So take this chanting business as duty or Dharma, and try to do as it is expected of us. Physically, mentally, intellectually, soulfully. The soul is an important aspect of our being. Focus on hearing while chanting.

At least we should know what is the right thing to do. You should know the right way to think, right way to do and try to do those right things and achieve that goal. I know what is the right thing and I also try to do it correctly. There is jnana and vijnana – knowledge and application.

Try to spread the holy name around. That is also part of the preparation. Being kind, faithful to new people.

isvare tad-adineṣu
balisesu dvisatsu ca
prema-maitri-krpopeksa
yah karoti sa madhyamah

An intermediate or second-class devotee, called madhyama-adhikari, offers his love to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is a sincere friend to all the devotees of the Lord, shows mercy to ignorant people who are innocent and disregards those who are envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (SB 11.2.46)

Prabhupada would say that at least come to the second level. Third class devotees love the Lord, but hate others or the devotees. Or they may be neutral or be doing some opeksa also. Love, hate and being neutral. Love the devotees, be friendly with devotees. Do some krpa, or be kind or faithful. Stay away from demoniac ways. This is the second class devotees. It is expected that we propagate the Hare Krsna mahamantra.

We do that also in one of our best programs – Padayatra program. We propagate holy name. We bring new people. We got report from Amaravati. Our IGF team of 25 girls ,on international Women’s day, our girls from that team, Are going on one day Padayatra. This is also desirable thing to do. So many new people will hear the holy name. Get connected or hooked. This is also desirable thing to do and part of the preparation. You will have better concentration, if during the day you are engaged in activities like this.

yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa
amara ajnaya guru hana tara’ ei desa

“Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Sri Krsna as they are given in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.” (CC.Madhya 7.128)
Serve the new devotees. We will stop here.
Hare Krishna

I will speak in English, which is the international language for this international conference. Our language is Hare Krishna Hare Krishna! That is the language of the soul which everyone understands. Thank you for chanting with us again and again. So many things to talk about.

khaite suite yatha tatha nama laya ( CC Antya 20.18)

While eating , while sleeping yatha-tatha nama laya. In whatever way make sure you are chanting. Some of you are also doing it. Not khaite , but suite – khāite śuite yathā tathā nāma laya. That’s an encouraging statement somehow, but we should be making sure that it is not yatha tatha. We should try to chant in the best possible manner. Chant with full attention, sitting straight as we had been talking yesterday. Sitting properly is one of the things that we need to do right. It is one of the things out of the many that we need to do right so that chanting becomes attentive which will lead to remembering the Lord.

sravanam kirtanam visnu smaranam

That’s the goal – to remember the Lord. Of course make sure you are chanting everyday. Today is quite a busy day here in Mayapur, but the most important business is chanting, That we do not stop. So many things are going on all around, but we have to take time off, spare time for chanting and make sure you are chanting every single day.

Some of you have taken a vow to chant 16 rounds daily and have been given some spiritual name. Otherwise Krsna is not visible and difficult to see. sri krsna namadi na bhavet grayham indriye. ( CC Madhya 17.136) Our senses have become blunt , like a knife or razor. If it’s blunt, then it cannot be used for cutting vegetables. But if it’s sharp then you can cut it like soft butter. We are equipped with such impure, covered , blunt senses. Who are we? Souls. So the soul is covered. So the encouraging statement is sevonmukhe hi jivadau swayameva sphuratyda. You begin your devotional service with the tongue. Then as you keep practicing devotional service which begins with tongue, then the end result is – swayameva sphuratyda. Lord will reveal unto you. Prabhupad used to say, “ Tongue must be used in chanting and it must vibrate.”

mukund madhav hari balen bolo vadan bhari

Your singing or chanting should be balen (strong). As I was saying yesterday, – ‘ Take a deep breath and chant. Then you are making efforts also prayatna ( effort) is very, very important. Balen bolo vadan bhari. So as we do that, the tongue must vibrate and so many other things must happen. As we chant or make endeavor to chant with attention, make sure we are hearing. It’s a very difficult thing to do. Chanting doesn’t mean we are hearing. We chant, but don’t hear. We do kirtanam, but no sravanam. That kind of chanting will not lead to remembrance. When we make efforts to hear, then that chanting will first do – ceto darpana marjanam ( Siksastakam Verse 1) , out of many other things it does. Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained this. It’s the cleansing of the consciousness and with that we will also become conscious of our soul. We should be conscious of the soul. There is a Supreme Soul and the process of chanting is connecting the soul with the Supreme Soul. That is Bhakti-yoga. When ceto darpana marjanam takes place, then our blunt material senses become sharper and sharper.

atmendriya-priti-vascha — tare bali ‘kama’
krsnendriya-priti-iccha dhare ‘prema’ nama ( C.C. Adi 4.165)

The desire to gratify one’s own senses is kama [lust], but the desire to please the senses of Lord Krsna is prema [love].
When our senses are involved for our own satisfaction then that is Kama. Bhukti-kama, Mukti-kama and so many kamas , desires, but krsnendriya priti vanchha dhare prem-nama. So when our senses are engaged in service of Krsna then that is Prema. Prema for Krsna. We love Krsna and Krsna loves us . There is a reciprocation between the soul and the Supreme Soul. Our senses are engaged in the service of the master of the senses:

sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hrsikena hrsikesa-
sevanam bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170)

‘Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.’
That is also of Bhakti. When our senses are engaged in the service of the Lord, then we enjoy real and everlasting happiness. We are gratifying the purified senses and then we enjoy.

anandambudhi-vardanam purnamrtasvadanam
sarvatma-snapanam param vijyate sri-krsna-sankirtanam (Siksastakam 1)

is going on. Your soul is bathing in the holy name , swimming in the nectar. Or there is Abhishek of the soul. For Abhishek also they use honey and nectarine juices.That is the literal meaning.

By sankirtana or chanting of the holy name of the Lord, the soul is swimming in the nectar.
I was listening to lecture by Srila Prabhupada few days ago. He said something which is quite easy to understand. He said that you have a hand and skin and there is touch sensation. That perception is all over the body. This is soft or rough or whatever. But if you put a hand-glove on and then you try to touch even hot things as cooks do, you don’t feel it hot, as the gloves are there. They can’t perceive. There is no touch sensation. Likewise, our all the senses are covered by matter or Maya, hence we can’t perceive Krsna. We cannot experience the spiritual touch, spiritual smells. The Lord’s body is fragrant, but we do not smell. We don’t really see arcavigraha as the Lord. Oh! This is just metal or stone. We don’t see the Lord as he is and likewise for other senses also. We don’t hear. Sense of hearing is also covered. So all our activities are at the conditioned or mundane plane.
sevonmukhe hi jivadau. (CC Madhya 17. 136). Adu means the beginning. Beginning with the tongue. We chant

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

Then our original spiritual senses will be discovered, and activated. The soul is a person. It has eyes, a nose. The soul has hands, feet, like that. All those spiritual senses will wake up.

jiv jago, jiv jago, gauracanda bole
kota nidra jao maya-pisacira kole ( Bhajan by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

This is a nice song. When are you going to wake up. You! You! Who is this you? Your soul wakes up. Not talked of the body waking up. The body is still sleeping in the darkness. That is why it is said – tamaso ma jyotirgamaya. ( Brhad Aranyaka Upanisad) You are up, but you still don’t see. You have become blind. Go to the light. That light is coming from Krsna. So that’s a real life, Lifestyle. yogaha karmasu kaushalam . ( BG. 2.50) Art of living. When we are alive, at present we are practically dead now. In order to wake up or become lively, the process is sravanam kirtanam visnuhu smaranam. Chanting of the mahamantra is real life, real eternal life of enjoyment which is awaiting all of us. Krsna has, Caitanya Mahaprabhu has kindly appeared for our sake.

Golokam ca parityajya lokanam trana-karanat kalau gauranga-rupena lila-lavanya-vigrahah

In the Kali-yuga, I will leave Goloka and to save the people of the world, I will become the handsome and playful Lord Gauranga. (Markandeya Purana)

He appeared here is Mayapur. You are not here, but through this conference you are linked with Mayapur. You are seeing me , I am in Mayapur, speaking from Mayapur, calling you from Mayapur. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is calling you. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is remembering you and missing you.

Please plan, make plans to return home. We will stop now. Maha-Abhishek is going to start.

Stay tuned to watch.

Hare Krishna!