19 SEPTEMBER 2019

JARE DAKHO TARE KAHO KRISHNA-UPADESH!

This is the time for the World Holy Name Festival so we could announce our scores that today we had 521 participants. During this festival we want to hear some scores, results, number of different festivals conducted, japa sessions you conducted or so many people chanting because of your arrangements. So we are reporting from this session there are 527 participants.

In Lord Caitanyas life and teachings, he has taught and shared His realisations that the chanting of Hare Krishna Hare Krishna / Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama / Rama Rama Hare Hare / transformed his life. He was no longer the same person as soon as he took up the chanting. As He took to the chanting after being initiated by Isvara Puri in Gaya, when He returned to Navadvipa, Mayapur, He was a completely changed person, upside down and inside out. He was changed. No one could recognise that He is the same Nimai Pandit. He does not even look like Nimai Pandit. Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave the credit to Hare Krishna maha-mantra.

All the changes in Him had taken place because of the chanting of Hare Krishna maha-mantra. So He was exhibiting all the symptoms to the extent that by seeing Him all the people around use to say Oh! Nimai has gone mad!

So then Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu went back to his Guru Maharaja asking, ‘Kiba mantra dila gosai kiba Tara Bal, japite japite mantra karil pagal’ Oh!dear Guru Maharaja, my Guru Maharaja, (doesn’t have to say ‘dear’ to an honorable person). He asked what kind of mantra have you given? There is so much power in this! As I started chanting I have gone mad. I laugh, I cry and I roll on the ground, I become stunned and this happens and that happens. And I know that this maha-mantra has done this. So what a powerful mantra it is! Caitanya Mahaprabhu was also talking to devotees, Gadadhar Pandit and Mukunda Datta. Lord was saying to them,’ I wasted my lifetime. I wasn’t chanting like you. I wasn’t a devotee like you. From your very birth you are chanting. You are dancing and you are happy realizing this
mellows of devotion’.

hari hari! biphale janama gonainu
manusya-janama paiya, radha-krsna na bhajiya
janiya suniya bisa khainu

Translation:

O Lord Hari I have spent my life uselessly. Having obtained a human birth and having net worshiped Radha and Krsna, I have knowingly drunk poison.(Dainya Bodhika Song 2 (Ista Deve Vijnapti) Narottama Dasa Thakura He was expressing sentiments like that. I remained busy in sastra and debates, teaching and learning the scriptures, lot of Vidyarjan, but I wasted My time. Why did I not take this chanting of Hare Krishna maha-mantra from early age childhood? He was having such thoughts and was sharing them with the devotees. So with this kind of light and expression Caitanya Mahaprabhu is expressing the glories of the holy name. He is establishing harer nama eva kevalam principal.

dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge (BG 4.8)

Lord has appeared to establish the Dharma for this age of Kali. We are seeing how Caitanya Mahaprabhu is establishing the accomplishment of the glories of the holy name, and Dharma for this age of Kali. We all have to chant. Specially this part is also sadhana. This is one way of chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna /Krishna Krishna Hare Hare /Hare Rama Hare Rama /Rama Rama Hare Hare.

We could say that this is ‘Charity begins at home’. Charity begins with you! It begins with yourself. Mahaprabhu came with the gift of this Harinama and we should be giving this gift to our self. That is what we do when we do our Japa. We are drinking, gifting this holy name to our self and getting benefited. We are getting nourished and flourished as we do this. So certainly we have to do this. At the same time, it is certainly the will and wish of the Lord that we all chant. Those who hear the glories of the holy name understand harer nama eva kevalam. We should be chanting. But we should not be happy only with that. Okay, I am chanting, I am happy. Chant and be happy! But Mahaprabhu
did not want us only to be happy. Mahaprabhu is expecting and instructing all the chanters of the holy name, all those who are following him, all those who have taken up the chanting of the maha-mantra, Mahaprabhu’s instructions all those are:

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

Translation
“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)

This is the instruction of Mahaprabhu, Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is our Prabhu, prabhavashali, he is our master. So this is His order- yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesaamara ajnaya guru hana tara’ ei desa. Srila Prabhupada said to me “yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa” when Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa, that includes Hare Krishna updesa also.

Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s other famous statement, instruction or we could say desire is one which Srila Prabhupada would repeat again and again and again is

bharata-bhumite haila manusya janma yara
janma sarthaka kari’ kara para-upakara

Translation:
“One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bharata-varsa] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people. (CC Adi lila 9.41)

If you have taken birth in Bharat varsa, and you wish to make your life perfect, you have to accomplish this, kara para-upkara. Do para-upkara. Do something good for others. Bahujana hitay bahujana sukhay. Do something for the benefit of others. Give charity, be charitable, magnanimous. Give out! So that is para-upkara which Mahaprabhu wants us to do. I will take some time to explain this. There are many devotees from overseas. They think , Oh! Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “bharata-bhumite haila…… but I was not born in India! I am not Bharatvasi! I am Mauritius vasi or Russia vasi or America vasi. I am from this sthan that sthan, Pakistan, Kazakistan and Australia – Astra sthan. Sastra and astras were kept for safety in the Australian continent. All followers of Gauranga Mahaprabhu wherever they are, they are Bharat vasis. There janma is bharata-bhumite haila. One time I was talking with Ekalavya Prabhuji about this and he said, “I am Bharat vasi because I was initiated in India. I took birth in India. Although I was born in America but my real birth, my spiritual birth was in India.” Then we could say that it doesn’t matter wherever you were initiated, but as you were connected to this parampara , that’s it. From that time onwards you cease to be an American, Australian or Canadian and your birth from there onwards is bharatvasi. This whole planet was Bharatvarsh – India. So this is the instruction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu to all of His followers regardless of their birth, from whichever country or continent.

So this para-upkara business is the propagation of the holy name. We would like to tell all those listeners, participants of this conference and those listening, that it is the time to do para-upkara. Be charitable. Give this gift of the holy name to others. Be charitable! So many things you could do, that we discussed, what the World Holy Name Festival organisers are expecting, about how to celebrate this holy name festival. So understand that, give out the holy name, distribute the holy name.

Just a few minutes ago I was observing a wonderful thing from Noida. Devotees have set up a booth. So many walkers and passersby were made
to sit down and they were chanting. That was a very beautiful scene to watch as I am seeing from the temple. I saw those devotees from Noida Temple preaching and doing para-upkara. Are you not seeing that the Lord is watching this? Do you think Gaurang is not watching or Radha Govind is not seeing the activities in that booth in the park? If I, who is just a tiny being am pleased by that then how much more pleased the Lord must be when He witnesses us doing this charitable work of spreading the holy name. So stay busy following Mahaprabhu order of chanting Hare Krishna and giving Hare Krishna to others. He ordered Haridas Thakur and Nityananda Prabhu,

suno suno nityananda, suno haridas sarvatra amar ajna koroho prakas prati
ghare ghare giya koro ei bhiksa bolo `krsna’, bhajo krsna, koro krsna-siksa

Listen Nityananda, listen Haridas, This is My order. If you go from door to door and beg the people to take up this instruction of Mine, they should chant the name of Krsna, bolo Krsna bhajo Krsna, they should worship the Supreme personality of Godhead Krsna, koro Krsna siksa and they should read the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, the books which contain the teachings of Lord Krsna.

When this instruction was received from Mahaprabhu, Nithyananda Prabhu and Haridas Thakur were on the job. They decided the target, Yes ! Yes! We want this Jagai and Madhai to chant. They made various attempts. One attempt was not successful , another attempt was also not successful, third attempt they were trying. They thought if personalities like Jagai and Madhai are influenced by chanting of maha-mantra, if they could be transformed, then this news will become the talk of the town. And even now 500 years after that this morning also as I am talking to you about them . It is the talk of the town then. Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas Thakur made it big news., Persons like Jagai and Madhai , as soon as they took up the process of the chanting of maha-mantra, they were changed persons. That’s what happened.

Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas Thakur were thinking if this could be accomplished, if Jagai and Madhai could take up to the chanting , then you
know, the whole world will realise how great is Gauranga. Glories of Gauranga will spread, and with that glories of the holy name will also be
broadcasted far and wide. So they made them the target. They were successful. That was a demonstration of the power of the holy name and
glories of Gauranga.

We should also be in that spirit like Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas Thakur. We want to glorify the holy name. Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki Jay! That is why they were out there on the mission of spreading the holy name. So stay busy, get more and more devotees to chanting together. Make efforts for that yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa amara ajnaya guru hana tara’ ei desa That desa could be your town, that desa could be your colony, country , continent. See how big a circle you can form. Spread the glory of Gauranga , holy name and Prabhupad. Let the world know Prabhupada was the ambassador of the holy name. He gave the gift of holy name to the whole world.

We will talk about it more in Bhagavatam class this morning. Holy name is the topic for today.

Hare Krishna!

18TH SEPTEMBER 2019

WORLD HOLY NAME FESTIVAL

Hare Krishna! Good Morning!
Well, I am back, I think I had never left also. There are 400 participants The number has certainly dropped. I see Senapati bhakta. We have Dhira Prashant Prabhu with us 10,000 miles away chanting. I think the number has dropped, so, not a good sign. We had reached 700 and now it is so low. Some of you, those who are chanting are there and those who used to be there are not here now.

I was up to chanting and you hearing, sometimes there was live and some of you were chanting with me and may be the rest of the times it was not live, maybe you were hearing recorded Japa and Japa talk. But regardless of whether there is live or recorded, we were expecting you to continue to chant. And if I am not there, devotees around the world are chanting with you. All over India is chanting with you. The power of association is there that way, so many together chanting. Japa conference is the power association.

As I said I am back in India. I arrived just today, early yesterday morning, namely 17 September and it was also the day in 1965 that Prabhupada had reached America. Prabhupada was in America on 17 September 1965. 17 September, yesterday was the beginning of a global festival called the World Holy Name Festival. I also kind of returned on the 17th to India to inaugurate that festival of the holy name. We would like you all to be part of this World Holy Name Festival from 17 to 24 September wherever you are – whichever continent, country. temple, Bhakti Vriksa. We want you all to actively participate in this World Holy Name Festival.

We have been celebrating this festival every year for the past twenty years. We want more promotion and more participation in this festival this time. I would like you to make sure that your continent, your country, your temple authorities are aware and awake – Gaurachanda bole. Gaurachanda is calling. We want to celebrate the World Holy Name Festival and I want you to remind your temple authorities about this World Holy Name Festival.

This is a GBC initiative. This is one of the programs the GBC wants to see spread. The GBC had asked me to be the coordinator of this event and I want you to assist me to make this World Holy Name Festival a grand success. We want to let the world know that Srila Prabhupada was the Ambassador of the holy name. Srila Prabhupada gave the gift of the holy name to the whole world so we want to remember Srila Prabhupada for this contribution. We would like to be grateful for what Srila Prabhupada has done for the whole world by giving this wealth of the gift of the holy name.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama
Rama Rama, Hare Hare

This holy name is the true wealth. You are just saying it, but I wonder if you realise that this is something very, very valuable. Your consciousness could get enriched by chanting, hearing and assimilating this Hare Krishna mahamantra. With great pride Srila Prabhupada preached and enriched the souls from the Western world. Prabhupada returned to India and he declared that he had made hippies into ‘happies’. This was Srila Prabhupada’s contribution – making hippies happies. How did Srila Prabhupada do this? He just asked them to chant the holy name and be happy. That was the exact same message to the world. If you wish to be happy, then there is only one way:

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

In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.” [Adi 17.21]

Time and time again I say that in order to be happy you have to be wealthy. It is an illusion that if you make more money, you will be happy and if you want to be happier, you have to make more money. It is a fact that you need wealth to be happy. Unfortunately the world does not realise what kind of wealth could make you happy. There is the mundane rupees, dollars, rubles which if acquired in abundance will make you happy. This is a big misunderstanding. You will have to realise what kind of wealth will make you happy. You have to come to the conclusion that spiritual wealth will make you happy. This spiritual wealth is Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna…… It is guaranteed that the more you acquire this wealth, the happier you will be. The rest of the world begins acquiring wealth at 9, 10 ,11 am., but the Hare Krishna devotees begin making money much earlier:Early to bed and early to rise, makes one healthy, wealthy and wise.

The wise thing that the Hare Krishna devotees do, is that they wake up early. It is quiet and peaceful in the early morning hours and the air is fresh. This gives you good health. You become wealthy because you start acquiring genuine, eternal wealth. It remains your property forever and remains with you as your soul, unlike whatever other mundane wealth you acquire. Now is the time for the World Holy Name Festival. We talk about Harinama Mahatmya, the glories of the holy name. Hare Krishna chanting is the real wealth as Gauranga Mahaprabhu and our acaryas have said. During this festival which lasts for one week or so, you should find out more about this festival from our website –www.worldholyname.org

On this website you will find different things which you could do during this festival. One part of this festival is that you have to take part, chant, hear and relish the holy name. The other part is that we want to share the sweetness of the holy name with as many others as possible. so it’s time for Aachar and Prachar so it’s time for chanting and propagation of chanting There is a practice of chanting and propagation of chanting.

Some World Holy Name Festival activities:

All the talks – morning Bhagavatam and evening Gita – should be harinama centred. Japathon -Japathon, chanting lots of rounds, yesterday I met some devotees and they are chanting 64 rounds as part of this festival. Its time for Japathon ,Japa Marathon and I think you could also submit your scores / chant extra rounds and submit your scores into the global harinama bank and let the world know.

Competition time to chant more and more japa Nagar Sankirtana – Street kirtana 24 hour or 12 hour kirtana Akhanda Harinama – eg. from mangala arati to sandhya arati One Day Padayatra Kirtana Mela Japa retreats – get together to improve your japa Revive the numbers on Let’s Chant Together. Spread the word around.

Respond on this Zoom Let’s Chant Together forum or on the website what you are doing and if you have any new ideas.

Some Initiatives:

Devotees from Noida are going to different parks catching the morning walkers and getting them to chant one round at least. The temples in the NCR(National Capital Region) are getting together on Sunday for a Maha Nagar Sankirtana waking up Delhi, Noida and surrounding area. They are expecting 10 thousand devotees. So why not you? Your temple? I will also be there.

The devotees from the Noida temple are going on harinama twice daily – morning and evening. * Noida devotees are starting a 15 day Padayatra on the 29 September from ISKCON Noida to ISKCON Vrindavana. The sky is the limit to how much you could do. We would like you to be the
doer, especially participating in this festival. Get the devotee community, congregation fully involved in the next five to six days.
Report back to us by sending us your reports (temple wise or group wise) of every activity that was undertaken as part of this World Holy Name Festival. You do it, send it to us and we will share it with the whole world.

World Holy Name Festival Ki Jai

You could do 24 hours kirtan or 12 hours kirtan or morning mangala Arti to sandhya Aarti, shayan aarti, non stop kirtana , akhanda naam kirtan in the temple, on some occasion of the temple. You could do one day pada yatra in your town. Kirtan melas you could organise, you could have Japa retreat , get together and japa retreat for improving japa. As I said ,there is no limit, what or how much you could do sky is the limit. So, these many and many more could be done and we would like you to be the doer not just listener and just be the witness, be actually participating and specially get the devotee community, the congregation, your temple fully involved and dedicated to World Holy name festival for these five six days. And then we would like you to report back to us, all that you did: all the rounds you chanted or Hari Naams organised , one day pad yatras whatever, non stop kirtans are organised. So, at the end of this festival each one of you or it can be temple wise reports or group wise reports we would like to hear and share those with the world, what you did , you do it and you report back to us whatever our pleasure .

So, we have to revive the number of participants of this conference, this is also one project in this World Holy Name Festival, we can get back to our previous good scores 500s, 600s, 700 participants spread the word around remind others in your temple or the colony or association and get our numbers up And we could spend some time in the following sessions to hear, some scores or some innovative ideas, how we could or how you are celebrating this World Holy Name festival. You could be the part of this morning japa talk or japa time, for interactive response, what you are doing, what different things could be done, you have some exceptional ideas please share us.

During the day you could write on the website. Noida is organizing pad yatra from Noida to Vrindavan for 15 days. So, those who wish to join are welcome, you can join pada yatra from ISKCON Noida to ISKCON Vrindavan.

Vrindavan dham ki jai! It starts on 29th of this month.