596 today, we have almost reached our goal today. Keep chanting the holy name of the Lord regularly constantly and you will be with the Lord. Right here we will be with the Lord. The holy name is the Lord. Nada brahma- I am in Pandharpur dhama and it’s known for chanting. According to sastra and locally Pandharpur is called as Nada brahma.

Nada is vibration of the names of the Lord, nada – sura –tala indicate the name of Lord. Of course, we know Anna Para brahma, food that is offered to the Lord also becomes same as the Lord. Lord in Jagannath Puri is called as Anna brahma . At different holy places Lord is known by different features or aspects of His Personalities. Lord in Sri Rangam is known for its sleeping pastime, Suptam pastime.

bhuktam madhuram suptam madhuram

Bhuktam pastimes in Jagannath Puri. Likewise, Lord is known for Nada brahma in Pandharpur. Pandharpur is famous for Lord’s holy name. Lord’s bhajan and kirtan is constantly chanted here. Every ekadasi or one of the two Ekadasi sukla paksha fortnightly Pandharpur Vitthala devotees come walking towards Pandharpur. They don’t just walk they sing and walk towards the Lord.

Srila Prabhupada compares the sankirtana parties coming to Pandharpur in large numbers to Gaudiya vaisnava sankirtana party. As Gaudiya vaisnavas use mridanga and kartala, these are the main instruments of sankirtana parties also. They are always dancing in kirtan as Caitanya Mahaprabhu did. As soon as there is chanting there is dancing also.

Srila Prabhupada appreciates the mood of the singers the dancers. They are called as warkaris. Devotees sing the glories of Pandharpur while performing sankirtana on the way. Acaryas who have come to Pandharpur have written abhangas which are sang regularly in kirtan in every town and every village of Maharashtra .

Of course 500 years ago Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited Pandharpur and Caitanya Caritamrita states He stayed here for 11 days. Lord does not just stay in any guest house but Lord was busy with two things chanting and dancing on the streets of Pandharpur. Also chanting and dancing right in front of Lord Pandhuranga, dancing in darsana mandap with ecstasy in front of Lord Pandharpur, this was one thing. He stayed another 7 days in association of Srirangapuri disciple of Madhavendra Puri they spent time in nityam bhagavata sevaya. So these were two things, He was busy with Harinama kirtan and Bhagavatam kirtanam.

So we have ISKCON here in Pandharpur we have Radha Pandhrinatha. We consider this dhama non different from Vrindavan. Others consider it as Bhu Vaikuntha or south Dwarka. But we consider it non different from Vrindavan. I have written a book of course we call it Bhuvaikuntha in its mahatmya, I have written that it’s Vrindavan. There are many evidences that it’s nondifferent from Vrindavan. This book was original in Marathi, some 10 years ago. This book is in great demand. It’s printed 7 times, 40000 copies have been distributed. By next festival here in July that’s my birthday we will have this book in English. So devotees around the world could understand the glories of Pandharpur dhama.

In the ISKCON temple we have Radha Pandharinath and on the altar in the Vittala temple we have Rukmini and Radha Rani also. That’s a very clear indication that this dhama is not just Vaikuntha or Dwarka it’s Vrindavan. Part of Pandharpur dhama there is Gopalpur, Krsna’s cow herding pastimes took place there. The foot prints of cows, calves, Krsna’s flute like that all these symbols reminds us of Vrindavan.

4 -5 days after ashadi ekadasi devotees go to Gopalpur and they have festival there called as Gopalkala meaning all cowherd boys sit in circle and have Bhajan. So, devotees in mood of cowherd boys also sit in circle remembering the Go-charan pastime and enjoy prasadam there called as Gopalkala.

There is also is a mountain nearby that’s Govardhana. At the foot hill of this Govardhana hill, Yamuna also flows here and joins Chandrabhaga, there is confluence of Yamuna and Chandrabhaga.

I have described all this in my book. So, keep chanting. Pandharpur dhama also reminds of the glories of the holy name and saints here in Pandharpur. One such devotee was Tukaram Maharaja he was known for his abhangas, bhajans, kirtan. It is considered that Tukaram was initiated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and he has spread the glories of the Lord by his chanting. He has written the glories of the Lord in his abhangas and were also sung by him.

Hare Krsna

jai narsingha sri narsingh
jai jai sri narsingha
ugram viram maha-vishnum
jvalantam sarvato mukham
nrisimham bhishanam bhadram
mrityur mrityum namamy aham
Prahalad Narsingha Dev ki Jai

Harikirtana nice name, Hari’s kirtana- Harikirtana. Today’s participants 580 still there is obstacle on our path in reaching the target. Target of 600 steady chanters by end of this month. May Lord Narsingha remove that obstacle.

Lord Narsingh Dev ki jai!

We need 20 more steady chanters. Please Lord, I am praying on your behalf to Lord Narsingha Dev. Once we have 650 chanters few days ago on day of Ekadasi that means some of you are not steadily chanting on this conference being unsteady that is also anartha. I pray that Lord Narsingha remove that obstacle from your life.

You want more vapu association then vani association. You would all like me to visit your temples, visit your country. I am trying to minimize my travel. And hence we have this means of communication like we are doing this japa through this conference. May be you demand of me personally coming to you to your home, to your temple, to your countries, to continents. May Lord settle you with this. More important is vani association, vani seva.

Vapu seva verses vani seva, so may you all be settled with vani seva concept. Not be attached to vapu seva, vani seva is more important.

We are all chanters of the holy name. Of course we have received this instruction of chanting from our spiritual master but originally this instruction came from Prahalad Maharaj, a great devotee of Lord Narsingha Dev. He got this instruction from Narada Muni when he was in womb of his mother.

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

(SB 7.5.23)

These are the nine ways to serve the Lord. His demonic father had sent him to so called gurukul -school where teachers were also demons Shanda and Amarka.

One time when Prahalad Maharaj had come for vacation, he had come back to palace of Hiranyakasipur. Then Hiranyakasipur had enquired “My dear little boy, what did you learn, could you tell me the essence of what you had learnt. Prahalad Maharaj said “Sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam..” these are the nine ways to serve my Lord, serve Krsna.

Especially in this age of kali this is the process to serve and love the Lord. Beginning with sravanam, kirtanam, smaranam this is the process which we have to learn from Prahalad Maharaj, which he learned from Narada Muni. Narada Muni learned from Brahma and which he learned from Lord Himself. So in that parampara we are taught this process of chanting and hearing that we do during this conference also

As one takes to process of chanting hearing sravanam kirtanam then there are obstacles stumbling blocks. Something that comes to do vinash of our bhakti. Some factors some personalities and we want protection. We want someone to remove these obstacles.

Lord Narsingha is known for bhakti vighna vinashak. Narsingha Dev bhagvan ki jai! Bhakti vighna vinashak Narsingha dev ki jai!

Lord Narsingha Dev removes obstacles anarthas. We want Narsingha Dev we want Him to intervene and help us out so that we could carry on our chanting and hearing.

kesava dhrita-narahari-rupa jaya jagadisa hare [Sri Dasavatara-stotra]

Narsingha Dev is Krsna Keshav dhrita, Keshav became Narsingha. Krsna assumes the form of Narsingha and then He does His lila to remove obstacles. He becomes Bhakti vighna vinashak for the practitioners, the chanters of holy name. As we chant Radha’s name obstacles are there, stumbling block are there. Then Krsna for us also becomes Narsingha and removes those obstacles.

He removes all obstacles from our path of bhakti. So Prahalad Maharaj’s own father was obstacle on the path of his devotional service. In our case also it could be our parents our neighbors, somebody, some man, some women they become kind of personification of kama, krodha, lobha, mad, moha, matsarya, personification of all these demoniac qualities. Or that demon could also be hiding within us. Our mentality could be like that of a demon.

We are also stumbling block on our path of our devotional service. So that was demonstrated by Lord by appearing as Narsingha. That Lord got rid of this Hiranyakasipur. He was lust personified, kama and spirit of enjoyment. They are inside and outside. We would like to pray to Narsingha Dev that there are so many obstacles, please remove these obstacles.

Jai Narsingha Dev.

As there is lion king of the forest, he maintains peace in the forest as all the other animals are scared of him and they don’t create any disturbances. Like that, this material world is also like a dangerous forest filled with animals which keep on attacking us.

So, Lord Narsingha Dev like a bodyguard will always give us protection form anarthas –kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mad, matsarya and other people who create disturbances in our chanting and hearing.

yato yato yami tato nrisimhah
bahir nrisimho hridaye nrisimho
nrisimham adim saranam prapadye

This prayer we pray, Oh! Lord be with me, wherever I go, be around and protect me so that I can carry on my devotional activities without any obstacles. This demon Hiranyakasipur

wanted to be immortal. Like that demons personified around us want to survive, thrive and be around us troubling us forever. That was also wish of Hiranyakasipur but Lord kindly and so smartly and intelligently He handled Hiranyakasipur took care of him, smashed him. Like that there are anarthas around us day after day and day in and day out or forever. But Lord Narsingha Dev took care of Prahalad Maharaj like that He takes care of demons around us. Lord is very tricky also.

Today is appearance day of Narsingha Dev but we want Lord to always be in our life and give us power to fight with the obstacles. We should always thank Lord Narsingha as He protects us from all obstacles. We should welcome the Lord, we thank Lord for whatever He is doing for us. Be part of our life, enter our life. He should keep appearing in our life every day.

Today is Narsingha chaturdasi you should all celebrate it where ever you are. It was first started in Los Angeles by Srila Prabhupada.

Narsingha Dev ki jai!

Prahalad Maharaj ki jai!

Hare Krsna

Today’s participants are 575 by now, we have assigned Padmamali Prabhu to keep track of the participants. And at the end of the month the scores will be announced. I am expecting and praying that you are improving the quality of your chanting after joining this conference in association of devotees and I am witness, I am also present. So some devotees are replying ‘Yes Guru Maharaj definitely’ So, sometimes you also write that your japa is improving in my association. You should also tell if you are facing any problem in chanting. Some devotees in Ukraine must be getting up very early so your sleep may not be completed. You can write your realizations or questions, appreciations we can’t do that fully or whole heartedly here so we have our official website. We will try to respond to your questions.

So japa talk is to inspire you for quality chanting and attentive chanting. We give some tips, guidelines, some inspirational statements for improving your chanting. So talking of the mood during chanting also I would like to share the mood of Akrura while he was on the way to Vrindavan to meet Sri Krsna. Srila Prabhupada strongly recommends us to cultivate that kind of mood for those who are going to Vrindavan. So you might be thinking I only go once to Vrindavan during kartik time or Govardhan puja time or Mayapur Vrindavan festival. But that’s not true while chanting we are on our journey or we are on our way to Vrindavan. We aspire to meet Krsna, see Krsna, meet Krsna, associate with Krsna, be a apart of His pastimes. So we are thinking of meeting Krsna, where we will find Krsna? In Vrindavan, we will find Krsna in Vrindavan, He does not put a step out of Vrindavan. Our goal is to meet Him, feel Him so that’s the journey; we are on the way to Vrindavan while we are chanting.

vrindavanam parityajya padam ekam na gacchati
So your goal while chanting is to meet Krsna. So,
ratham asthayaprayayau nanda-gokulam[SB 10.38.1]

Bhagavatam is describing journey of Akrura to Vrindavan or of Vrindavan. His journey is described as prayayau, Sukdeva Goswami does not say yayau means to go but he says prayayau, prakrista rupena yayau. Making his journey wholesome and what made his journey wholesome? The way he was thinking and contemplating and aspiring to meet to Krsna. All those thoughts made that journey a wholesome journey or prayayau journey.

In fact there were kind of two journeys his body was moving forward in the chariot and his soul, his thoughts were seated on the chariot of his mind this journey is called manoratha. Mind does thinking feeling willing so that mind is also seated on a chariot and is travelling moving forward in the direction of Vrindavan. So there are two journeys simultaneously happening of body and mind. Both the journeys are happening seating in the chariot, seating in the chariot of mind. He is thinking its great fortune of mine that I am able to go Vrindavan. What did I do? Is that due to the austerities i did I am able to go to Vrindavan today and will be able to see Krsna.

But as he thinks I have not performed any austerities, I have not done any charities, I have not performed any yajnas still He is allowing me to go to Vrindavan and see Him today. It must be just causeless mercy of Lord that I am able to go to Vrindavan. He was thinking this aspiration or desire of wanting to take His darsana or meet Krsna he had always maintained in his heart for long time. May be because of that I am able to go.

Kamsa, as the kind of person he was, he had been harassing so many Yadavas. So all the devotees and Kings of Mathura as result they had gone to this country that country. They had deserted but in midst of that Akrura tolerated all the inconvenience or harassment of Kamsa and he stayed on in Mathura the only reason being Mathura is next to Vrindavan, sometime I will be able to have darsana of my Lord. So he had maintained this desire that I will meet Krsna and see Krsna. So he never left Mathura, while others had done so. On the way to Vrindavan he was thankful to Kamsa because he is the one who was sending Akrura to Vrindavan; of course he had different reason why he is sending Akrura. But Akrura’s own purpose of meeting Krsna was also getting fulfilled. So he was thanking Kamsa.

Akrura is also thinking he is thinking and thinking that I hope and pray that Krsna will not misunderstand me that I have been sent, dispatched by Kansa. But then Akrura thinking, no no Krsna is in everybody’s heart, He knows what is on my mind. I preferred this path, Kamsa has his reasons but I have different reason, for different reason I am going to Vrindavan.

Krsna will not misunderstand; He will certainly understand my feelings of going to Vrindavan. Kamsa has his own purpose and I have my own purpose and for sure Krsna will definitely take recognition of this and He will not misunderstand me.

Akrura, his mind is fixed on Krsna or on meeting Krsna, darsana of Sri Krsna. He has whole strategy. As I arrive in Nandagokul, first person I want to see in Gokul is Krsna and Balarama. I don’t want to see anybody. First person he wants to see is Krsna. That is why he doesn’t want to arrive in the middle of the day while Krsna is in the forest. He wants to arrive in Nandagokul around the time of Krsna’s returning from forest, like sandhyakal or godhuli bela that’s the time he wants to arrive,just little after Krsna’s arrival from forest. So he is making all this strategic planning. So as soon he reaches there, Krsna is there and he would see Him.

Akrura is also thinking, so this is his mood and contemplating. He is thinking, oh Krsna is known as Uttamsloka He is glorified by uttamslokas. Beautiful, wonderful slokas He is glorified. I won’t be able to do that so I am not qualified or eligible to meet Him. I won’t be able to see him because I won’t be able to praise Him with best of the shloka, best of the statements or verses.

One name of Krsna is Uttamsloka, He is also called Uttamsloka but then he remembers He is also known as Achyuta, meaning infallible. Krsna never falls in maya or never falls down. Living entities could fall down. But Krsna never falls down or maya never takes over Krsna, He always remains on top of maya, Achyuta.

So when Akrura is thinking that Krsna is addressed as Achyuta he is thinking Lord is very kind and He never falls. Being kind is His nature and under all circumstances He is very kind Achyuta. In that sense he is thinking. Look Putana had come to Him and only thought of coming to Him, she wanted to make Krsna her child. She wanted to feed Him, what she wanted to feed is another thing, the poison. Just a thought of feeding Krsna but Krsna took it in different sense. He exhibited all kindness to her.

kam va dayalum saranam vrajema [SB 3.2.23]
Uddhava was taking like that to Vidura.

And then Krsna made another mother other then Yasodha, mother Putana in the spritual sky. Look at the kindness of the Lord. This is the nature of My lord, He is achyuta. Then he thought there is a hope for me. I can’t do Uttamsloka but He is Achyuta. I am sure He will be kind to me as I am going to meet Him, He will certainly give me darsana.

It’s not that I want to see Him or living entity wants to meet Krsna but Krsna also wants to see, meet living entity, His children, His part and parcel. So we take one step and Krsna takes 1000 steps towards us. While he was traveling to Vrindavan he is thinking of beauty of Krsna. His pitambar,

purnendra sundar mukhat arvind netrat

He is bringing all those beautiful features in his mind and he is contemplating on beauty of Krsna.

drakṣyāmi nūnaṁ su-kapola-nāsikaṁ [SB 10.38.9]

Certainly I will see my Lord, who is sukapola nasikam He has broad forehead and raised nose.

smitāvalokāruṇa-kañja-locanam

His smiling face and beautiful blooming eyes I will see, draksyami nunam. So he is contemplating on the beautiful features of the Lord.

So like that there is lot more about the mood and mission of Akrura. His mission of meeting Krsna. He is very thoughtful, he is thinking of Krsna, he is very anxious to meet Krsna. Prabhupada says one should have mood like Akrura while as one is on the way to Vrindavan. And we are moving towards Vrindavan while chanting. So the mood or bhava or dhyana or meditation is of prime importance on the way back to Vrindavan, on the way back to meet Krsna. OK time for darsana.

Hare Krishna

Encourage everybody to keep chanting and chant with attention. Attentive chanting or meditative chanting, offence less chanting Sravanam, kirtanam leads to smaranam. It helps us in remembering the Lord. We are chanting to remember the Lord’s pastimes. Each day could be an opportunity, a reason to remember different pastimes. If we remember what day it is then that also becomes a reason to remember different pastimes. What we have heard the day before can also help us remember different pastimes.

So today is Rukmini Dvadasi, appearance day of Rukmini Maharani. So naturally while chanting we remember form of Rukmini, pastimes of Rukmini, abode of Rukmini which is related to Dwarkadhish. As we hear and remember the consorts of the Lord we get attached to the Lord. We feel we should get the association of Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkadhish and Vitthala Rukmini.

dhyayato visayan pumsah
sangas tesupajayate [BG 2.62]

When we contemplate on something we get attached to it. From the life of Rukmini we can understand as She heard about Dwarkadhish She got attached to Him. Sometimes we write, ‘How I came to Krsna Consciousness in Back To Godhead magazine. I also wrote. It is interesting to know how Rukmini became Krsna conscious. First of all we can remember Her birthplace, Rukmini was born in Kundinpur, Vidarbha Central India about 150 kms from Nagpur.

There lived king Bhīsmaka and She is daughter of Bhīsmaka so She was called Bhīsmaka kanya. She was born in Vidarbha so She is also called Vaidarbhi. Her complexion is golden so She is called Rukmini – rukma means gold. As she grew as a child in Kundinpur, there were many opportunities to hear about the Lord from saints visiting King Bhīsmaka. Those parivrajakacaryas had association of Dwarkadhish and they traveled to Kundinpur and shared the pastimes of Dwarkadhish with King Bhīsmaka. Rukmini would sit around and hear.

Sri Suka uvaca, Sukadev Goswami has narrated pastimes of Rukmini in the 10th canto from chapter 52 onwards as to how She was brought up in Kundinpur, how She was kidnapped by Lord Dwarkadhish. An interesting detail about Rukmini is She is Chandravali. Just like Radha becomes Satyabham in Dwarka.

Lailta becomes Jambavati and Vishaka becomes Kalindi. So the gopis become consorts of Dwarkadhish in Dwarka.

sopaśrutya mukundasya
 rūpa-vīrya-guṇa-śriyaḥ
gṛhāgatair gīyamānās
 taṁ mene sadṛśaṁ patim [SB 10.52.23]

Sukadev Goswami is narrating with great joy how Rukmini heard about the Lord who is described here as Mukunda about His Rupa, His pastimes, His qualities. Rukmini heard from those parivrajakacaryaa of Dwarka.

taṁ mene sadṛśaṁ patim

Her determination was that She would only marry Dwarkadhish. ‘I love you, Oh Lord!She had never seen or met Him. Just by hearing about Him She wanted to marry Him only. This could also happen to us. We could also come to such a conclusion that I will accept the Lord only as my husband. ‘My Lord and no one else and I will be chaste about it and I will not go to anyone else. Not to this Demigod or this person or that person nayti nayti mam yeti fixed on the Lord only. This is attentive chanting.

vyavasayatmika buddhir
ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-sakha hy anantas ca
buddhayo ‘vyavasayinam [BG 2.41]

Fixed get determination only on Krsna and not on many branches, so cut of all those branches that’s called vyavasayatmika buddhi. So she got such buddhi by hearing about the Lord. Elder brother of Rukmini Rukmi was against Rukmini getting married to Krsna because he had proposed Krsna’s number one enemy Sisupala to be Her husband. So Rukmini sat down and wrote a love letter to the Lord. First thing She wrote Sukadev Gowami has narrated that letter in Bhagavatam it contains 7 sloks.

So first thing She mentions is,

rī-rukmiṇy uvāca
śrutvā guṇān bhuvana-sundara śṛṇvatāṁ te
nirviśya karṇa-vivarair harato ’ṅga-tāpam [SB 10. 52.37]

She admits and writes: ‘You are so sundar, You are so beautiful. I heard through ears and those sounds reached my heart and that has given me relief. My temperature has gone done. I was missing You, separation from You, but hearing about You I am pacified and it has made me happy.

You could read rest of the pastimes which run through different chapters. And you could also sometime visit the birth place of Rukmini. That’s also part of my preaching zone. We are happy we are serving Kaundinpur. Its also called as Kaundinyapur in Maharashtra. Today there is a big celebration, big birthday
party. We have 5 acres land and we are confident that it is where the kidnapping of Rukmini occurred and Balarama had also come. Our land is between the palace of Bhīsmaka and Ambikadevi. As you know She would go to pray to Ambikadevi so that She gets Lord Dwarkadhish as Her husband. We also find kadamba trees on our property. Nowhere else you will find kadamba trees in Vidarbha. So how did the kadamba tree grow there. We like to believe that when Dwarkadhish had come to kidnap Rukmini some flowers must have fell from the garland He was wearing. Now more and more trees are growing on our property. Nobody was planting them. Akrura Prabhu is taking care of that land he had showed me many tress growing there. So please come to Kaundinpur. Also we have Rukmini Dwarkadhish temple in Amravati. We are planning to build a big temple in Kaundinpur.

Rukmini Dwarkadhish ki jai
Kaundinpur dhama ki jai

I will chant today, I will chant now

Blessings to all the chanters! Today number has gone up, 572. Congratulations to all, especially to those additional numbers and be steady during chanting. Be with us steadily! And you all have to work also to add numbers. Tell your relatives, dear ones to connect with this conference. The name of this conference is ‘let us chant together’, so more the merrier! Will you be happy? Or only I will become happy if there are more devotees chanting.
I did see a big number of boys chanting together in ISKCON Jalgaon. Looks like they are having their summer camp. Udaipur is also having big number. So when I see that big number chanting together, I become happy. Krishna becomes happy for sure and then we also become happy, so let us chant together in a bigger number and every day, day after day.

We should be in present while chanting.

adyaivameva visato manasaraj hansah, this is the prayer of king Kulashekhar, ‘Oh Lord, let my mind enter or think of Your lotus feet, now!’ so he did not want to postpone his chanting or prayers to the Lord, or thinking of the lotus feet or form of the Lord; not that I will do that later on. Now and here! Some people think I will chant later on, I will chant tomorrow. So there was a person who had made a sign ‘from tomorrow I will chant’. So whenever he would get up in the morning, he would place that sign on the wall and the first thing he could read after getting up was ‘I will chant from tomorrow’. So everyday he would read from tomorrow I will chant, from tomorrow I will chant and that tomorrow has no end and he would never chant in that mood. He thinks, ‘I will chant later on, I will chant in future, I will chant when I will be old.’ Don’t do this. The prayer of Kulashekhar is “I will chant today, I will chant now.”

I am seeing some of you elderly folks are also chanting and I am happy that you are chanting. I was thinking that you should be praying, ‘Oh Lord! Now I don’t have a big future. I don’t know how long I am going to be around. Oh Lord, please bring me, please keep my mind on Your lotus feet now.’ But this is also illusion when youngsters think, ‘No, no, I have lot of time. The old folks, they should take it seriously.’ This is not right thinking either.
One time in a press conference, Prabhupada, to one of the press person, he asked this question, ‘Swamiji, people are supposed to be getting sannyasa at the advanced age, when they are towards 70. That is when they should be taking sannyasa. But you are giving sannyasa to young disciples. They are in their 20’s and 30’s and you are giving them sannyasa. This is not fair. When they will become old, they should be given sannyasa. So Prabhupada asked him, ‘how did you find the old age? Who do you think is old?’ So they said, ‘the person who is about to die is considered old. He could die any day, any month, in one of these years, he is old. So Prabhupada said, ‘is there any guarantee that my young disciples, they would not die one of these days or one of these weeks or months or next year? There is no guarantee. Is there any guarantee?’ They said, ‘yes, Swamiji, there is no guarantee.

They could also die any day in one of these years.’ So Prabhupada said, ‘so they are old, old enough to receive sannyasa.’ I am seeing that you are getting the message. So don’t postpone! We should have faith in present tense. Not in future, I will chant, I will become devotee. Who knows whether we are going to reach that future or we will stop reaching that future.  So old people, either they are in the past or they are in the future mentally and as a result they do not remain in the present. In Bhagavad-Gita in one shloka Lord says, either we are thinking of the past or lamenting for the past or we are hankering for something to achieve in future and in this thought process kind of contemplation, we do not remain in the present.

So chanting is the time to chant in the present. Now I am here, I am chanting, I want to chant. Now is the time, I want to take shelter of the Lord in the form of this Holy name.  Then as we chant and by chanting take shelter of the Holy name, and we are doing, mam ekam sharanam vraja (BG 18.66), then what does Lord do, aham tvam sarva papebhyo mokshayisyami ma sucah. So, whatever wrong doings we perform in the past and then reactions are awaiting us, so Krishna will stop those reactions from transpiring or taking place and as a result we have brighter future, Krishna conscious future, which we are aspiring for.

brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param [BG 18.54]

na socati na kanksati, then we will become prasannatma, our atma will become prasanna,
samah sarvesu bhutesu madbhaktim labhate param

We will attain bhakti and with devotion we will perform all our activities, then no more lamentation of the past and no more mundane aspiration for the future.

So, the essence of Bhagavad Gita, or the final instructions of Bhagavad Gita or advice of Sri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita is to take shelter of Me, mam ekam saranam vraja or sarva dharman parityajya is also there. Not by karma, not by yoga, not by jnana, but only by chanting, that’s why mam ekam saranam vraja. We do this. We follow that instruction, final instruction of Bhagavad Gita, as we chant Hare Krishna. We did sarva dharman parityajya, not karmakanda dharma, jnana dharma, yoga dharma, but harer nama kevalam, mam ekam saranam vraja, we did that as we chant Hare Krishna. And then as a result, we already said, aham tvam sarva papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah, Lord makes us mukta, liberation, Lord makes us bhakta, we become bhakta as we are chanting His Holy Name and not to worry, not to lament for the sins we had performed, the wrong doings we did.
I was remembering the prayers of queen Kunti also, some of the prayers of queen Kunti, this morning as we were chanting. Specialty of those prayers is she had offered these prayers in personal presence of the Lord. She was face to face with the Lord. They both were in Hastinapur and Lord was sitting on the chariot and this was after Kurukshetra battle and Krishna was now ready to leave for Dwaraka and  Kunti has come forward and as she is seeing Lord sited on the chariot and she was praying. There is no time to share all those prayers, but I will share some.

namah pankaj nabhaya namah pankaj netraya
namah pankaj maline namaste pankajangraye (SB 1.8.22)

You have heard this prayer. So as if why there is no ifs and buts, but in fact, she is seeing the Lord and then she is informing us, broadcasting to all of us as we were not present there.  She is seeing face and eyes of the Lord, Oh! namah pankaj netray, Oh lotus eyed Lord and she is seeing the garland around His neck, namah pankaj maline, Oh Lord You are wearing garland of lotus flowers.

That famous prayer is also there,
krsnaya vasudevaya devaki dandanaya ca
nandagopa kumaraya govindaya namo namah (1.8.21)

This is one of the prayers of queen Kunti. Towards the end she is also saying gangevaugham udanvantih ratim, so my thoughts that my devotion, let it flow towards You like a Ganges’ flow, like Ganges flow constantly day and night without interruption so let me devote myself unto You like that without interruption.

srnvati gayanti grinanty abhiksnasah smaranti nandanti tavehitam janah

She is encouraging, as we are in this chanting conference, srnvanti gayanti, we should do hearing, chanting, remembrance, take get pleasure in doing this. Pasyanti acirena tavakam bhava pravahoparamam padambujam, and she is also giving guarantee, okay, I am seeing Krishna is in front of me, I am seeing His lotus feet, but you could also, you will  also become eligible, qualified to see these lotus feet which I am seeing if you will do srnvanti gayanti grnanty. If you will be chanting, hearing, remembering, you would also see these lotus feet of the Lord. And of course, she is adding bhava pravahoparamam, otherwise we are floating, going down the drain with the flow. This world is sansar sagar (material ocean) or sansar pravah, so this could be stopped, come ashore, come to Lord. Stop this going round and round and up and down, stop bhava pravahoparamam. Lord Vitthal, Panduranga, by placing His lotus hands on His hips, He is also giving indication, hinting at all those who come for His darshan, that water here is not that deep. You have come for My darshan, how deep is the water? Only waist deep! You could see, you have crossed this ocean and stopped the flow of going up and down and round and round. You have come to Me, now you have been saved, rescued, ma sucah, do not fear.

Panduranga! Panduranga!
So keep chanting, chant and be happy!
Hare Krishna

Keep serving the Lord under all circumstances.

Hari Bol to all the chanters! Today we have 554 chanters, not yet reached 600! So work towards the goal. Jai Sitai I just heard the announcement that today is appearance day of Sita Maharani. Jai Sitai! Today is Sita Navami. We pray unto Sita’s lotus feet that She should engage us in the service of Her Lord Sri Rama! Radha is Sita. Radharani expands and becomes Gopi and Radha further expands and becomes queens of Lord Krishna in Dwaraka. Radha further expands and becomes Laxmi. Radha further expands and Sita is Laxmi of Sri Rama. So like that, these are all Radha’s expansions.

So, Krishna also expands and becomes Rama, Radha also expands and She becomes Sita. So we are chanting Sita’s name everyday as we chant Hare Krishna. When we say Hare we say Sita or Sitai. Chanting of Hare Krishna,

namnamakari bahudha nijasarva shaktis (Siksastakam Sholka2)

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has said that there are so many shaktis, energies and Radha is one name of that shakti and Rukmini is another name of that shakti and Laxmi is yet another name and Sita is yet another name of that shakti. These are big shaktis, otherwise there are so many other shaktis, ultimately, we all living entities are shaktis. So especially Radha and Sita are His energies. They are Him, Krishna only, He has expanded in form of all these shaktis and have their names.

Like that Hare Krishna mantra is called mahamantra, the greatest mantra for or of deliverance. As we chant Hare Krishna, we are chanting or that chanting includes the names of all other incarnations and Alhadini shakti and spiritual potencies or pleasure giving potencies like Sita also. Rama Sita is included in this mantra, that’s why it is mahamantra.

We know as Radha serves Krishna in Vrindavan, Sita serves Rama in Ayodhya. Sita is so much attached to the association of Sri Rama and attached to the service of the lotus feet of Sri Rama. We could also say that She choose navami as a tithi for Her appearance as Rama also appeared on navami. So Rama navami and today is Sita navami. As in case of Sri Krishna also Krishna appeared on ashtami and so did Radha appeared on ashtami. We have Krishna ashtami and Radha ashtami, Rama navami and Sita navami.

Lord Rama accepted Sita as concert by garlanding in that Sita svayamvar. So many ladies those were watching Rama accepting Sita. They were happy, Rama was accepting Sita, but they were also not happy thinking, ‘only Sita? Why not us? When would He accept us also, make us His wife? Could we also be wives of Sri Rama?’ These were the thoughts of those ladies around, during Sita’s svayamvar. Of course that avatar, Sri Rama, He was going to take vow of ‘eka patni’, Rama is known for eka patni, only one wife. So He did not accept other; He read their minds, but He was not going to do that. Lord was setting another example for grihasthas, ‘one life one wife’.

So, Lord very kindly accepted these Avadha naris or Mithilavasi ladies as gopis in Vrindavan in Krishna lila. So there is one category, there are different kinds known by different names, different sets of gopis, one is Mithilavasini gopis from Mithila or Avadhadesh, all those who wanted to be Rama’s wives or accepted Rama as their beloved. Lord fulfilled that desire as He appeared as Sri Krishna in Vrindavan and they were Mithilavasini gopis.

So, as we chant Hare Krishna, this chanting is a prayer; we also pray at the lotus feet of Sita and Rama, They may accept us as servant at Their lotus feet. He has accepted so many, as Bhakti Vinod Thakur says, Lord You have delivered even demons. Why not me? Why are you leaving me behind, Oh! Lord please deliver me, accept me also into that universe, into that abode, into that world.’ So that should be our prayer while chanting our japa. This is one prayer.

And there is also prayer which says, I could say without doubt that without mercy of Radharani one cannot get Sri Krishna. So without mercy of Sita we cannot get Sri Rama. We need Sita’s recommendation. And we can extend that and say that without the mercy of our previous acaryas, without the mercy of guru-parampara, without the mercy of spiritual master, we cannot get or achieve Sri Krishna or Sri Rama. Jai Sitai!

Within few days there is appearance day of Rukmini also coming, on 16th in India, celebration of Rukmini appearance day. So Lord left for the forest. Sita could not stay behind and She followed Sri Rama everywhere. And that forest life, Sita was also forest dweller with Sri Rama and Laxman was also there. So, in that austere condition She kept serving Sri Rama. So this is the topmost example, how Lord should be served, Sita is the topmost devotee of Lord Sri Rama. No matter what She had to face or go through, She maintained Her determination, kept serving Lord under all circumstances. We could also follow that example, that we could also serve even in adverse situation or anti Krishna conscious elements or factors or situation which try to cause disturbance or distraction, we should push through, stick to our service as did Sita.

We know how Ravan was torturing Sita, not himself but through other agents or demonesses, he had appointed them, so that She would give up this Rama. ‘Who is this creature Rama?’, he would say. He would insult Sri Rama, trying to get Sita to accept him, Ravan. And he was trying and trying day in and day out. But there was no way that Sita would change Her mind and would give up Rama for Ravan, give up Lord for Maya, this mayavi Ravan. He was representing Maya and he was going to provide some lust, kama, as he was full of lusty desires. And other side, Rama providing love, prema, full of loving dealings. So Sita was in between, but She was not allured, not for a second. And She stucked to Rama consciousness, praying to Rama, wanting reunion with Rama, keep Ravan out.

So we are also caught in between. Of course Sita is not marginal energy like us. Sita is eternal potency of the Lord; we are marginal energy of the Lord. So certainly we are in between, Krishna at one side and Maya at another side. And Maya is in so many forms, there is Ravan, that time there was one Ravan, but so many Ravans around us now, they eternally exist. Ravan is a mentality, Ravan is representative of Maya. So those Maya’s representatives, Ravans are around us at one side and at other side we have Sri Rama, we have Sri Krishna, and that whole world. And choice is yours, choice is ours, but we know what did Sita chose and that should be our choice or we should pray to Sita that we make the right choice. Neti, neti, not this, not this, this is Maya, this is Ravan, this is lust, this is anartha, Oh this side this is Krishna,, Krishna’s name, Krishna’s qualities, Krishna’s abode, Krishna’s devotees, Krishna’s service, Krishna’s prasad. So we have to say no to Maya or no to Ravan and yes to Rama, yes to Krishna, yes to Krishna’s pastimes, devotees, like that.

So when Hanuman had come to Lanka and met Sita, and towards the end proposed, let us go where there is Rama. How to go? He proposed that he could carry, Sita would sit on his shoulders and he would take off and would drop Her off wherever Sri Rama is. But Sita did not approve that proposal. She said, ‘no, no, I could only touch Sri Rama. You are another person, another man.’ This is Sita’s chastity. ‘No I can’t touch your shoulders. You bring Rama here. Let Him accept me. Let Him show His prowess to gain me, back again.’ So that is what Rama and Hanuman did and finally the battle of Sri Lanka, Ravan was killed and finally there was reunion after long separation, reunion between Rama and Sita. But before Rama would accept Sita, She had to undergo scrutiny, She had to go through the fire and if She is pure, unadulterated, not touched by Ravan, not touched by illusory thoughts of enjoying something else or someone else other than Sri Rama then She would be in tact in the fire, fire would not touch Her, burn Her. So She had put through this test and She passed the test. She came out clean, untouched by the fire and then there was great union between Sita and Sri Rama.

Jai Sitarani Mahotsav ki Jai!

During the day, read Ramayan. You could also read, Shukadeva also done recitation of Ramayan in two chapters of ninth canto of Bhagavatam, I think chapter 10th and 11th. So you could read that summary. Summary of Ramayan is there, pastimes of Sita and Rama are there.

Jai Sitai! Jai Sri Rama! Jai Sri Harinama! Harinama prabhu ki Jai!

Hare Krsna

Blessings to all the chanters! You had been seeking blessings – please bless my family, bless my son. So I am blessing you all. My blessings are there. The whole parampara is blessing you. It’s Sunday so it’s understandable that the number is 508. This is the trend. We go low on Sundays. However whatever talk I give you should not be missed. Some days we have gone up to 580 also and then all the way down to 508. We are fluctuating, but it is good to remember that our target by the end of this month is to cross and be steady with 600. This is responsibility of all of you participants to see how to achieve this goal of 600 by end of this month.

nirodho ’syānuśayanam
ātmanaḥ saha śaktibhiḥ
muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ
sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ

The merging of the living entity, along with his conditional living tendency, with the mystic lying down of the Mahā-Viṣṇu is called the winding up of the cosmic manifestation. Liberation is the permanent situation of the form of the living entity after he gives up the changeable gross and subtle material bodies. (SB2.10.6)

Giving up all varieties of bodies and forms ultimately we have to situate ourselves in sva-rupena vyavasthitih. Situate in our own svarupa and that is our self the spirit.

atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah.

“No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality and pastimes of Sri Krsna through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him.” (Padma Purana)

The full Lord can’t be experienced using our blunt material senses. atah sri-krsna-namadi –rupa, guna, lila adi can’t be realized.

Sevanmukhe jiva – we have begin somewhere. Begin using your tongue to realize the Lord. Of course you could also honor prasada. That’s nice but you could also use your tongue to chant Hare Krsna or other glories of Lord could be chanted with the help of the tongue. As we chant and chant the glories of the holy name or chant the holy names with the tongue in this age of kali, you will be purified.

The Lord will reveal Himself unto you, the chanter. So in our existence there is something called antahkaran. That refers to antah(internal or inside) and karan (upakaran – subtle body, mind, intelligence, false ego). Some cetana, some sort of consciousness or realisation that I am living, that I exist. As there is antahkaran there is also bahyakaran, the external senses. There are five knowledge acquiring senses. These are also upakaran which are external in our gross body. Of course we are not certainly anthakaran. Either as we hear we are not this body does not mean “ I am not this body!” So we are not this gross body consisting of external senses bahyakaran. Neither are we anthakaran. We are not mind, body, intelligence, false go. We are not that either.

As it is said in Bhagavad- Gita [5.8-9]

naiva kiñcit karomīti
yukto manyeta tattva-vit
paśyañ śṛṇvan spṛśañ jighrann
aśnan gacchan svapañ śvasan

pralapan visṛjan gṛhṇann
unmiṣan nimiṣann api
indriyāṇīndriyārtheṣu
vartanta iti dhārayan

While we do different activities with this body, breathing in and out, eating, walking, talking, sleeping. Lord Krsna has given a small list there. Krsna says that the soul does not take part in it. It’s not the soul doing all this – you sleeping,talking. whatever you are doing – the eternal body or the subtle body.

Bhagavatam explains many things the hunger and the thirst is because of the praan in us. This is part of the subtle body. Because of praan one feels hungry or thirsty. It’s not the soul that’s hungry and thirsty. It’s the body that is hungry or thirsty. It’s the praan that experiences hunger and thirst, not the soul.

We of course identify ourselves with this body and we think I am this body. This is illusion. The bigger illusion, more subtle illusion is caused by the subtle body. We identify more with the subtle body than the eternal body.

hitvānyathā rūpaṁ
sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ

This is how mukti or liberation is defined. We have given up so many bodies and now we are in this body. But jivan mukta sa ucyate while you are still in this body, while your soul is still on this body jivan mukta you are mukta. Some souls attain such level while residing in this world and residing in this body. They are jivan mukta, they are free. They do not identify with the gross body. As we hear from Jad Bharat while he was talking with King Rahugan. His self realisation is very clear. Our goal while chanting is try to attain this svarupena – situating our self in our real self. Situating our self in our real self is completed when we keep ourselves at the lotus Feet of the Lord. In the good old days people would enquire “Svastha ho?” How are you? They thought differently. Nowadays we think differently. We think of the body and the health of the body. But knowledgeable people in the ancient days when they asked “Svastha ho?’ they asked – tha means situation like there is grhastha, gramastha stationed in the house, the village. Stha are you situated in yourself? In other words how’s yourself. IS it properly situated at the lotus Feet of Lord or in relationship with Lord? How’s your situation? Svastha ho? Are you properly situated in relationship with the Lord. So while chanting the holy names of the Lord while we are chanting our goal is to become svastha healthy, properly situated sva-rupena vyavasthitih.

Situated in our self in our ultimate svarupa. we should situate ourselves in the ultimate relation that we have with the Lord. I was thinking while chanting today that we should be paying attention. We are chanting. I am chanting, but who am I? I am a soul. My soul is chanting and not just my throat or my tongue. In my mind there are some thoughts of chanting. Some of this is gross and some of it is subtle but ultimately spiritual chanting is that the soul is chanting. Not my tongue, body or anthakaran but the core, my soul is chanting.

Why do we say I think you or congratulate you from the bottom of my heart. That’s the place where the soul is. May be antahkaran is at some other place of the heart,but the core of my heart or bottom of my heart that is myself. I am saying this from the soul. You require full attention in order to achieve that goal.

One has to be fully attentive while chanting. Our intelligence in this case, our spiritual intelligence is in action. It is discriminating making sure who is chanting.

Is this body chanting or the throat or am I chanting? NO! I want my soul to chant. Not this! Not this! Yes, this one! This is the soul chanting. I want my soul to chant. I am chanting means my soul is chanting. So in that state of spiritual mind or spiritual intelligence action then the soul will be the chanter who is now chanting with attention, devotion and longing. He will connect with the Lord in form of the holy name. Atma and Parmatma. The Lord in the form of the holy name are connected to bhakti or devotion. That is Japa-yoga. In that state there is no one or nothing in between the soul and the supreme soul in the form of the holy name.

You are fully linked. That is samadhi. This is mantra meditation. That’s the trance which you have transcended all other realm or elements parties. You are beyond this material existence and on spiritual plane with Krsna. I want you to chant more, contemplate on whatever is presented. Keep doing different activities. Share Hare Krsna with others. We can’t be selfish now. Think – I have Krsna and let
me share Him with others.