The idea of a Krsna Conscious society
July 12th, 1997
Radhadesh, Belgium

tvam hi brahma-vidamsresthah
samskaran kartum arhasi
balayor anayor nrnam
janmana brahmano guruh [SB 10.8.6]

Translation:
My Lord, you are the best of the brahmanas, especially because you are fully aware of the jyotih-sastra, the astrological science. Therefore you are naturally the spiritual master of every human being. This being so, since you have kindly come to my house, kindly execute the reformatory activities for my two sons.

Purport: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, says in Bhagavad-gita (4.13),
catur-varnyam mayasrstamguna-karma-vibhagasah

The four varnas — brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra — must be present in society. The brahmanas are required for the guidance of the whole society. If there is no such institution as varnasrama-dharma and if human society has no such guide as the brahmana, human society will be hellish. In Kali-yuga, especially at the present moment, there is no such thing as a real brahmana, and therefore society is in a chaotic condition. Formerly there were qualified brahmanas, but at present, although there are certainly persons who think themselves brahmanas, they actually have no ability to guide society. The Krsna consciousness movement is therefore very much eager to reintroduce the varnasrama system into human society so that those who are bewildered or less intelligent will be able to take guidance from qualified brahmanas.

Brahmana means Vaisnava. After one becomes a brahmana, the next stage of development in human society is to become a Vaisnava. People in general must be guided to the destination or goal of life, and therefore they must understand Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The whole system of Vedic knowledge is based on this principle, but people have lost the clue (nate viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum), and they are simply pursuing sense gratification, with the risk of gliding down to a lower grade of life (mrtyu-samsara-vartmani). It doesn’t matter whether one is born a brahmana or not. No one is born a brahmana; everyone is born a sudra. But by the guidance of a brahmana and by samskara, one can become dvija, twice-born, and then gradually become a brahmana. Brahmanism is not a system meant to create a monopoly for a particular class of men. Everyone should be educated so as to become a brahmana. At least there must be an opportunity to allow everyone to attain the destination of life. Regardless of whether one is born in a brahmana family, a ksatriya family or a sudra family, one may be guided by a proper brahmana and be promoted to the highest platform of being a Vaisnava. Thus the Krsna consciousness movement affords an opportunity to develop the right destiny for human society. Nanda Maharaja took advantage of the opportunity of Garga Muni’s presence by requesting him to perform the necessary reformatory activities for his sons to guide Them toward the destination of life

This topic or this discussion should bring us to Gokula, again and again, every morning we will go to Gokula and then come back to Radhadesh. Then back to book distribution during the day. This is Garga Muni Maharaja visiting Gokula. Soon, I think by tomorrow we will find out that he was sent there by Vasudeva. So, as he is there now, Nanda maharaja is very much interested in taking full advantage of his presence. First of all, Nanda maharaja is honoring Garga muni maharaja. They both are maharajas. So, he is addressed as brahmavidam.

tvam hi brahma vidam sresthah

Srestha means you are very much superior, the best. Kanistha means the lowest, like kanistha adhikari, the lowest and srestha means topmost. So tvam hi, you certainly are brahmavidam. Vid means to know and from vid comes vidvan, one who knows. So Garga muni is addressed here as brahmavidam. You know Brahman, brahma janati iti brahmanah, you know Brahman and you are topmost person, the best person around here. Samskaran kartum arhasi, please do something, kartum arhasi, could you kindly do something. He is requesting Garga muni to please perform samskaras, reformatory process. For who? Balayor anayor nrnam, for these two children. Do you see these little boys here? Krsna and Balarama! Balayor, two, bala means child, balayor means two children.

nrnam janmana brahmano guruh

You are guru of the whole human society. You are such a qualified person. So please do this favor for me and for my family by performing samskaras for these two children, Krsna and Balarama.

And again, it is not directly mentioned in this text, but in previous text, jyotisam. In the translation Prabhupada has included this, especially because you are fully aware of jyotisha sastra. Amongst us we have someone who has more knowledge of jyotisha sastra than most of us. One meaning of jyoti is light. I was in Kuruksetra just three weeks ago and the place Krsna spoke Bhagavad Gita is known as Jyotisar, means source of light, the place where Bhagavad Gita was spoken. Krsna and Arjuna stood there in the chariot and the dialogue took place. That very spot is there. You could go to that very spot. So that is known as Jyotisar. I want to go to Jyotisar. Which way is Jyotisar? Place of light or source of light!
So this jyotisha sastra, people are ignorant, they are in darkness. They do not know which way to go or which activity at what time they should perform? Which one should be done first and all the priority and all this, the good times and bad times, auspicious, inauspicious time. So one who knows jyotisha sastra, he can avoid inauspicious times. He can lead you to light, lead you to right path, so that final destination is achieved. As yesterday and today this Jyotisa sastra topic is on the floor, I was trying to make connection.

I will be 48 years in two days, but I never went to jyotish sastri, not yet. Although I did not go, my parents went to a sasrti who knew jyotish, in connection with myself. I will just tell you briefly, because I have the floors, I can talk about myself. Some of my disciples know this. This was the time I had joined ISKCON in 72 and then my brother had come to get me. He had come with the news that if you will not come then mother would not survive, she may be no more. If you really care, then please come. So I had so much respect for my elder brother, this was how we were trained. So I wanted to honor him also and survival of the mother was the concern, so I went back to village. And they had promised that you just go to see the family and mother and you could come back. That was the promise. So I went to see my family, my mother.

So while I was there, they went to see a jyotishasastri. And could you imagine what they wanted to know? He used to be such a nice boy. I had some kind of reputation of being nice boy, nice student etc. But as I took Krsna consciousness, they took that, this is not nice. He used to be nice but not now. So when he will be nice again, to make this inquiry they went. I think only in the age of Kali such enquiries, on the contrary they should have gone to enquire, when will he become mahatma? When that day will come? He was may be nice but when will he be better, when he will be transcendentalist? So this is the abuse for jyotishasastra, for these kind of reasons they go to jyotishasatri these days.

I remember, that jyotishsatri gave some assurance ‘soon’. They want to make money. You know even if they found out that never ever he will come back, even if that showed the report, because they want to please the customer, so they say something half truth and make the money and this kind of sastries they are, brahmins they are. They are into making money which is completely contrary to the consciousness or the way of dealings of brahmanas. As soon as a person takes money, he is finished, he is not a brahmin. Brahmin never works for anybody’s money. That is sudra’s job. Hence Prabhupada is talking kalau sudra sambhavah and he says, formerly there were qualified brahmanas but at present although there are certainly persons who think themselves brahmanas, they actually have no ability to guide society. So this is the trouble. So that’s one point.

As there is the talk of this balayor, these two boys, nice boys, Krsna and Balarama. Sounds nice hmm, Krsna and Balarama? Whenever you say or hear these two names, Krsna and Balarama, you feel good. This Krsna and Balarama, they are always together. This is good team. They are always together. Although Balarama took birth first, They both end in Gokula and They grow together in Gokula and They are playing together in Gokula. From Gokula They went to Vrndavan, everybody went to Vrndavan, all the residents. Krsna and Balarama also went. When the time was there for Krsna and Balarma for herding the calves, Krsna and Balarama, They were sent together. Many pastimes took place. Everyday Krsna and Balarama They go together out into the forest for herding the calves.

One day Balarama stayed behind. There was His birthday or something and that is the day Brahma had come and he stole all the friends of Krsna and all the calves also. And for one year no one knew. Even Balarama did not know what was going on and the reason given in the Bhagavatam is, that day, the day Krsna lost His friends and the calves were stolen, Balarama was not with Krsna. From this statement also we understand that every other day He was there. He was always there but one day He was not there. When Akrura came from Mathura to Vrndavan, that means Mathura to Nandagrama, he brought both brothers Krsna and Balarama to Mathura. They both took part in wrestling match. Krsna killed Kamsa and Balarama killed all the brothers of Kamsa. He had 7 more brothers. So They both took part in this killing. They together meet Vasudeva and Devaki. They are Vasudeva and Devaki’s children originally. Well They spent some time with the parents. Then the sacred thread ceremony, the Gayatri, second initiation They received from Garga muni. Both of these Krsna and Balarama, They had not gone to any school, not yet because They were just herding cows all this time. So there was time to go to school, so They both together, walking and walking, They both went to Sandipani muni’s asrama. They both stayed together for 64 days, at least those many days. Krsna was learning one art in one day.

They both came back and by this time Jarasandha was ready for a battle. Krsna and Balarama arranged all the residents of Mathura transferred to Dvaraka. Two of them stayed behind to fight with Jarasandha. They put their heads togetherand they had a strategy. They decided that we will not kill Jarasandha. We will kill his army. So Krsna and Balarama They killed the entire army of Jarasandha and Jarasandha looked around. He was the only one around. And he was scared and he rushed back to his capital. Then he gathered more of his friends. He must have telephoned them and send messages, ‘please come’. And then he rushed again to Mathura, second time. Then again same strategy, both together they killed entire army sparing Jarasandha. And this happened 17 times. 18th time he came also. Every time he was bringing his big army. And Jarasanda’s friends, birds of the same feather flock together. As the saying goes, they were of the similar nature. So he was bringing all the demons from all over the planet and making Krsna and Balarama’s job easy, because the purpose of Their advent was, vinasayaca duskritam, to annihilate the demons. If Krsna and Balarama had to go door to door and kill, like door to door book distribution, but someone gives whole set also. So, they wanted to do wholesell killing, not retail job, one at a time. So Jarasandha was helping by bringing all demons from all over and Krsna and Balarama were just cleaning up. So 18th time They had no interest, They showed total disinterest in the battling and They started running. And Jarasandha said, “Hey, look cowherd. They are running now. Oh, go get them.” He was running after them with whole army and Krsna and Balarama, They were only walking, others were running. Krsna and Balarama can walk so swiftly and then climbed on one mountain. Jarasanda looked for Krsna and Balarama, but he couldn’t find, so he put whole forest on fire, the mountain on fire. Krsna and Balarama both together jumped from 88 miles tall, from top of the mountain into the valley. They were enjoying. They were not scared. They were only enjoying the clouds and scenes. You may think, they are jumping, so They must be scared and holding each other, no. They were also holding each other, but in full bliss and with full speed They came down. So, they landed and walked to Dvaraka. So, you could see they are together, all the time They were together.

In Dvaraka also They were together. One time Krsna went alone to Vidarbha to kidnap Rukmini. When Balarama realized that Krsna has gone alone, he rushed, with the army He went. So again They were together. They fought together They were fighting Rukmi and company. They returned and They stayed in Dvaraka together for long long time and They were getting news and messages of sufferings of all the Brajavasis, who were feeling separation from Krsna and Balarama. So They both wanted to go, but the residents of Dvaraka let only Balarama go, because they thought that if Krsna and Balarama, They both go then They will not return. So they kept Krsna and Balarama went. They also knew that if Krsna is here, Balarama will not stay in Vrindavan, He will come back wherever Krsna is. So that is what happened. Balarama went for 2 months, gave some association, relief to Brajavasis and to parents and then He returned.

Then at the time of sun eclipse, Krsna and Balarama together went to Kuruksetra. Subhadra was also there and lots of residents of Vrndavan were also there together. Well They went and also came back together to Dvaraka. Sometimes there is disagreement between Krsna and Balarama. Although They are together, They always do not agree with everything, for something They disagree. At the time of marriage of Subhadra, who was in favor? Krsna was in favor of the marriage and Balarama was against. So, Arjuna had come as a sannyasi. First he became sannyasi and then grihastha. Something like that we also follow. So that’s the beginning of Kaliyuga, that end of Dvapara. Anyway he was just disguised. Not undergone any ceremony. That was whole trick. Krsna must have given all the tricks to him, come as a sannyasi. So that was one time. Then time of battlefield of Kuruksetra also. Krsna was in favor, Balarama against. Krsna took part, He stayed on there. Balarama went on pilgrimage during that period. When the battle was ending then Balarama had come.

So like this, I was thinking how Krsna and Balarama, these nice two boys, beautiful boys, how They are always together. They are always together. Few times They were not together, on few occasions They not agree with each other, but rest of the time They are always together. And of course we understand that Balarama’s mood is that of servitor of Krsna all the time. He wants to serve Krsna all the times. He is also Anantasesa. When Krsna was brought to Gokula in the middle of the night then Anantasesa, who is that? That is Balarama, that’s His expansion. So He was there also. And there are many other things, garments Krsnawears, that is Balarama. Very difficult to understand, but that’s what He is. The shoes Krsna wears, this is Balarama. The land where Krsna performs His lilas, this is Balarama. Whenever Krsna is lying down or Visnu is lying down, that bed and there is transcendental snake; that is Balarama, expansion of Balarama. Anantasesa or Sahasravadan, thousand hooded, this transcendental serpent and He is chanting glories of Krsna. So like this is Krsna and Balarama.

Prabhupada invited Krsna and Balarama in Vrindavan when he established the temple. He named it KrsnaBalarama temple, although there is Radha Shyamasundar also, but he put Krsna and Balarama in center. Normally Radha Krsna, They go in the middle, but Prabhupada put Krsna Balarama in the center, Radha Syamasundar on one side and Gaur Nitai on other side. Other day Jayadvait maharaja was talking after Deities were installed, Krsna Balarama Deities. And next day on morning walk Prabhupada was talking, now that we have installed the Deities, you could approach Them and pray to Them. He said in nice words. He said, ‘You go to Krsna Balarama and say, ‘sir, Krsna Balarama sir, this is my problem’. Prabhupada said, you approach Them like that.

So these are two nice sirs, Krsna and Balarama. And somehow They are being treated here as children, like other children, other families, they have children. And There samskaras are performed for purification, reformation processes. So these things are being applied to Krsna and Balarama also, which is not really necessary. Janma karma ca me divyam, Krsna says, My birth, My activities, everything about Me is divyam. It is transcendental. There is no contamination, so there is no need. Really there is no need of any purification. Krsna and Balarama do not have to undergo any reformatory process, or process of purification. But the example is being set, They are setting the example before the whole world and of course They are also giving opportunity to Nanda maharaja, Yashoda to become Their parents. You know, what if Krsna and Balarama tell them after hearing Nanda Maharaja saying,

tvam hi brahma vidamsresthah samskaram kartum arhasi balayor

Look Gargamuniji, these sons, they have to undergo some process of purification, reformation. Krsna and Balaram, They are listening all this and what if Krsna and Balarama say, ‘hey come on, We are God. We don’t need any purification process. Samskaras are not for Us. We have created all the samskaras. We have created these brahmanas and We are the source of all that is pure. Stop this!’ that would have been a heart breaking experience for Nanda Maharaja and Yashoda. Krsna and Balarama could have easily said this. Knowing Their position as Supreme Personalities of Godheads They could have said so. But They are keeping quiet, completely quiet. Samskaras? Yes, yes, please do. We are ready. They are submitting Themselves. They are hearing, yes, these two boys, they need samskaras and They did not say a word about, kept complete silence. So this is how Yogamaya works, so that the vatsalyabhava, from vatsa, vatsa means calf. So the cow’s affection for the calf, that is a symbol of motherly affection. The dealings of cow with the calf, that is the personification of the affection. So much affection! We have seen sometimes, the calf is drinking the milk, then the cow turn around and lick the body of a calf. That is affection. She is totally relaxed and letting all the milk flow. Almost effortlessly milk is going right into the mouth of the calf. Doesn’t have to do too much pressing. But when you are trying to milk a cow, then she is trying to withdraw, because she is not happy. But when the calf is there, wanting to drink milk, she is just letting it flow. And when she licks the calf, the calf lifts his tail in the back. So this is vatsalya. So vatsalyabhava is Krsna is drinking mother Yashoda’s breast milk and she is caressing His body. So this is same as cow deals with calf.

So these pastimes are very sweet and Krsna and Balarama, They are simply enjoying dealings of Nanda and Yashoda. They are acting as ignorant, helpless kids and They are letting whatever Their parents wish to do with Them. No protest nothing, They are just fully surrendered.

This topic of astrology and jyotishasastra and samskara, specially the word samskara is very significant in this text. Prabhupada has taken the opportunity to talk about the state of affairs of the present day society and how present day society needs samskara, reformatory activities. And he is pointing out the varnasrama institution as the need for the human society and brahmanas as the guide in that varnasrama dharma, varnasrama society and pointing out how unfortunately, there is a need of brahmanas but what is available is sudras. Tones of sudras are around, not abrahmin around. Sudras are no good. Also sudras are required and they always will be there. And as soon as they get connected with and render service, paricharyatmakam, they always render service, serving the brahmanas, serving the ksatriyas, serving the vaisyas, immediately their life is perfect. They are purified, spiritualized and they can go back to Godhead. Although technically they are known as sudras, they end up becoming vaisnavas. The chariot drivers were sudras and they were assisting in dharma yuddha, religious battle, they also attained the final destination. Or they assist the vaisyasto take care of the cows. They are serving mother cows. Cow is so very dear to Krsna. They serve king in so many ways. They serve brahmanas in so many ways. And like that, vaisyas are serving ksatriyas, bringing the taxes. And lots of vegetables, grains they produce which are used for fire sacrifice or cooking for Radha Gopinath. So they all work together. This is a team, team effort. Brahmin, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra, this is a great team. As is the natural cooperation between the head and feet and the belly, they all work together. As soon as they don’t work together or don’t want to work for feeding the belly, then what happens? They dry up.

Once there was a strike and all the senses, all different limbs of the body, they decided to go on strike. They said,why should we feed this belly? She is just sitting there and eating and we are working hard to feed this belly. From today we are not going to do this. So they stopped feeding the belly and soon as this stomach was taking in, but was also supplying, giving, nourishment to all the parts. They, the other parts were not realizing this. So as they went on strike and the belly was not getting food and in turn not able to supply energy, all the limbs of the body became crippled, they werenot able to move. Soon they realize that we can’t survive. We must feed the belly. And then everything was healthy again.

So with the advent of this age of Kali, the people in general are not following the guidance of a Brahmin. As a result they are not serving Visnu, who is the root, source, stomach and as a result the whole society is drying up. So Prabhupada’s scheme is, he is very clearly pointing out, reintroduced, the Krsna consciousness movement is therefore very much eager to reintroduce the varnasrama system in the human society, so that those who are bewildered or less intelligent will be able to take guidance from the qualified brahmanas. So you could see as you read this purport, you feel Prabhupada’s great concern. This is not just scholarly statement or he just preferring some scripture and then he is quoting that. Just lip service, nothing is happening inside. They just big sages doing so many things, they just doing full on exhibition of his knowledge, No!

Prabhupadais so much concerned. His heart is bleeding by seeing the state of affairs of the whole world, Prabhupadais suffering. And Prabhupada has a great urge. He has a realization. Hence he has urge to speak, to share this realization with the rest of the human society. So these words as you read, Prabhupada is talking with great concern and‘I mean it’, sometimes we say. They say something but people may not take it seriously. Then they add ‘I really mean this. I stand by these words. I am serious. I just don’t say this, but I am serious.’ So when we read this purport we get that feeling that Prabhupada is serious, dead serious about the subject matter that he is sharing with us. So this varnasrama dharma, he always said, he wanted to produce Brahmins again. He did not see qualified brahmanas in the world. This is something the world was lacking. So he established this international society for Krsna consciousness with the aim of having some Brahmins around. Once that guidance is there from the genuine Brahmins then other things could follow. The varnasrama could be established. Prabhupada wanted to see not just some Brahmins but society. So organization he established, he named that as society of international society for Krsna consciousness. Not just some kind of institution, some kind of rganization, some kind of spiritual group. He used the word society. You understand society means the complete society with everybody is in there, not just brahmacharies, sannyasis. That does not become a society. Not only brahmacharies and sannyasis in the temple or organization, could we call that as society? No! So just from the word society, we understand that Prabhupada was thinking of everybody, brahmacharies, sannyasis, grihasthas, vanaprasthas, Brahmins, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras and all activities and all dealings, complete whole.

So this is a challenge for us to establish the international society for Krsna consciousness. To establish church is easy. Monastery they call, church building and few priests are there. Every Sunday there is mass of people. They chant few prayer, play and sing some songs with the organs and bye. That’s not Prabhupada’s idea. He is talking about society. So whether we start some core group which is also may be small but complete society and then we grow and spiritualize the outside world and then whole world becomes international society for Krsna consciousness. Or whether we have a church where priests, they are sannyasis or brahmacharies and then they go out to congregation, to public and they preach and they spiritualize. Everything around them gets spiritualized also and the church and the whole thing become society. These are two kinds of approaches I am talking about. There may be many more, but these are two models they get talked about these days as varnasrama has become a topic. You will hear more, ISKCON social development, we talk about. Anyway this is big big topic. Unfortunately the world is full of sudras and everything is getting spoiled. Sudras don’t care for others. Sudra means mentality. Sudra means consciousness. They do not undergo any samskaras. Samskarat bhavet dvijah, as you undergo samskaras, you become twice born. Veda pathat bhaved viprah, as you scrutinizingly study the Vedas, you become vipra, learned. And finally, brahma janatiitibrahmanah, by realizing Brahman you become a Brahmin, but even going beyond that, realizing Visnu, you become vaishnava. This is what Prabhupada is talking. Goal is not to become Brahmin, undergo some process of purification and study Vedas and realize Brahman. You have to go still higher and realize Personality of Godhead, Visnu. Then there is vaishnava.

Question- Varnasramadharma, in Bhagavad Gita Krsna I think, explains the principles of Varnasrama dharma as karma-yoga?

Answer- Well, I do not agree with the karma yoga part. As very beginning, if you go by Bhagavad Gita, that’s very beginning stage; then the goal of the varnasrama is,

varnasramacar-vata
purusena parah puman
Visnur aradhyate pantha
nanyat tat-tosa-karanam (CCM 8.58)

Translation: “?‘The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Visnu, is worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varna and asrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One must be situated in the institution of the four varnas and asramas.’?”

Satisfying Personality of Godhead that is the goal. Prabhupada did start some farm communities. Everyone doesn’t have to go to the farm, but some of us could go. Specially, as now the finding of job in the city is tough, you can go, work in the field, serve mother earth and mother cow; lots of fresh air out there and lots of peace, and no air pollution. So that could be taken more seriously. So although we are born sudras but again we don’t want to do that dirty work. That’s low class, that’s primitive. This is how we look at going to the field and working in the field. Because of the sudra mentality, we only know to drink blood and not milk and we have dealt with the machines only in the factories and skyscraper buildings. It is a sudra’s job to build big big buildings. The Brahmins will just build the hut. He will cut few trees and he has 4 pillars and get some leaves and thatched roof and he will light some lamp. Someone will crush oil for him and he will lit the oil lamps and he opens not Times of India or New York Times, but he is reading ‘om namo bhagavate vasudevaya!’ So that’s Brahmin. He will keep a cow and milk the cow and clean the cow. People would rather clean the car. As soon as they get up they would love to clean their car not a cow. The sudras deal with the matter. This is their field. Sudras are good at dealing with the matter and machines. Broadly speaking, sudras are expert in dealing with the matter. Vaisya is better. He can deal with animals also, matter and animals. Ksatriya can deal with people and Brahmin can deal with the God. These are the 4 varnas, this is their inclination. And this is totally governed by the three modes, ignorance, passion and goodness. So what the world has succeeded doing is dealing with matter. We don’t know how to deal with the people as human beings. We have no time. We don’t take time to deal with people. I was just reading statistics in Peter Purves, one of our friends has written a book on leadership. He is some kind of ISKCON’s and Prabhuapda’s follower. So he writes that some kind of survey conducted in America and he says that in one week, because people are dealing with machines and matter and car and lot of time with the television; the family members, the total time they spend talking with each other is 25 minutes. In a week they have about 25 minutes to talk to each other. Although they spent hours in listening the talk of somebody, in the talk show on the television, they all sit there and they have more relationship with television than each other. So this is the state of affairs. This is bringing everyone down to very lower level, dealing with the machines. They would rather have tractor than the ox power because they have no affection for the ox. Anyway they like the tractor. So in one word I was just trying to understand reductionists and scientists, they try to reduce everything back to matter. Scientist’s effort is that they try to get rid of God and all the Godly things and feelings and whole thing is just the matter. You are simply lump of matter. You are reduced to the matter. So by following faithfully the scientist, they have reduced the world into a lump of matter means sudra, very successfully. Many parties are working together. There are labor parties. Labor is glorified to be a labor, sometimes. Dignity of labor, they use such terms. You have to honor labor. The communists when they are attempting making the society classless, which class they are trying to establish? Classless society means everyone is sudra. Classless, means one class and that is sudra class. So many attempts have been made and lot of success has been achieved and the goal is kalau sudra sambhavah, the world has become sudra. They have no affection for animals, specially animal like cows, most useful animal, most gentle animal. They have no affection for fellow human beings. They are selfish like anything. As we talk of Brahmin or a vaishnava, sarvabhuta hite ratah, they care for all the living entities, Sarve sukhina bhavantu. The genuine vaishnava, brahman, he thinks for welfare of everybody. He is the well-wisher of everybody. And not just thinking or talking but practically he would like to do something to show his love and affection. So what is required is a big turning point. The whole situation, the world’s situation needs to reverse. Entire human race, the way in which it is being trained and acting with no feelings, no traces of pure consciousness, needs to take u-turn. They are going to hellish regions. They have to be turned around, which in these days is parodying. So from sudra class which exists in abundance, Prabhupada is talking about the brahmanical class. He is talking about the other extreme. So ISKCON has lot of challenge but Krsna is with us. Prabhupada is that first Brahmin founder of that society, which world will see in next 9/10 thousand years, it will be very special time. The world will see better days. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu has revealed this. The Holy name will be in every town, every village,

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama RamaRama Hare Hare

This will be chanted in every town and every village. This will happen. This is already happening and this will happen more. There will be talk of one varna. Everyone will be of one varna and that varna will be Haribhakta. They will be all Haribhaktas, all vaishnavas. So this is talking of astrology or talking of the future of the world. This is the future of the world. And we are kind of first batches.

Question 2: In the 10th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, Prabhupada is talking about different types of duties of human beings. He is talking about garbhadhan samskaras and there are mixed marriages, like ksatriyas marry with brahmans or vaisyas with ksatriyas. Then the offspring will be of mixed varna. So I was wondering, in India still one can practice that, but in west it does not exist?

Answer: Even in India to some extent it exists, but in west it does not exist. So your point is it is tougher challenge in west than in India because our cultural or no-cultural upbringing. Well it could be also understood depending on which mode of material nature is controlling you. This is how you are, either Brahmin or in goodness. As soon as some passion is added to that goodness, then you are ksatriya. Or if you have passion and some ignorance is added then it is lower mode, you are vaisya. And devoid of goodness and passion and you are sudra. So this is how we are trying to divide our society as much as we could. But the perfection is not to become Brahmin or ksatriya or vaisya. Perfection is to become vaishnava. So if there is some discrepancy we are not able to do the right matching, brahmin boy, brahmin lady or ksatriya boy and ksatriya lady, or a Brahmin boy and ksatriya woman, then they marry. That is also proper. There is anuloma and pratiloma, anu means follow. The husband belongs to higher class and woman belongs to same caste or she may be belonging to lower varna. This is called anuloma. Prati means opposite. The bride belongs to higher caste and the bridegroom belongs to lower class. So anuloma and pratiloma; certainly they have difficulties even in India, what to speak about this part of the world. But the relief part is that we try to do as much but we don’t have to attempt perfection in this area. Because perfection is to become transcendental ultimately from all these varnas and asrams and come to the level of spirit soul and become Krsna conscious. That verse says, vaisnavo jati buddhi, to think that vaishnava belongs to some jati, caste, this is not right thinking. Visnusiladhir, the Deity is just statue, guru sunaramati, the spiritual master is just another ordinary human being and vaisnave jati buddhi, vaisnava belongs to some caste, this is all wrong. So finally the ultimate goal is to go beyond this.

Question-You say that everybody who is engaged in Krsna consciousness is a vaisnava so is there need of Varnasram?
Answer- Although goal is to become vaishnava or Krsna conscious, this varnaasrama, this is the means to achieve that goal. Of course that’s not the only means, chanting of Hare Ksrna is the principle mean, real mean to achieve that goal. But varnasrama also is another path to get there. So vaisnava means or Krsna conscious person means he has transcended all the modes, but the reality is we haven’t. So because we are still in to the modes, we need to follow varnasrama system to some extent, although it is very tough in this age of Kali and that is why the path is harer nama evakevalam, chant Hare Krsna. Nothing works, chant Hare Krsna. But we could at least give a try. As we said earlier that Prabhupadanamed this organization as International Society for Krsna Consciousness. And this implies that Prabhupada’s intention was to, he started the farm communities; that certainly showed clearly that he was trying to accommodate some of us who would be fit to do those jobs, working in the fields, working with the cows, producing grains. Not wanting to do that is a diseased condition, because lot of brain washing has been done. And we look down upon those prabhus who are working humbly in the fields. Someone else is so much glorified, Brahmin is glorified, book distributor is glorified, but the humble worker, the Hare Krsna devotee, also initiated disciple, no one pays really attention to him. So seems some imbalance. Prabhupada said or we also say that for survival we need to eat food, fruits, vegetables, grains. We can’t eat nuts and bolts. We can’t deep fry nuts and bolts in petrol and eat them for breakfast. You may go, sell paintings and bring some money, but then you go and do some shopping, buy some vegetables. Not that, I have some extra paintings, I will eat them for breakfast. You may do other things to make money somehow, but when it comes to eating, what do you eat? Something that is produced in the fields. So, the very basic necessity is food. We can’t survive with nuts and bolts and cars. You can’t survive by just driving. For survival you have to eat. Even if you don’t have car but you eat then you can survive. But you have car but you don’t eat, you can’t survive. So life is so much depending on nature and what is produced in the fields, cows to have milk, depend so much on the trees. So sudras have very little concern for all this. They are ready to chop trees, cut throats of animals, no feelings. You have devoid of feelings. This topic we need to discuss further and understand within Hare Krsna movement. Prabhuada also said towards the end of his stay with us on this planet, ‘I have done 50 % work and 50% yet to be done.’ And he refers that to developing varnasrama, the social development and lot of things, establishing grihasthaasrama within ISKCON. Or establishing brahmachariasrama and all the asramas and varnas and then cooperate with each other and be honest and accept who you are and act accordingly. Don’t be artificial.

Question-Brahmanas are not supposed to work to gain money?

Answer- Brahmins get daksina. When you teach, those who have learnt from brahmin teacher they feel grateful for what you have done to him and he wants to express that gratitude by supplying some of the needs. You don’t have to give cash, you can give cows, you could even give some land. So this is also has to be revived. The gurus are getting some dakshina, they are brahminas. But there are other brahmins also. They could also get something. They have Rasamandal Prabhu in charge of VTE, Vaisnava Training and Education. Even I gave him dakshina. Of course somehow, without that they are not going to teach us. Dakshina should have come toward the end, but somehow they take dakshina in the beginning. They say, unless you give dakshina, we are not going to teach you. Don’t come to our class, give some dakshina first. So what needs to be changed is first education and then dakshina comes and you feel grateful. And you don’t have to fix dakshina. 150 dollars dakshina! Someone may give 1000 dollars, someone may give 15 dollars. So like that, according to his means, something like this also and then the brahmin doesn’t have to worry. You can go study more deep deeper into the scriptures and go higher in the consciousness and that highly qualified realized Brahmin as he then goes around the society. Society gets benefited by his association. He can give so much. He has high potentials as electricity also flows from high voltage point to the low voltage point; Brahmin is also surcharges with spiritual energy and realization to everyone else; can be benefitted. So like that Brahmin is maintained, so that he doesn’t have to worry. Vaisyas, they are bringing taxes to the king. These are extra grains. We made so much money, you take this. This is for the state, for the welfare of the state. This rest is for our family. Then king is spending money, ‘organize rathayatra’. He is spending money.‘Build temples. Open gurukuls. And this fund is reserved for maintenance of the brahmanas. They can doresearch and spend money from this account.’ So like that, no one is keeping for himself. Everyone is into giving. Sudras are giving their labor. The vaisyas are giving their extra grains, extra money they have. The king is distributing, making sure there is no injustice. All the parts of the society, sections of the society are benefitted. The brahmins are looked after. Whole cooperation among all different sections, varnas and asramas and whole thing becomes very very healthy. And as soon as you become sudra, you don’t want to give, you don’t want to share. Others’ welfare is not your business. Mind your own business, everyone says, right? Don’t poke your nose into this. Get lost. Go away. All the time we split and go away, then you are left alone. And what is introduced -individualism. Each individual for himself or herself! One time the whole world was one family. This was ancient culture. Everybody on this planet is part of one family; that was the understanding. Vasudaive kutumbakam.

ayam nijah paroveti ganana laghu cetasam
udarcharitanam tu vasudaivakutumbakam

Everybody on this planet, this vasudha, earth planet, is part of my family. I am part of that family. From that ideal, now it is reduced to individualism. I don’t care about anybody. I care for myself.

A Tour of Lords Abode
Radhadesh, Belgium
July 4, 1997

I think we have come a long way starting with the holy name and contemplating, meditating on the rupa, form of the Lord, going over the list of the qualities of Krishna and then having some glimpses of the pastimes, lila of the Lord. Having done this much I’m sure you have some desire now to do something, go somewhere. In the last four days of our presentation we were trying to use few techniques which we also had learned in our teachers training course which had taken place a week ago to get an audience involved by forming groups and then group responses.

They did that and then some question answer on going thing and we also had yesterday just grouping into pairs and then hearing realizations of those discussions. So from what we had learnt in teachers training, I thought of using those techniques. One technique was to take the students on a tour- field trip, they say something like that? ‘Take them on a field, some experiments.’

Some lecturing and some interaction and then some experiential learning. So first two things we have done, lecturing we have done and lots of interactions have taken place and now is the time for the experiential learning. So after hearing about the name and form and the qualities and then the pastimes where would you like to go on a tour, to Hawaii? Someone was saying, I didn’t hear you, yes, to Vrindavan! Anyone else has some of course we would be going to Paris as that is dham also. Radha Paris-Iswara and Jagannath will appear there so it’s also appropriate to do that.

Nothing else comes to mind right, any other places you would like to go? Mayapur-In other words you would like to go to dham- Mayapur dham. To go to Vrindavan you have to go through Mayapur, to reach Krishna you go through Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Prabhupada also planned that way, Mayapur festival then Vrindavan festival.

So these places- Mayapur and Vrindavan are on this planet and in that way the Lord has made His dham accessible to us, however finally after visiting those dhams one finally goes- this Mayapur, Vrindavana is non-different from Mayapur Vrindavan In the spiritual sky, in Goloka. In that sense we could say we just go to Mayapur, we don’t know which- same Mayapur or we go to Vrindavan and is it this Vrindavan or up there Vrindavana?

We think there are two, this is Gokul Vrindavan there is Goloka Vrindavan but we also hear that they are the same, there is no difference. So we will be going on a tour of Krishna’s dham today, are you ready? You are still thinking, everyone else said yes but your lips are still tight so I was wondering. Ready? So as I’m talking, wishing to say something about Krishna’s dham, I can take you on a tour to show you Krishna’s dham.

I’m just thinking about the very first thing I ever heard from Srila Prabhupada about the description of Vaikuntha in ’71. In Bombay Prabhupada was lecturing and the first thing on the first day I had seen and heard Prabhupada, what I remember from that first hearing is Prabhupada was talking about the Vaikuntha planets, spiritual world. Yet there’s another world, so that was the introduction, not more. We have heard and read since then and as Ravindra Svarup was talking this morning, sharing his realizations, I also have a similar realization or in few days I was thinking something similar.

In the last few days, I was talking about the form of Krishna and all the- this part of Krishna is the lotus and the navel is deep and He has so many marks and He plays flute, not guitar- He plays flute only. And then you are talking about His relatives and He has father and mother and these are the names and all. So I was thinking in the last few days that although I can say that I haven’t seen Krishna face to face and yet I am describing His form and likewise His pastimes and His relatives and His neighbours and friends and cows and His abode.

And I was thinking that although myself, it is also a realization of you all or many of you, that for sure there’s a full conviction that Krishna plays flute. There’s no ‘I won’t accept that He plays any..’ I mean he could play some other, He could also play vina and He could also play mridanga but for sure He plays flute. Or the colour of His dhoti for sure is yellow, and all other facts.

Yes, these are His relatives and this is where He stays and even if someone is going to beat me to death I would not say that He doesn’t play flute or if someone going to bribe me ‘take a million dollars but say something other than what you have been talking here’ what to speak of God doesn’t exist or He has no form or He has different kind of- He is green in colour. Rama had some greenish complexion. Someone says ‘I will bribe you, I will give you million dollars or I will beat you!’ Could you say something differently?’

I thought I would not say anything from what has been said by Prabhupada and what Srila Vyasadeva has written or what Krishna has said in Bhagavad Gita. So I wanted to say this in Ravindra Svarup’s class this morning of my realization and I am saying this to you now. So how many of you also have similar realization as I or that kind of conviction? So most of you- we are together. So the same thing again of touring the dham, while most of the world doesn’t even know what we’re talking about. Here we are, even if we are beaten to death we are not going to give up these thoughts and these ideas and these words and we are only over our dead bodies we could be separated from this information and all these realizations- more than information.

Information is knowledge but when it begins to do something within you then it is more than just information. So well Ravindra Svarup said this had something to do with the Supersoul who is in action. So having said that much this idea of the tour is there still. Once upon a time when mother earth was overburdened by the load of the – especially ksatriyas who were not doing their duties properly and Mother Earth was in total distress, in tears and was in shape of a cow and she is crying and then she approaches demigods for help and they told her that they couldn’t do anything and they said ‘let’s go to Brahma.’

Even Brahma says ‘okay we better go to someone even higher than myself’ and they end up in Svetadvipa where Ksirodaksayi Vishnu resides and communication was made and Vishnu is ready to help. You are familiar with what I’ve just said but what I’m going to say hereafter is not something that you’re familiar with. It is simply because what I say did not happen five thousand years ago because that was not the only time that Krishna had appeared in this world.

Krishna appears once in day of Brahma so many, many times Krishna has made His appearance so one of those times- and these different times are called kalpas. This was the time of Varaha kalpa and what I am going to be describing to you in this touring dham- this description is found in Garga Samhita. Gargacharya- you know Gargamuni from Gokul to Vrindavan, a very prominent figure, spiritual master and like that.

He wrote the whole description of the pastimes of the Lord in Garga Samhita so what I’m going to narrate to you is from Garga Samhita. It’s just the touring concept, everything else I think you will have no difficulty to accept. And this tour was taken by the demigods- the demigods are going on a tour and they come to this time at the end of the kalpa to Vishnu. This time he says that even I am not Supreme, I am just expansion or plenary portion.

ete camsa kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam

So I would like to bring you to svayam Bhagavan and then He says ‘please follow me.’ So the tour guide is- who is guiding the tour here? Ksirodaksayi Vishnu. You are familiar here? So Rupa Manjari is one of the tour guides here and there are others. So here Vishnu is personally guiding all the demigods and He says ‘please come along.’ And they are all now following, so they are all within the universe. We had one painting showing the spiritual sky and material sky.

So there in the universe now what our idea is that as the demigods go on the tour guided by Vishnu, we want to follow that path. Imagine that you are also in that crowd with the demigods and so you are benefitted and so when you have to go in the future then you would know. But who knows you may not want to come back once you are there.

yad gatva na nivartante
tad dhama paramam mama

At least in consciousness you will be fixed in, our bodies may be still walking and talking and wondering here. That’s also one way of saying we did not come back from the dham, so that’s the idea. So those who want to stay can stay but the demigods did come back but you don’t come back. The demigods had some duties to perform- for preaching you also could come.

Everybody is within the universe now, how to get out of the universe? So Vishnu knew how to get out and he knew that the Lord had appeared or He had appeared as Vamandeva and He had taken one step and second step and while taking the second step Lord’s foot had touched the universe from inside and that had made a little hole, puncture. A little cracking took place although the layers- layer after layer are very, very thick.

But here is the Lord, as you go you also make some dent right in the ground, right? So the Lord, powerful Lord as He touched He made a crack and then what happens? Water that is outside starts dripping and so there’s a hole. There’s a hole in the layer of the universe so Vishnu enters that tunnel and all the demigods are walking right behind. Are you with us?

So now you are walking through that tunnel and on the side, where is that little stick? And on the side they’re noticing that water is flowing. They’re going in another direction, going out and water is flowing and this water turns into – what happens to this water? It’s Ganga, mother Ganga, we see her in Mayapur and she goes all the way through the universe- up and through the middle and she even goes down. So they’re travelling a long, long time- a long distance because layer after layer of different elements.

They come out of the universe, so there are all the universes, so which one is our universe? Okay that one, so they came out, they’re out now. So as they come out of one universe, what are they seeing? They’re seeing all the universes but this they had never seen ever before. They come out, universes like a watermelon or like a football and all the time we are inside and now we are out and as we look around there are watermelon type objects or footballs all over, unlimited, as far as you could see and beyond that in all directions there is this big, big gigantic bodied thing floated.

What to speak of the tiny creatures even demigods were simply – they had never imagined anything like this. So this happens as they simply come out of this universe, and there is water everywhere. Where is this water coming from? Maha Vishnu. Now you could see these little ones -they have just come out of the bodily pores, the universes and the water also.

This is the causal ocean and this is all the perspiration from the body of Maha Vishnu and as they come out they travel, their goal is to of course go touring to see Krishna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam, so somewhere between the border of the material existence and the spiritual sky, there’s a river there called the Viraja river who is supposed to be one of the consorts and she is liquid form in one of the pastimes, we also read that.

And then they cross across that and the first thing that they experience is that there is a brilliant, brilliant effulgence and their eyes – what happens when there’s a big torchlight right in front of your face? You could hardly you know, there’s a lot of light so you should be able to see but you stop seeing when there’s too much light. This is what happens with the mayavadis, there’s too much light, too much effulgence so they stop seeing the form. So as the demigods crossed the river the first thing they saw was this bright light and they had to close their eyes as they were almost becoming blind.

So Vishnu gave instruction to them ‘bow down, bow down, bow down’ so they all bowed down and as they then raised, they got up and they were able to see. Also they were able to enter that effulgence. Are you with us? So in the beginning we were – these are all Vaikuntha planets and according to Brahma:

goloka namni nija dhamni tale ca tasya (B.S 5.43)

devi mahesa hari dhamasu tesu tesu

Brahma says, goloka namni nija dhamni. Lord Krishna’s own abode is Goloka and tale ca tasya, underneath the Lord’s dham there’s Devi dham and that is material existence and then Mahesh dham somewhere, I can’t show it to you here. Then comes Hari dham- Hari dham is all the Vaikuntha planets, Vishnulokas and.. Then at the top is Lord Krishna’s own abode. So Vishnu’s original proposal was that ‘I will bring you to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsnas to bhagavan svayam.’

They’re not stopping anywhere and they are going through this effulgence and they’re seeing all the different planets of all the different incarnations and finally there is also Ayodhya dham and finally up there is Krishna’s own abode Goloka which they finally enter. Before entering in fact there’s a huge gate, there’s a description that there’s a big big huge gate and it is guarded by some sakhis and they have a stick in hand and they are guarding like a guard. So one of them approached and they saw two big large groups coming ‘Hey where are you from and who are you?

Are you from the universe where Brahma has four heads? Okay okay I heard so wait, wait don’t come in.’ So she goes all the way to give the report to Krishna that there’s a large crowd – ‘Three hundred and thirty million persons have come my Lord.’ So the Lord was very kind and He said ‘Let them in’ so this sakhi called Chandranana- a sakhi who is anana, who’s face is like a chandra- moon-like faced, bright faced sakhi.

So she said ‘okay, come on in’ and so Krishna is not right there at the gate entrance, He is all the way in the inner chambers like when you go into a palace there are so many other things before you can get to see, you pass by this that door or that corridor or that. So like that this is where the demigods get to see very closely the abode of Lord Krishna first time ever.

As they are going to see Krishna they are seeing what is there and they are all trying to hear and smell and touch as they are really overwhelmed with the whole experience and they see Jamuna there, there’s a Jamuna and this scene is there. Jamuna is very much there in the spiritual sky so they see crystal clear water and many blooming lotuses and there is a description that lotuses in the Jamuna mean that Jamuna is trying to hand out, ‘oh Krishna please take. This flower is for you.’

She’s trying to offer these flowers to Krishna, ‘ please take these flowers. This is our offering unto you.’ And swans are all swimming, the demigods are all seeing this and there are palaces on either side of Jamuna and there are steps leading to the waters and all those steps are studded with very valuable gems and sapphires.

Then they walk through the fields and they see cows everywhere- this is Goloka. Even this loka, planet is named after the cows. Also the Gokula, the whole dynasty that takes care of the cows, Goloka and Gokula – this Go is cow. So there are cows in abundance everywhere of all different complexions, sizes and there are calves which are running with their tails upraised and everyone is all jubilant and there are so many cowherd men, boys and they are singing songs.

There is no air pollution and the whole thing is crystal clear and there is no sound pollution, you say something and it could be heard at some distance away and the air would like to bring that vibration so that others hear and so like this all the demigods had never experienced such a clear, clean, spotless, beautiful, dazzling, brilliant place.

Then they also go this side here and there’s also a huge tall mountain with so many trees and there are rasa mandals, big, big arenas for rasa dancing and they see caves and then they happen to go this side which is like the mouth of Govardhan and there is Radha Kunda, Shyam Kunda, this is the mouth side. So of course all these forests are very glorious because Krishna performs varieties of pastimes. And superior to these twelve forests is what? Giri Govardhan, why? Because Krishna is lifting that personally. And superior to Giri Govardhan is Radha Kunda. Is there anything superior to Radha Kunda? There is nothing superior to Radha Kunda because it is as good as Radharani and there is nothing more better or superior than Radharani. So they have experience of that and they are just taking a little tour around and just enjoying and relishing the beauty.

So making tour, they finally, it must be Radha Kunda-like place, it says in Garga Samhita, they finally come to the place which is the centre of dham, there is a nikunja- nija, nikunja’s. Nija means His own kunjas which are thirty two in number according to Garga Samhita. So they are going through these nija nikunjas of the Lord and finally they come to the centre of these kunjas and there they see a lotus petal, a lotus flower that has thousand petals.

You could see a thousand petals going round and then there must be another layer and another on and another- a thousand petalled lotus. Then they see another lotus higher, which has sixteen petals and even higher yet another lotus with eight petals and there’s a big throne there, so they’re getting there. There’s a big throne bedecked with jewels and most opulent.

And there He is,

Govindam adi purusham tam aham bhajami
Govindam adi purusham tam aham bhajami

govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami

So curtains have been already opened, the curtain of illusion is removed. The curtain is made thinner and thinner and thinner and then finished. You are there face to face with Krishna so here is the divine couple on that throne being served by:

lakshmi sahasra shata sambhrama sevyamanam

Millions of gopis are serving Radha and Krishna, it is all the description we heard of His form just like that- Krishna is just like that with His complexion resembling the monsoon cloud and He has a turban, peacock feather and He has that four piece suit on. His upper garment, tight belt and dhoti, all this is also described as the complexion reminds us of the monsoon clouds and the peacock is like a rainbow, when there’s clouds and raining the rainbow is there.

The garland of pearls, they are white in colour, sometimes He wears and they are compared to like a swan. Imagine the clouds in colour and white swans are going across, flying across and here is dhoti which is a brilliant yellowish colour, what is that? At the time of rain sometimes there is lightning, His dhoti is like a lightning and the Lord’s voice is compared to thunder or rumbling. The Lord has deep voice, right? His voice is deep and as He would say just one word it would just..

It could also be heard at long distances so that Shyamsundar is there, of course His flute is ever ready and to His left side Radharani is sitting with blessing mudra, to bless you all. Her beautiful clothes, colour of her sari is what? Bluish – because Krishna’s colour is bluish her sari is bluish. And because Radharani’s colour is golden so Krishna’s dhoti is that colour. They wear these clothes so just by seeing her own sari she remembers Krishna and by seeing His own dhoti He remembers Radharani.

And both of them with their lotus eyes and their merciful glances, now here they look at thirty three million demigods and you are also part of that crowd, they are looking at you mercifully. They have higher throne so that they could see everyone. There is one advantage why not that the speaker is proud that is why his seat is higher, but there’s a practical reason so that he could see or even speak to them and have eye contact, some relationship with the audience.

So Krishna used to meet so many of them and as his elevated throne was an elevated position, from there he’s seeing and then Vishnu gives an introduction and the reason why they were there. So Krishna says ‘okay, fine with me if you cannot handle. The demigods and Shiva and Brahma and even you Vishnu. Okay so you all go and I am just now coming.’ So they were all asked to go and then they appeared in this Gokula and later on Krishna comes and then makes His appearance.

So this happened in Varaha Kalpa and so this is a tour of the dham and so the demigods had to come back because they had lots of assignments. You can decide now if you want to hang around for longer up there or do you have some meeting tomorrow? Okay so that will bring description of the dham – Krishna’s dham is supreme abode, topmost abode, the spiritual planets and all other dhams they bow down in fact to the dham of Krishna.

One time there was a conference of all these dhams in Prayag in Allahbad and all the dhams were invited to attend one meeting and they all came- dhams are also made of personifications, so they all came many of them and everyone was there and they looked around and they said ‘where is Vrindavan dham?’ And then they had a little discussion, they were all furious, they were all very angry, ‘why is this Vrindavan not here?! Who does he think he is?!’ And they all thought ‘we should personally go and chastise this Vrindavan dham so he doesn’t miss any future meeting.’

So they started their journey and they’re going towards Vrindavan but as they came closer to Vrindavan and saw the beauty and the grandeur, the opulence- the whole position of Vrindavan was entirely a different one and they all realised their foolishness and they all bowed down to Vrindavan dham – bow down Mr! And they also decided to reside there in Vrindavan. So as you go to Vrindavan you will see all different dhams as part of Vrindavan dham, they are in there.

In other words also, Vrindavan dham is the source of all other dhams, like Krishna is the source of all other incarnations similarly Krishna expands in different incarnations and Krishna’s abode expands in different dhams for other incarnations. The origin of all dhams is Vrindavan dham and touring Vrindavan dham is just enough- Vrindavan Mayapur is sufficient and this is the ultimate pilgrimage and so at this point we could also do a little advertising, commercials as Shaunaka is expert in doing these things but he’s not here.

Yes we would like to invite you to the next Vrajamandal Parikrama which starts this year, so it’s 15th October for one month so that is till 15th of November and we’ll bring you to all these places and we’ll start there in Mathura and go like that and come back so it is thirty days camping at different places of Krishna’s pastimes including the foothills of Govardhan and the banks of Jamuna.

We take our breakfast and lunches at the same places where Krishna used to sit down and take his lunch with his cowherd boyfriends, what more do you want? The same dust is still there, there are three things still there- the dust of Vrindavan, Giri Govardhan and Jamuna, they are still there. Other things are- some externally, transformations, different looking. So this is the eleventh annual Vraja Mandal Parikrama.

Every year we have been organizing and devotees come, this is not a large group Parikrama like in Navadvipa we have a thousand devotees in Navadvipa Mayapur Parikrama, here we get hundred or hundred and fifty. Between hundred and two hundred devotees come from worldwide and it becomes more personal and we always have a few Swamis, talkers- Dina Bandhu prabhu joins us and also we are taking bath in Jamuna and one day we will go ahead and do it.

At midnight on the appearance day of Radha Kunda, imagine at midnight we will take bath in Radha Kunda. Unforgettable experience of your life, something that you’ll treasure. How many of you have gone through this experience, Vraja mandal parikrama? You could see one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine- how many times Maharaj you have been? Sacinananda Swami has done for many times.

So I think we will stop here for our fifth and final topic of our seminar in Radhadesh Iskcon european convention. We could always do a little question answer.

1. Question: Krishna was a cowherd boy, He had many cows so I wondered what is the importance of cow protection or maintaining cows?

Answer: They cannot be separated from Krishna consciousness. If you realize how dear is the cow to Krishna-it’s not just some artist’s imagination here, just painted a cow next to god or next to Krishna. In fact His deep affection for the cow- love my dog. Before you love me love my dog philosophy is there so if you want to love Krishna you have to love His cows. So this Prabhupada taught us how to serve and love cows so he gave us some cows and some farms.

New Vrindavan cows, Prabhupada would talk that the cows and Krishna you cannot separate- ‘They know, that is why they’re happy’ Prabhupada said. It’s a part of our culture, cow and Krishna and so they cannot separate. Prabhupada talked about ox and bullock cart sankirtan in India was successful and Prabhupada said we should have millions of carts all over the world, millions of bullock carts and ox carts all over the world so that seems to be the future. Whatever Prabhupada said has came true or it will come true sooner or later so so much could be said on this topic, thank you for reminding us.

And for economic reasons, I mean we’re taking ample developing the economy of Iskcon, Prabhupada did say ‘You need the land and the cow, so chant Hare Krishna and be happy.’

2. Question: Maharaja, I was wondering that Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita in several places that one should get to Krishna’s abode and never leave it for the material world, so I was wondering if the demigods again left to go back?

Answer: They did yes, they were not really qualified- it was the special mercy of Vishnu so they were taken in and out. Their consciousness was not- they were not thoroughly purified, it was an emergency time so they- Vishnu took them to the big boss to see how to resolve this calamity now- so yes they came back.

3. Question: They say that you can’t buy a train ticket to go to the dham and that when you’re in the dham, Krishna is covering the dham so it’s protected. So is there any benefit in going there or could it be penetrated, that layer?

Answer: Well it could be penetrated by cultivating the mood exhibited by Narottam das Thakur who sings:

visaya chadiya kabe suddha ha’be mana
kabe hama heraba sri vrndavana

He’s talking ‘oh Lord, when will I give up this idea of gratifying the senses?
visaya chadiya kabe suddha ha’be mana. Once I give up this idea of gratifying the sense my mind will become purified and then I will be able to see Vrindavan and reside in Vrindavan.’

So he has told us how to do it. Yes? Well one thing we hear is that the dham is revealed unto you by your spiritual master so this is one of the dhams. As there are ten offences against the holy name there are ten offences against the dham and one of them is to blaspheme or disrespect the spiritual master who reveals dham unto you. And for us Prabhupada has revealed dham unto us and the present spiritual masters or his disciples by the help of Prabhupada are revealing the dham unto their followers further.

This is done by all spiritual masters, so by the grace of Srila Prabhupada, easy answer- no, standard answer is how to do. By also chanting Hare Krishna which the spiritual master has given you instructions to chant Hare Krishna but we went over that on the first day, not to chant attentively and the result of that attentive chanting is that the Lord would reveal His form unto you. Then His qualities will be revealed and His pastimes and where do the pastimes take place? In the dham.

So like that it starts with the chanting, chant Hare Krishna and be happy and also follow these regulative principles and control yourself, free yourself from this sinful life and do your chanting and associate and take Krishna prasad. So doing these things is all mercy, this is mercy and this is how to become qualified. Okay so this is time up for questions and answers for today’s presentation.
Thank you for encouraging me and giving me many topics. I also think you’re a very wonderful audience which I’ve had in last five days, it was very relaxed time which we dont get in our busy life of spreading Krishna- expanding. I was hankering to do this for a long time, i was ending up making some centennial sessions but I was not able to talk directly in Bhagavatam classes yes but seminars of this kind is- this has not happened.

So this was new teacher and new students practicing this so like that you can all pray so that I can do this more in the future. Alright so, maybe one more comment on this topic highlighting the points to improvement? Maharaja already gave me some few hints possibly using some slight presentation and more audio visual which even I was thinking in last few days but it never happened so any other things we could do to improve?

Thank you. I highly appreciate those listening with attention.

Janmastami
ISKCON Noida
31/8/2015

There were pandals raised everywhere. Announcements were being made that Janmashtami celebrations are starting. All are cordially invited. Personal invitations are also being given. Press conferences are called for and the journalist are also told about the celebrations. ISKCON Noida is celebrating as well as the whole world. 50 years ago when Srila Prabhupada was travelling in the boat and when it reached the Atlantic ocean that was the day of Janmashtami. Srila Prabhupada celebrated Janmashtami in the ship itself. He invited captain Pandya, captain of the ship and his crew for the celebrations there in the boat itself. Iskcon’s first Janmashtami in 1965 was in the ship. And now after 50 years of the incident, around 150 countries are celebrating this Janmashtami festival. I went to China and there too in Beijing celebrations were in progress. I had been there in this month only. Its August right? So Janmashtami is getting celebrated in China.

“karti katha gati gane gudiya torane”
Sant Tukaram Maharaja of Maharashtra sang this song. It was Janmashtami festival during that time. Do you know what is “torana”? In marathi its torana. They tie mango leaves and flowers on the rope and hang it to the doors. Such decorations are going on. The whole Gokula was decorated. And,
anandalya nara nari

All the men and women were happy and joyfully singing the glories of the Lord. They were experiencing bliss. They were singing glories of Lord and dancing. A few minutes before, I saw that it was time for katha/ class but all of you were doing kirtana, singing and dancing and playing some musical instruments. 5242 years ago, I don’t want to go into calculations of how the grand total came. But from 5242 years onwards this festival of Sri Krishna Janmashtami is being celebrated. Till the moon and the stars are in the sky, this festival will be celebrated. From one generation to the other the Lord is giving an opportunity for the living entities to celebrate this festival. This objective also we will talk about. The reason why the Lord appears? So now when everything is getting ready for the celebrations then we will also make up our mind, getting ready mentally by hearing to some Hari katha , Krishna katha, janma katha. Then our mind will be “changa”. It’s a Punjabi word. So when Bhagavan appears on Janmashtami day then we will be ready mentally. The ground of our heart should be kept neat and clean. Then we will be eligible to hold the Lord in our hearts. Lord should take birth in our minds and in the courtyard of our hearts.

Before taking birth from the womb of Devaki, Lord had appeared in the mind of Vasudeva. Then from the mind of Vasudev He appeared into the heart of Devaki. Vasudeva’s mind and Devaki’s heart were the suitable pure places, vessel for the Lord to appear. And He appeared on the night of ashtami day. The Lord is not the product or combination of men and women. Krishna doesn’t take birth like us, like our body takes birth. Bhagavan does not take a birth, He doesn’t have a material body because He is not the product or the combination of man and woman. We don’t hear this in the lila, do we? Vasudeva is a man and Devaki is a woman. But when Lord was born how? He was very wonderful child. So we can understand that the birth is not common. The child was laughing. Did we ever come across any child in this material world taking birth laughing? No. That means this birth is unlike the material birth that we know of. The births that take place in this samsar, material world it is definitely not like the birth of Lord Krsna, that’s why Bhagavan is called Ajanma. The one who has no relation with the birth but still we celebrate Krishna Janmashtami. That’s why Bhagavan is saying,

janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah

My birth is divya, transcendental. One who knows My transcendental birth and activities will also get benefitted by this when we understand this principle of transcendental birth and activities of the Lord. The tattva of the Lord’s birth or the reason of His Birth, etc. We want to discuss about such topics and this we will start from the prayers of Kunti Maharani. She knew the Lord. Amongst the knowers of the Lord, Kunti Maharani was the Lord’s parshada/ parikar. She was not a conditioned soul. She was not a common wordly women. When the Lord appears in this material world he appears along with His associates. For example when a King is going somewhere he doesn’t go alone. He is followed by his body gaurds, His ministers , associates , His priests, etc. King doesn’t come alone. Similarly when Bhagavan is coming He doesn’t come alone. In some of His avatars Lord doesn’t come alone or didn’t come. For example when He came as Lord Rama, He didn’t come alone. Sri Krishna, when He appeared, sometimes like Rama sometimes like Shyam , He didn’t come alone. He came as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, He didn’t come alone but when He came as Narsimha Deva then He came alone. Similarly He came in so many other avatars alone like araha bhagavan. So in many such avatars He comes alone but dharma sya glanir bhavati – when there is decline in the dharma- religious principles abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham.

When the irreligiousness is spreading everywhere and religious principles are declining, not taken care, at that time Bhagavan says I appear tadatmanam srjamyaham. So during such times or circumstances the Lord appears. So at that time only one lila will be played and then the Lord disappears after that lila is over. But in some lila’s the Lord appeared and stayed for 125 years right from His birth, then balavastha –childhood, pauganda avastha then Kaishor avastha, navayavannam ca – yuva avastha –youth. Lord Rama also stayed long around 11000 years on this planet earth, Sri Krishna stayed for 125years and Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu for 48 years. So these 3 avatars are little special. Lord stayed on this planet earth for 1000’s of years displaying His pastimes.

Prayers of Kunti Maharani
ISKCON Noida
31/8/2015

We were talking about Kunti Maharani. She is sarvajna. She knows the Lord. One should understand the lila of the Lord through His tattva. Those who are the personal associates of the Lord they know the Lord’s tattva. They are tattvavetta. There are many prayers and glorifications of the Lord in Srimad Bhagavatam. And the very first prayers in the Srimad Bhagavatam are that of Srimati Kunti Maharani.

There are many others but this is the first

namasye purusam tvadyam isvaram prakrteh param
alaksyam sarva-bhutanam antarbahir avasthitam [SB 1.8.18]

That is how Kunti Maharani is praying. The Lord is in front of her and she is praying. After the war at Kuruksetra, Lord had spent lot of time at
Hastinapur. Pandavas were staying at Hastinapur and Dwarakadhish Sri Krishna was residing at Dwaraka. So it was time to leave for Dwaraka and
so the Lord was sitting in the Chariot. He was about to start when Kunti Maharani comes near to the Lord. Bhagavan is sitting in the chariot and
she was standing in front of Him. While taking His darsana Kunti Maharani offered her prayers to the Lord. We also pray in front of the deity of the
Lord. Pratyaksha – prati -aksha –in front of her eyes, the Lord was there in front of her eyes in Hastinapur. She was saying,
namaste purusham – Govindam adipurusham -tvamadyam ishvaram –

I offer my obeisances unto you. I offer obeisances again and again. How are you whom I want to offer my obeisances? Like “barambara pranam hai.”

loota loota dadhi makhan khayo aise bhagavan ko pranam hai

I offer my obeisance unto that butter thief . Does anybody bow down to a thief? But to this thief the whole universe bows down again and again. The
thief is also not from this universe. And He is the great thief, not an ordinary one. He is shiromani, the head of all the thieves. So Kunti Maharani is offering her obeisances. You are the origins of all the Gods, adi devam ajam vibhum. Arjuna also specified it during the Gita upadesh
and you are beyond the material nature. Lord is beyond the modes of material nature. Bhagavan is not from this material world. Material world is
called as prakrti. Bhagavan is beyond this material world – aprakrit world – unmanifested world. The Lord is present there in the natural world. The
world which we live in is artificial.

Lord says,
paras tasmat tu bhavo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktat sanatanah [BG 8.20]
Translation: Yet there is another nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter.

Dhama where I stay is called sanatana dhama. Kunti maharani says prakrteparam – you and your dhama are beyond this material world and you yourself are beyond this material world because your form is not material. It is satcidananda. The material bodies are made of earth water fire air ether –pancha maha bhuta. All the bodies of the 84 lakh species are made of this pancha maha bhutas. But the Lord’s body or form is made of a different tattva and it is called sat, cid, ananda. Beyond prakriti.

alaksyam sarva-bhutanam antarbahir avasthitam

You are like that antar bahir avasthitam. Sarvabhutanam, you are inside everybody and also present outside. And even though you are like that you are alakshyam not visible to anyone because of their ignorance. They are many things even in the darkness.

Yesterday night one bhagavan in shahadara was saying, he is still wearing yesterday’s tilak. It was in the drama. The scene was of the courtroom of the Lord. And Lord is saying to Nikhil. When there is darkness there are lot of things around but we cant see them but when you lighten that area by switching on the lights or put a candle or torch then you can see everything. Everything is existing but one cant see because there is darkness. One can claim or declare that there is nothing here but it is only due to ignorance so alakshyam.

One cannot see the Lord. You are situated avasthitam but alakshyam (cant be seen). That’s why we say “om ajnana timirandhasya jnanajana shalakaya” Timir is darkness so the G uru will give the knowledge to see.

Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanenasantahsadaivahrdayesuvilokayanti

Premanjana, so he gives prema in the eyes. Then they can see in the courtyard of their heart. yam shyama sundar achintya gunaswarupam Lord who is alakshyam can also be seen with the help of

Jnananjanpremanjan.
maya-javanikacchannam
ajnadhoksajamavyayam
nalaksyasemudha-drsa
natonatyadharoyatha [SB 1.8.19]

Kunti maharani further says that Bhagavan is everywhere but cannot be seen. Yato yato yami tato narasimha wherever I go there the Lord Narsimha is present. But this darsana is only possible by Premanjana and jnananjana.

bahir narasimha hrdaye narasimha.

Whether you call Him Bhagavan Narsimha, Rama, Krishna has many names and forms. Bahir Narsimha He is outside as well as inside.
Those who pray to Lord Jagannath, they say,

Jagannath swami nayanapathgami bhava tumi
Stay in the path of my eyes. In the path of my eyes meaning in whichever
direction I see , I should be able to see you, get your darsana. Directions of
the eyes is always changing from here to there. So wherever I see
Chaitanya mahaprabhu says-

sthavara ja?gamadekhen? dekhe t?ram?rti sarvatra haya nijaista-deva-sphurti

When a person sees, a devotee, a vaisnava he sees a form he sees sthavarajangama but he is not concentrating on their forms he just passes besides it. Lord Buddha also must be in this mood. So one person came and asked whether he had seen a lady who passed this way? They said yes I saw but don’t ask me whether it was a women or a man but I have seen someone passing this way.

But in this material world they see differently. If it’s a women they keep staring at her turning their faces taking photos and they will take a serious note on who she is how she is what she is etc. So Kunti Maharani says maya-javanika cchannam Javanika means curtain. The curtain of maya has covered the conditioned soul and the Lord has also hidden Himself. Lord says in the Gita

naham prakasah sarvasya
yoga-maya-samavrtah
mudho 'yam nabhijanati
loko mam ajam avyayam [BG 7.25]

Translation: I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My eternal creative potency [yoga-maya]; and so the deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible. I also cover Myself with Yoga maya. So that which is hidden by maya, Adhokshaja – the one who is beyond the perception of our sense whether it is Lord’s darsana or touch or shravan.

atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih?
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah?[Padma Purana]

Translation: One cannot understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality and pastimes of Sri Krsna through one’s 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. Lord is there and His body is fragrant. In future we will discuss about it. How is the Lord’s body? Fragrant forever fragrant. Our body smells bad always . the gates of the body – navadwara- something or other is coming out of it

nalaksyasemudha-drsa

Just like in the drama company some actor is playing a role then the same actor will be playing a different role in another drama and in 3 rd so on . All the roles are completely different from one another, whether it is makeup, uniform, clothes, style, even hair style so those who are watching a movie, after 5 to 10 minutes, they say oh that’s Devanand. Hey that’s the one. The actor is one but he is displaying his art in different forms like in his costume or body language or walk or different circumstances then many times we don’t understand. We don’t recognize the actor – this is the one, this is the same actress actor.

Just like we can’t recognize the ordinary actors sometimes so what can be said about the Supreme Lord. You sometimes come as Narsimha, sometimes Varaha and sometimes tortoise. So much changes. In this material world the actors will be having 2 legs, 2 hands etc so many things in common and so many differences might also be there. But when the Lord comes sambhavami yuge yuge that time it’s very difficult to recognize the Lord.

kesavadhrita narasimharupa
kesavadhrita varaharupa
kesavadhrita rama sharira

Kesava is only appearing in those forms like 10 avatars. There are many avataars- advaitam achyutam anadi ananta rupam. But among that this is
a list of 10 avatras. In that Jayadeva Goswami says or prays about those 10 avataras– kesavadhrita– meaning that form which has been taken up by
Kesava. He became a mina –fish, kesava dhrita kkachchapa rupa, kesava dhrita varaharupa, shukara rupa like that. Kesava only becomes like that.
Kesava is the actor who takes up these forms. Same way nato nattya dharo yatha in different roles and different dramas He takes part

tatha parama hamsanam
muni nam amalat manam
bhakti-yoga-vidhdnartham
katham pasyema hi striyah [SB 1.8.20]

Translation: You Yourself descend to propagate the transcendental science of devotional service unto the hearts of the advanced transcendentalists
and mental speculators, who are purified by being able to discriminate between matter and spirit. How, then, can we women know You perfectly?

The specialty of a swan (hans) is that if you mix water and milk in a cup and give them to drink, it will only drink milk and leave the water. Their wing despite being in water do not get wet. Swans are hence consider to be pure, clean in contrast with them we have crows. Wherever we have the
municipality dustbins we will find crows whereas we find swans only in the manas sarovar where the water is very clear and we find lotuses blooming.

parama hamsanam muni nam amalat manam

Means the people whose soul does not have any dirt. Their minds are pure

sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam
tat-paratvenanirmalam
hrsikenahrsikesa-
sevanambhaktirucyate

You have to free yourself from the designation. One who is free from all designations that are related to the body they are nirmal. bhakti-yoga-vidhanartham [SB1.8.20] You Yourself descend to propagate the transcendental science of devotional service (Bhakti yoga). These paramhans or these param muni or amala atama will do bhakti and will establish bhakti.

dharma-samsthapanarthaya [BG 4.8]. They will establish the bhakti yoga, path of bhakti, Bhakti dharma and prem dharma.
Katham pasyema hi striyah [SB 1.8.20] “I am a woman , how can I know you when only paramhansa can know” says queen kunti.

krsnayavasudevaya
devaki-nandanaya ca
nanda-gopa-kumaraya
govindayanamonamah [SB 1.8.21]

Translation: Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devak?, the boy of Nanda and the other cowherd men of V?nd?vana, and the enlivener of the cows and the senses. This is the prayer of Queen Kunti where she says:-
Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisance’s unto the Lord, who has become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devaki, the boy of Nanda
and the other cowherd men of Vrndavan, and the enlivener of the cows and the senses.

Go means senses. The one who gives pleasure to the senses therefore govind. Go means cows. The one who gives pleasure to the cows is known as govind. Go also means mother earth. The one who gives pleasure to mother earth is govinda. These are not only names but also the feeling. As there was Indra who has also asked forgives for his pride as Krishna lifts up Govardhana during maha-pralaya as he could not do any harm to Vrndavan. During the great storm; the clouds are special and reserved for this purpose only. When the entire creation has to drown in rain a particular set of clouds named Samvartak clouds had to dispatch. When indra released these clouds and sent them to vrindavan to drown the village and the people in the village. As a response to Indra Krishna lifts the Govardhana mountain to give them shelter. When Indra had gotten tired of pouring down rain over the village for 24 hours but still could not affect the life of the people of Vrndavan. The villagers had a better life than before for
these 24 hours as they could see Krishna only for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening before whereas now they had him for all 24
hours. The same is the state for the Gopi’s of Vrndavan. The time had been divided into 8 division where Krishna spent time with different people like on for the parents and one for the gopi’s. In the particular division one would be for vatsalya bhava, sakhya bhava for the gopa’s and a division for madhurya bhava gopis. Even Krishna’s parents were like “Why do you have to go to the forest you can just stay at home.” Even in the evening the gopas’s were not happy as Krishna had to go back to his home and the friends had to go back to their home. But due to the rain everybody has 24 hours with Krishna.

Finally when Indra was not listening to Krishna, he got a metaphorical kick and then he came to his sense and asked for forgives to Krishna and gave
abhishekam to Krishna and the place all the water of the abhishekam had gotten collected is called govindakund. When you go for govardhan
parikraama you will find this Govindakund and this water was brought by Airavatha from heaven.

namahpankaja-nabhaya namahpankaja-maline
namahpankaja-netraya namastepankajanghraye [SB 1.8.22]

Translation:  My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus and whose feet are engraved with lotuses. Queen Kunt iprayes to Krishna as Pankaja nabhaya. Pankaja means the one who is born from a flower. Like the lotus that is born from the navel of the Lord over which brahma sits. The Lord’s navel is very large. The garland that the Lord is wearing is that made from the lotus flower. Krishna wears many garlands f different flowers so you will have to pray to the Lord depending upon which garland he is wearing, like if He is wearing a Vaijayanti flower garland then we cannot say namah pankaja-maline, sometimes he also wears vana-mala. The Gopa’s will take leaves and flower from here and there and make them into a beautiful garland out of love the we will have to say vana-maline. So first see the Lord on what garland he is wearing and the pray onto him. When Queen Kunti was praying the Supreme personality of Godhead was wearing lotus flower garlands. Namah pankaja-netraya; your eyes are also like the lotus petal.

When the lotus blooms, your eyes also brightens. When Vishvamitra came to take Ram and Lakshmana. King Dasharatha replied that they were unshodasa varshiya. Which means that Ram and Lakshman were 15 years.As it comes closer to evening the lotus tends to wither this is Rajiva-lochana. As the evening approaches Ram and Lakshmana eyes starts closing like a lotus. Dritarastra also added that in the evening the demons start appearing and Ram and Lakshman have to stand guard but these boys are Rajiva-lochana by 7’o clock just like the closing and the opening of a lotus flower. Namaste pankaj anghraye and the lotus feet which are as soft as a lotus petal. All the 7 limbs of the Lord has been compare to lotus Flower. Lords beauty is just as the lotus, he soft as the lotus and also as sweet smelling as a lotus.

Yathah rsikesa khalena devaki
kamsena ruddh aticiram sucarpita
vimocitaham ca sahatmajavibho
tvayaiva nathena muhurvipad-ganat [SB 1.8.23]

The Villainous Kamsa had locked Devaki for a long time in the dungeon. Devaki was filled with sadness and worry but as you freed Vasudev and
Devaki from their hardship and problems; you have also done the same for my children. She says to the Lord sitting in front of the Lord that you are the supreme Lord, the one Lord, Shri Krishna, Govinda, Jagannath, hey padmabha, hey Pankaja-maline. You have rescued us from the many difficulties and problems that we have faced.

visanmahagnehpurusada-darsanad
asat-sabhayavana-vasa-krcchrata?
mrdhemrdhe aneka-maharathastrato
drauny-astratascasma hare abhiraksitsh [SB 1.8.24]

Queen Kunti also goes on to specify some examples like the incident with poison or when they had to stay overnight at the wax house and were allowed to escape safely from there. Even during the war you have saved my children from all the weapons of the opposition’s great warriors. Even now you have saved King Parikshit from the brahma-astra released by Drona’s son Ashwathama.

You are the savior of all of them. You have sent us many problems and you only have saved us from all of them.

vipadahsantutahsasvat
tatratatrajagad-guro
bhavatodarsana?yatsyad
apunar bhava-dar?anam [SB 1.8.25]

Hey prabhu, please put me in more troubles prays Queen Kunti. Since the Lord is in front of her, Queen Kunti could have as well told “enough is
enough” or give him the list of the problems and asked him to stop But instead she told keep sending trouble my way. This is a very strange prayer. Would any of you ever ask for such a boon? I have lost for a job, I am not getting another job, I have also taken so many loans (Eduction loans, car loan, house loans) and even after all this would you ask that ”this is not enough please send more”. This is a very intelligent request to the
Lord. Only when we are in trouble we remember the Lord in every which way possible but when happy no one tends to remember. Only in trouble we come and your darsana. Only when we are in trouble again and again we will come and take darsana again and again. There is a play on the words on the last line on the shloka which means that when we take darsana again and again we will not take birth in the planet again and again we will come back to you.

janmaisvarya-sruta-sribhir
edhamana-madahpuman
naivarhatyabhidhatumvai
tvamakincana-gocaram [SB 1.8.26]

There are also people who will not come and see you these people can be typed ad the people who have pride in the house. Those who are proud of
their Money. There is a phrase in English “When popper is proud of his penny”, some has cycle but I have a motorcycle and another has a maruti 800 and then BMW.

If there is a pedestrian is walking by the cycle person will laugh at him and say that this person even doesn’t have a cycle but I don’t have a
motorcycle. The same with the motor cyclist he is proud over the person with cycle but regrets not having the Maruti 800. The maruti feels the same
way towards the motor cycle and The BMW and then there is a helicopter person also. People have pride over their richness, education, beauty. It is
because of these prides that when come to the temple and call out the Supreme Personality of Godhead he will not even try to look at the Lord.
He will be looking here and there as if there is nobody.it is because this pride increases and the person is not able to call out to the Lord with right feeling (Bhava).

We were inviting someone to have prasad in the old Delhi temple in greater Kailash. He replied that he just had prasad at the Hilton hotel and I am
returning, give this to some poor person. His feeling that this is for poor people and I am not poor. I am a person who eats muttonum and chikanum
(Mutton and chicken) and you are patram, pushpam, khichadi person.

Queen Kunti has told that tvam akinchana gocharam. Those who understand that they have nothing even if in reality they have everything and nothing which meas that these people have understood that everything belongs to the Lord. go means senses as mentioned before. Which means that the Lord cannot be known but dirty senses.

But only those who are nishkinchana (Knows nothing is his and everything belongs to the Lord) only their senses can see, smell, hear the Lord.

Hrishikena hrishikesha-sevanam bhaktir ucyate (BRS 1.1.12)

The owner of our senses is the Lord which is why he is known as Heishikesha. The senses are with us but the owner is the Lord. And our senses in the service of the Lord. Only then we can gain the knowledge from our senses.

namo akincana-vittaya
nivrtta-guna-vrttaye
atmaramayasantaya
kaivalya-patayenamah [SB 1.8.27]

My obeisance’s to you unto the property of the materially impoverished. Do you understand the meaning of the word akincana?

Isavasyam idam sarvam yatkinca jagat yamjagat
tena tyaktena bhunjitha magrdhah kasya sviddhanam [isopanishad verse 1]

Bhagavan is the Lord, I will only keep only that which is required and use the rest to serve the Lord and his devotees. I am not the master. In Gita
Lord has told that He is the Lord, He is the master. b

hoktaramyajna-tapasam
sarva-loka-mahesvaram
suhrdamsarva-bhutanam
jnatva mam santimrcchati [BG 5.29]

The one who knows this truth will know peace otherwise he will always be in the tension. Such a person is a thief and should be given death.

punarapi jananam punarapi maranam

Krishna is not the butter thief but is the Lord of all. We are the thieves. We are the trespasser’s. Just like it is written when you buy a new plot. When Sukadev Goswami spoke then till the end of the story the discourse will go on.

namah akinchana vittaya you become the property of the people who have understood that all belongs to you. Those who submit everything to you.
It is yours and we offer it unto you. People like this have nothing of their own but you become their property. I pay my obeisance’s unto you Lord.
You have become the property of those who have understood that everything belongs to you.

Sri Radhashtami Katha
26th August, 2020

Radhastami Mahotsav ki jai !!!

Today is the day, our Radha Pandharinath appeared on Radhastami, 16 years ago. So there is another occasion, the 16th anniversary of Radha Pandharinath Temple, Pandharpur opening. Also Radhastami is a day in New Delhi in 1976, Srila Prabhupada gave me a, I would call it a special benediction, instruction to start padayatra. So that was 1976’s Radhastami, if I remember correctly, it was 1st of September, Lajpat Nagar 21, Firoz Shah Gandhi Road.

So it’s a very special day for me, as a special mercy of Radha Rani for me, I consider as Srila Prabhupada instructions for me to travel in a bullock cart. Which then gradually became a padayatra with the bullock cart or sometimes the horse cart , for sometime no carts, just to go to as many villages, as many towns. So that was the 1976 Radhastami instruction I received, for which I am very grateful to Srila Prabhupada for such instructions.

I consider Radharani appeared to Srila Prabhupada in his heart and in his mind and then he gave me these very special instructions, padayatra, Bullock cart Sankirtan party program. Then in 1984, we did padayatra on Radhastami, 8000 km padayatra from Dwarka to Mayapur via Kanyakumari. It took us 18 months. So it is the grace of Radharani again that we were able to regain and it never finished. We did arrive with padayatra in Mayapur and then we couldn’t just stop, Radharani was pushing us, Gauranga was inspiring us to carry on, so we went on and on and on and on. So today we are completing 36 years of the padayatra in India. Hari Bol !!!

This is the 36th anniversary of all India padayatra. And that same Padayatra was here, 11 years ago, when we had the Silver Jubilee Celebration of Padayatra, all India Padayatra here in Pandharpur on Radhastami day and then they started their journey from Pandharpur. We appointed Acarya Prabhu president of Padayatra or incharge of Padayatra and you would be glad to know that they have successfully travelled to thousands of villages and towns in the last 11 years, since their departure from Pandharpur.

So we congratulate those all India padyatri’s also for this accomplishment and of course all the padayatris from all over the world. We congratulate them and we are thankful for carrying forward Srila Prabhupada’s instructions or mission which is ultimately of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki Jay !!!

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu mission of spreading the holy name to every town and village. And making Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s prediction come true, that is to spread the names of Radha and Krishna all over the world. Right!
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said,

Prithvite ache yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra prachara haibe mora nama [Chaitanya Bhagavat]
Translation:
In as many towns and villages as there are on the surface of the earth, My holy name will be preached.

My name will spread all over the world. So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s name is Radha Krishna, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Radha, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Krishna. So when he said my name will spread means Radha Krishna’s name will spread and this mahamantra is nothing but Radha Krishna’s name

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare

The padayatras around the world are spreading the name of Radha, the name of Krishna. My name will reach every town, every village, Radha’s name will reach, Krishna’s name will reach. You see the connection – Radha that appears today, some 5200+ years ago, that her name is now been spread all over the world by the members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and amongst them some members are going out on padayatra and bringing Radha’s name to the heart of all. And anyone who hears Radha’s name, Krishna’s name,

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare

So, RadhaRani who appeared today on Radhastami day, She is now appearing in so many towns and villages. Yes! Do you understand this?

tatra tisthami narada
yatra gayanti mad-bhaktah

Oh Narada, where My devotees get together and chant My names, My glories, I am very much there. So if Hare is chanted, Krishna is chanted, Radha Krishna make their appearance in those villages and towns. So She doesn’t remain in Ravalgaon. Ravalgaon wali ki jai jai jai !!!

No one says that. They do say, Barsane wali ki jai jai jai !!!
That Radha Rani of Barsana She is not remaining limited to Barsana anymore. She is becoming, Delhi wali ki jai or Moscow wali ki jai. In fact, one time Srila Prabhupada installed Radha Pariseshwar and Radha Londoneshwar. Then he installed Radha Pariseshwar, that Radha of Pariseshwar. Prabhupada was talking, how the ladies, women of France, Paris were beautiful and he said, “Look at our Radharani, She is the most beautiful”. So he was making some connection with the women of Paris, in the form of deities also.

So Radha is rare and Radha’s appearance is rare, Her personality is rare, She is rare to be obtained. But by the grace of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu now Radharani is becoming known to all over the world.

yadi gaura na hoito, tabe ki hoito,
kemane dharita de?

It is written by Narottam Das Thakur. So he said, you cannot even imagine if Gauranga has not appeared then how could we have survived and revived our love for Radha and Krishna. And how could we have thrived also. Not just survive but revive and thrive. We are thriving, the members of Krishna Consciousness movements are thriving. Because of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu he appeared.

radhara mahima, prema-rasa-sima,
jagate janata ke

If Gauranga Mahaprabhu had not appeared, then radhara mahima, the greatness of Radha Rani, which is because of the ras and rasa, the mellow and the devotion and Her emotions for which She is known. Rasa sima, that the rasa, that the mellow, that she possesses are unlimited, aseem, no seema, no limits. So that kind of Radha Rani, how could we have come to realise or know Radharani, if Gauranga Mahaprabhu had not appeared. How the world could have come to know? Many people of Radhakund, they could have found out. Or people, residents of Jagannath Puri or maybe of Navadvipa, Mayapur, just a few places here and there, but jagat, the whole world, how could the world have found ? Radhara mahima and Premras, sima, unlimited rasa. Rupa Goswami’s song, if anybody knows Radha Rani, Rupa Goswami is the one who knows, among those who knows Radharani, Rupa Goswami is the one. How come he knows Radharani? He is always with Radharani as a manjiri, Rupa manjiri in Golok. He is always around Radharani. So that Rupa manjari appears as Rupa Goswami and we could also say that,

yadi gaura na hoito, tabe ki hoito,
kemane dharita de?
radhara mahima, prema-rasa-sima,
jagate janata ke

So we have also come to know the glories of Radharani because of Rupa Goswami. So it’s not only Chaitanya Mahaprabhu or infact to introduce Radharani to the whole world, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had come with a very major strategy and lots of manpower. He was not going alone to spread the glories of Radharani and make Radharani known to the world but he had appeared with a big team of those Golokvasis. So they all put together, headed by Gauranga. The goal was to grace the world, bless towns and villages with the mercy of Radha and Krishna. Especially Radha, because if you don’t get mercy of Radharani, then no mercy of Krishna. So Rupa Goswami has compiled so many songs and ashtakas glorifying Radharani and this is one of his very popular song,

Radhe jaya jay madhava dayite

So it’s a very great day as we did say earlier. It’s Radharani’s day. This ashtami has become known as Radhashtami. A lot of people even do not know that Radha exists. A lot of people doubt about Her existence and they also keep wondering “Oh! Radharani is not mentioned in Bhagavatam” and we know most of the people in the world do not know today is Radharani’s day and how many in, Chandrabhaga ke par, the other side of Chandrabhaga river in Pandharpur, how many are aware that today is Radhashtami. I wonder whether even the temple authorities of Rukmini Vitthal mandir, I think we had been reminding them and they had been doing something in the past, abhishek of Radharani and special dress for Radharani but there was a time they did not even know that Radhashtami is something or Radhashtami exists or this day is known as the appearance day. So that is the state of affair.
In south India Radharani practically, they go for Rukmini, Bhudevi, Sridevi that’s it. Radha? forget it.

Gaurang Mahaprabhu, appeared, 500 years ago and kind of started a campaign. He wanted the world to know Radharani and knowing Radharani is the way to get the mercy of Radharani. So, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wanted the whole world to be benedicted by the mercy of Radharani. Jai Radhe! Since the foundation of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and since Srila Prabhupada started travelling and preaching all over the world, and he started spreading,

Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare,
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare,

People started to know Radharani. O this Hara, hara is hare, when you address Hara, this Hara is Radha and when your address Hara, Hara is Radha becomes Hare while explaining the maha mantra also. Then they were explaining Radharani otherwise, that Srila Prabhupada was preaching on the footpath of New York roadside and chanting Hare Krsna Hare Krsna. Then in the middle he would stop and people gathered around him and he would say, you show them a photograph of Radha and Krishna and say this is Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just by hearing that they were like “Ah! Then what is that girl doing there, next to your God?”. These westerns ignorant and fools, well easterners also could be and are ignorant and fools, there are plenty of them around. So they did not know Radha.

In 1965-66 Srila Prabhupada was only one who knew Radha and then we could see by now how many persons in America, in Canada, in South America, in Africa, in Australia, in Russia, in New Zealand, like that around the world, how many have come to know who is Radharani and not only they have come to know but I am confident that today, the whole world is celebrating Radhastami festival. Over 100 countries are celebrating Radha’s appearance day today. The world has come to know Radharani along with Krishna. This is because of Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Having said that Radharani is rare and it’s not easy to understand Radharani. You may understand women, you may understand Durga or you may even understand Laxmi, you may understand Sita also. But, Radharani is very difficult to understand because of her exalted nature and purity of Radharani and emotions of Radharani, Radha bhav.

radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krishna-svarupam [CC Adi 1.5]

To understand Radha’s emotions, Radha’s thoughts, simple living and high thinking. Radharani’s thinking is highest. No one thinks the way Radha thinks. Her thoughts are the highest thoughts, what She thinks is the highest thinking. So to understand Radha’s emotions, Radha’s bhava, Radha’s thoughts, what is on Radha’s mind, it is so very difficult that even Krishna doesn’t know. Rukmini has said to Dwarkadhish, “There is something my Lord, maybe I know something and Radharani knows more, so there is something that only Radharani knows and you do not know. What Radharani goes through when she is in vipralambha bhava, feelings of separation and emotions of those times are so intense and so deep and so pure that you don’t know what I go through”. This is Rukmini talking, “Radharani knows what Radharani experiences, you don’t know”. So when Krishna heard that, he must have been like “What you are talking about. You did not read the bhagavatam? Open the first verse of bhagavatam and there it says abhigya, svarat. I am supposed to be abhigya, a knower of everything. I am known for knowing everything and you say there is something that I do not know”. Rukmani says, “Yes, yes, there is something you do not know only Radharani knows, my dear Lord”. And so that was the time Lord made up his mind, that next time I appear, my homework is going to be to know Radharani. I would know Radharani, I would want to know, this will be my pastimes, activities, endeavours to know Radharani.

And thinking like that, he was thinking 5000 years ago like this, he made up his mind, he took sankalpa, he took vow, next time I am going to be. And in order to know Radharani I will become Radharani, I will become Radharani. That’s why we sing; Narottamdas Thakur has sung, “Yadi Gaur na hoite tabe ki hoite”. Gauranga Mahaprabhu had not appeared. To begin with Krishna he could not have found or known Radha rani fully well and then he also could not have shared his understanding, Krishna’s understanding with the world.

Radhar mahima prema rasa sima jagate janate ke

So, Lord did go ahead. He appeared as Gauranga and so this is mentioned that Lord’s confidential reason for his advent. General reason everyone knows, the routine reason everyone knows, what is that?

paritranaya sadhunam
vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge [BG 4.8]

Translation
In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.

But this time as he has appeared as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he has one additional homework. He has one additional agenda as they say and that is to know Radharani. He is going to be acting like Radharani also, not only knowing but acting like Radharani. So, Lord had to take one whole avatar just to know Radharani. We can hardly imagine how difficult it is to know Radharani that even Krishna did not know some things and then he appeared as Gauranga and then he had spent the last 18 years studying Radha’s life and teachings, Radha-bhava. Of course he has assumed the Gaura varna – golden complexion so he is Gauranga.

antah krsnam bahir gauram [CC Adi 3.81]

Inside he is hiding as Krishna and outside he is Radharani, complexion like Radharani and his emotions are Radha-bhava

radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krsna-svarupam [CC Adi 1.5]

He has become Gauranga. In the beginning of Chaitanya Charitamrit Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami he has explained or shared a beautiful and confidential verse,

samajani saci-garbha-sindhau harinduh [CC Adi 1.6]

That Lord has appeared as Ajani – Gauranga Mahaprabhu appeared. Saci-garbha-sindhau – from the womb of saci-garbha, womb of Saci-mata is like an ocean.

vrsabhanudadhi-n ava-sasi-lekhe

Vrsabhanudadhi- Vrishabhanu is like a ocean dadhi is a ocean, nava-sasi-lekhe – and from that ocean normally it is kind of understood that when the moon rises if you are on a bank of some ocean, you experience that as if the moon has risen right out of the ocean. Moon has risen out of the ocean. So, vrsabhanudadhi-nava-sasi-lekhe, Vrishabhanu is ocean and sasi is moon, and Radharani has appeared. Vrishabhanu is also ocean and kirtida is also ocean so put together – ocean, so from that ocean Radharani has appeared. So, here, in this verse he says, saci-garbha-sindhau – from the womb of Saci mata whose womb is like sindhu – ocean. Harinduh – hari is hari, indu is chandrama – moon, moon appeared, Gaurachandra appeared. So, having appeared now what is His mission which He is going to accomplish while He is in Jagannath Puri for 18 years. So, Lord has a agenda and that’s what Krishnadas Kaviraj has mentioned

sri-radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso [CC Adi 1.6]

kidrso – of what kind? radhayah pranaya-mahima – the greatness of Radha’s love, what kind of love it is? Radha’s love – I want to understand. So, there are three items mentioned here. One is the greatness of Radha’s love, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who is Krishna, he wants to know the greatness of Radha’s love. Special experience; She is experiencing me, my sweetness. So, if she relishes my sweetness, what is that sweetness like? What is that experience of Radharani is like? That I don’t know, that only she knows that is her experience. In other words, I want to understand even myself through the eyes of Radharani or Radharani point of view. Who am I? Am I supposed to be wonderful? Am I supposed to be sweet? Oh, sweet Lord. So, these are the three questions that Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has or three agenda items. So it’s kind of getting to know each other. I want to know Radharani but I also want to know myself, the way she understands me, her satshaktkar – her anubhava,

mad-anubhavatah kidrsas
veti lobhat tad-bhavadhyah [CC Adi 1.6]

So Krishna has become greedy and eager to know these things and then he is hi bhava, his emotions have become more flourished or more solidified. He is determined to understand Radha and understand Krishna also through Radha.

sri krishna chaitanya radha krishna nahe anya [Chaitanya Bhagavat]

Translation
Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is none other than the combined form of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna.

Gauranga Mahaprabhu has appeared to first realise Radha Krishna, realise Radha and then he is gonna share that Radharani, glories of Radha, glories of Krishna with rest of the world. So all we could say, as Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is realising, realising the realisations of Radha, having access to Radha’ mind and heart and to know Radha as she is. So all that experience of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he has invested that in the mahamantra. He did not give big discourse, 700 verses Bhagavad Gita as he did as Krishna. He just condensed everything, all that you need to know in fact is all in it.

namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis
tatrarpita niyamita smarane na kalah [Siksastakam Verse 2]

All the energies, even Radharani. Radharani is the energy of the Lord, Hladini shakti of the Lord. Shaktiman, Sri Krishna is there and Shakti, hladini shakti, Radharani is there, are there in these names. He said okay, take this mantra and spread it, go everywhere, let the world know Radha and Krishna. Just introduce them to the holy name and then he also says harer namaiva kevalam, this is all that you need. Just chant, chant and chant and as you attain matra-siddhi then you will have realisation, you will have darshan of Radha and Krishna, just by chanting the holy names of the Lord. As you chant and chant, as sadhaka you are going to be attempting to become further purified, become free from anarthas. While chanting you are going to be praying & crying,

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkarama
patitam mam visame bhavambhudhua
krpya tava pada-pankaja
sthita- duli- sadrsham vichintya [Siksastakam Verse 5]

Translation
O son of Maharaja Nanda (Krsna), I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.

This is the prayer, while chanting Hare Krsna, you are praying like this with all humility at your command. Of course, Lord has already said this-

trinad api sunichena
trorar api sahishnuna
amanina mandena
kirtaniyah sada harih [Siksastakam Verse 3]

Translation
One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.

If you did this, you’re humble. Humbler than the straw in the street. Mahaprabhu has just given these 8 verses (mantras). All these teachings, he has condensed them into this Hare Krsna maha mantra. Go ahead and unpack it, open up this maha mantra, and then maha mantra will reveal unto you and eventually will reveal the darshan of Radha Pandrinath ki jai, Radha Shyamsundar ki jai, Radha Madhav ki jai, Radha Ras Bihari ki jai.

You will have darshan of the Lord, you will have Radha bhava, little sampling of Radha bhava. So you will have Radha bhava and you will have Gopi bhava. Bhaktas, devotees in order to do their services. Bhakti is done with bhakti bhava, Bhakti is done with emotions, feelings, what kind of feelings, we are asked to cultivate feelings, what kind of feelings we have to cultivate.

ramya kascid upasana vraja vadhu varga virya kalpita

Vraj vadhu varga, this Gopi’s emotions like them, so for us also the bhava that we have, whenever we have, whenever we get that bhava, that is Radha’s bhava, Bhakti’s bhava and Gopi’s bhava. Bhava is bhava, everyone doesn’t have a different bhava, once you are in bhakti, life of devotion and devotional service is nothing like Mauritius bhakti bhava orthis bhava is Chinese bhava, there may be Chinese bazaar bhava, there are different business techniques and thoughts while doing the business and making money, they may differ, but once, we are in the field of devotional service then all that bhava is same bhava. They are the same thing like oos donga pari rase nohe donga, that is also there just because of some sugarcane sticks, some sticks of sugarcane are straight and some are bent, but the juice inside, rasa nohe donga, the juice inside is the same in all of them. No one says ” Give me juice of only straight sticks, not this bent stick, there is no sugar inside, no, no, we know the sugar is the same, same sweetness. So it doesn’t matter, there is no different bhava, as we talk on bhava, emotions, it’s universal, univerally the same. So whether it is practiced in Goloka, practiced in Gokul, of course, that is another thing, sakhya bhava, dasya bhava, vatsalya bhava, these are varieties. Variety is there, but basically they are similar in nature of character as part of our constitutional nature,

hitvanyatha rupam
sva- rupena vyavasthitih [SB 2.10.6]

Sva- rupean, as we are situated in our own svarup, then that bhava, those emotions, those thoughts are the same as Radha’s bhava or Gopi’s bhava. So that is what Sri Krishna Chaitnya Mahaprabhu, he practiced, he was cultivating that bhava, try to realise that Radha’s bhava, Gopi’s bhava in Jagannath puri. Then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu with the help of Lalita and Vishakha. SwarupaDamodar is Lalita’s and Ramanand is Vishakha and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, sri krishna chaitanya, radha krishna nahe anya, he is both Radha and Krishna. But in Jagannatha puri Krishna kind of takes a back seat and in the forefront is Radharani. He did act as Krishna, dharma- samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge, he takes sanyas. He travels all over the world

radha rabhave gaura avatar, hare krishna nama gaura karila prachar

He has propagated the holy name, so while spreading the holy name around, here and there, South India, he comes to Pandharpur, spreading the holy names. He goes through Jharkhand forest spreading the holy name amongst the animals and other preachers in Jharkhand, he is Krishna. He is Krishna there, Krishna is in the forefront and Radharani is waiting to act like Radharani or play her role. So Lord does that as he finally returns form Vrindavan, now he is Jagannath puri and Chaitnya Mahaprabhu is simply Radha there. He also sent Balaram, Balrama what are you doing here? Go preach, preach in Bengal. So, he is giving a small team, take this dwadash gopas and others and you go. You go away, so that I could be now Radharani. You can not be around me while I’m in the mood of Radharani or I‘m with Radharani. Brother, now it’s time for you to give me some social distancing, leave me alone, this is personal, private life. So don’t meddle in the middle.

So, Chaitnya mahaprabhu has planned that, sending Balarama away as preaching is going on and he has already done the dharma- samsthapanarthaya, he has already travelled for 6 years. He has done that duty and now he is free from obligations and he is going to be more renounced. He is going to do his nirjana bhajan in a secluded place, so he has selected gambhira and he has very selected group of devotees, his associates, just the right ones, appropriate ones who would nourish his emotions, his feelings, increase his bhakti bhava. In Jagannath Ratha yatra is he there as Krishna or Radha? He is there only as Radha, Krishna is in the chariot and Radharani is in front of the chariot on the ground.

While He is dancing in front of Jagannath’s cart, He is Radharani, His thoughts are like Radharani, He is thinking like Radharani or even having the dialogues with Jagannath in the chariot. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s ecstatic dance in front of Jagannath’s chariot that chapter has so many verses, all Radharani’s thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Vrindavan Dhaam ki jai! Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki jai!

It’s so common, I always say this but then sometime this thing just slips and what a great misfortune. Yeah I got it. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says, mora man vrindavan, we are all pulling your chariot, bringing you to Vrindavan and we know you are anxious to return to Vrindavan but O Lord! Now Radharani is speaking to Krishna that mora man vrindavan, we are bringing to back to Vrindavan, you love to be in Vrindavan but please take a note mora man vrindavan, please enter my mind, please reside in my heart. So these are Radharani’s emotions.

So Mahaprabhu is lying down, He is Radharani, from inside He is only Radharani. He is thinking like Radharani. Talking of these siksastakam prayers,

ashlishya va pada-ratam pinashtu mam
adarshanan marma-hatam karotu va
yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato
mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah [Siksastakam 8]

Translation
I know no one but Krsna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally.

So, this is said by Radharani, of course Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is compiler and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saying it, this is how we read here but here Radharani is speaking. This is even the earlier bhava that one moment is like years or more longe.

Many passages, sections in Chaitanya Charitamrita where all these Radha’s emotions, Radha’s thoughts are expressed. It is written there in black and white by Krishnadas Kaviraj Gowswami. Study of Bhagavatam is graduation, graduate course textbook syllabus is Bhagavatam and if you want to do post graduation, your masters degree then you have to study Chaitanya Charitamrita.

Radharani is mentioned, Her talks are included in Chaitanya Charitamrita, Her thoughts and Her feelings and this is because of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri krsna chaitanya radha krsna nahi anya. The whole purpose of his advent is to know Radharani as we presented in the beginning, sri-radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared and he has made Radharani known to the world. So we can not imagine what could have happened, how could the world have found out about Radharani if Chaitnya Mahaprabhu had not appeared. Hence, our acharyas sing the song,

yadi gaura na hoito, tabe ki hoito,
kemane dharita de?
radhara mahima, prema-rasa-sima,
jagate janata ke

How could the world have found out Radharani and her love for Krishna, her understanding Krishna or her Krishna. This is my Krishna, Radharani says, this is my Krishna, like we have written, My Prabhupada, he is everybody’s Prabhupada, he is Keshav Prabhu’s Prabhupada also, he could also say my Prabhupada, right?. But then there could be a difference between Lokanath Swami’s Prabhupad and Keshav Prabhu’s Prabhupad, it is expected right? Like that, one thing is my Krishna, myself saying my Krishna or Keshav saying or Maharaj saying or everybody saying my Krishna and then if Radharani could say this is my Krishna. I think there is going to be a word of difference, same Krishna but how much you understand Krishna and you call him my Krishna and how much Radharani understands Krishna and then she proudly says, this is my Krishna, my Krishna.

So as Lord had appeared as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and then Chaitnaya Mahaprabhu is Radha and Krishna combined. In that, Radharani finally becomes motivated and activated, going through the whole experience of Krishna realisation and then Radharani has realised Krishna. Those are the three questions. As Radharani understands me, so as Radharani in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu understands Krishna and then if Radharani would say this is my Krishna that understanding is going to be the complete understanding of Krishna. Krishna was not understanding Radharani before and then he appears as Gauranga Mahaprabhu and makes his mission, mission of life, goal of his life. Goal of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s life is to know Radharani, realise Radharani. So Krishna becomes Radharani realised and Radharani has also become Krishna realised. So this is full manifestation, they are realising each other and there love for each other is also anandambudhi-vardhanam, is expanding and increasing.

So by the grace of Gauranga that world has, to begin with he has given the holy names and by chanting this holy names you are introduced to Radha and Krishna. The mode of worship, the way we worship Radha and Krishna in this age of kali is chanting Hare Krsna and this is how,

Yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah [SB 11.5.32]

By the performance of this sankirtana yajna you are worshipping Radha and Krishna. So one may ask how do I worship Radha and Krishna? Or today is Radharani’s appearance day, how do I worship Radharani? Our answer is chant Hare Krsna, Radharani will be happy by this.

So Radharani is about to appear, very soon. So she is going to be very very happy or to make us happy in fact. Happy birthday to Radharani!! We are grateful to our parampara acharyas, beginning with 6 goswamis of Vrindavan, archayas like Narottam Thakur and others acharyas, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, Srila Bhakti Siddhant Saraswati Thakur and Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!

We are linked to Radha and Krsihna through this parampara. They have kept all the knowledge intact and live and they have landed that down to their disciples and followers. So we have reached all the way from the day Radharani has appeared 5000 years ago to this day 2020. All the glories of Radharani, all the beauty of Radharani, all the pastimes of Radharani, everything about Radharani we get to know, we get to sit and hear, we get to open scriptures and read and understand through the pages of different scriptures. So we are grateful to all those involved for bring Radha’s mercy, Radha’s knowledge from that day Radhashtami day to today. It also becomes our duty, we have received so we should be happy and do nothing? Should we be doing something? We should distribute, share Radharani. be generous. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu became generous with us by spreading the holy name and he asked each one of us to,

yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa
amara ajnaya guru haaa tara’ ei desa [CC Madhya 7.128]

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.

You all become gurus and hand down the form of holy name, form of all these scriptures, all these books which Srila Prabhupada has given us, Radharani and prasadam of Radharani. Radharani was the best cook, share that prasad and that happens everyday, we feed her everyday. Distribute Radha prasad, Krishna prasad, so that Radharani’s mercy could reach souls in form of remnants or prasad.

Today is the 16th anniversary of Radha Pandarinath temple opening. So it was 16 years ago, 2004, we had this hall but not this big, Prahlad Prabhu had expanded it further. There were many Maharaj, Prabhus, devotees from many places, I am sure many demigods might be there. It was quite a wonderful event, deity installation, special abhishek and special kirtans, they were long, I also was doing kirtans that day. And we have prasadam also in front of that old stone house. Memorable event, so we remember it and we are grateful for all those devotees’ attendance and participation in our grand opening of Radha Pandharinath temple. But this temple is not the final temple, for pleasure of Radha Pandharinath we would like to build much much bigger temple, palace. Maybe we should take that sankalp on their appearance day that we want to build a monument that will become a big landmark in Pandharpur, centre of attraction in Pandharpur. So that the whole world could come and take darshan of Radha Pandharinath and Sri Sri Rukmani Vitthal. So let us not be satisfied with what we have, so lets work towards that goal of building that grand temple for Radha Pandhrinath.

Radha Pandharinath ki jai!!

Nectar Of Devotion (Bhakti Sastri class)
Online seminar

Welcome to all students and teachers of Bhakti Sastri Course. And today you made me the teacher, like a visiting professor is here. By the way, it is not my practice to give such teachings. As told by Sundar Caitanya Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada not only wrote the summary study, the essence of Srila Rupa Gosvami’s ‘Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu’, but he also wrote translation and even comments and purports at many places. And when the book was ready, in Vrndavan, in 1972, Srila Prabhupada taught this book as a syllabus. He became a professor and I was one of his students. In the side courtyard of Radha Damodar, near Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada’s Samadhi, the compiler of ‘Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu’, there every day and Srila Prabhupada used to narrate ‘Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu’. From the writings of Srila Prabhupada, his disciples like Pradyumna Prabhu and others, used to read some portion. Srila Prabhupada used to call Pradyumna Prabhu as ‘Panditaji’. So they would read and Srila Prabhupada would narrate commentary, purport on that. I was also fortunate. And all those recordings are available. You try to listen those recordings while teaching.

So Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the speaker of Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu and the writer is Rupa Gosvami. The place is Dashasvamedha ghat. For two months Caitanya Mahaprabhu was giving ‘Sanatan-Siksa’ to Sanatan Gosvami in Varanasi. Sanatan Gosvami later on wrote books on those teachings. So here on Dashasvamedha ghat, the speaker is Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Rupa Gosvami compiled ‘Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu’ based on those teachings.
So in the Bhakti-rasa-amrita-sindhu, the nectar of devotion, Rupa Gosvami has described the Sakhya rasa, Vatsalya rasa and Madhurya rasa. This mellow, juice is not pot full or full of well or pond, but it is full of ocean, and that’s why this rasa, juice, mellow is called as Bhakti-rasa-amrita-sindhu (ocean). Caitanya Mahaprabhu called it ‘anandambudhi vardhanam’. That ocean is shore less ocean. Generally ocean has a boundary and it can not go beyond it. If it would have come out of the boundary, then our devotees, bramacaris of Radha Rasabihari temple would have achieved Jala-samadhi. But this ‘Bhakti-rasa-amrita-sindhu’ is ‘anandambudhi vardhanam’, it keeps on increasing. It is ocean and it keeps on expanding further. So Srila Rupa Gosvami filled such ocean in a pot, ‘sagar ko gagar me bharana.’ And that pot is Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu.

So the speaker, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the writer Srila Rupa Gosvami, both are the authorities. They are from the world where raso vai sah, Lord is ‘akhila-rasamrita-vigraha’, completely full of rasa. When lots of rasa is accumulated at one place, then it becomes raasa, full of rasa. So the one who does the Raasa-krida, Sri Krsna, is the one who does sankirtana, Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and within His team is Rupa Manjari. That same Rupa Manjari who relishes the Bhakti-rasa, has become Rupa Gosvami. So this book is the gift for all souls like us from such Rupa Gosvami and Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Rupa Gosvami has divided ‘Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu’ into four divisions- Eastern division, Southern division, Western division and Northern division, clockwise. So he divided this sindhu, ocean in four parts. As there are waves in the ocean, there are many waves in each division. And today we will discuss on one wave. In this first wave of Eastern division, there is discussion on Samanya bhakti. There are four waves in Eastern division. First is ‘Samanya bhakti’. The remaining three consist of the stages of Bhakti; they are not types of Bhakti. Bhakti begins with Sadhana Bhakti, which is the second wave of the Eastern division. The third wave is Bhava Bhakti and the fourth is Prema Bhakti.

When Srila Rupa Gosvami compiled ‘Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu’, he himself composed some verses, sutras which are known as ‘mula-karika’. Other than that Srila Rupa Gosvami gives many references from the scriptures to prove the statements given by him. We can say that half of the book is written by him and half is full of the references from different scriptures.

In the first wave there are 24 mula-karika, which are composed by Rupa Gosvami and 22 are references from different scriptures. The first wave is smaller than the second wave which is having more than 120 karika and almost similar sastra-praman. In that way Srila Rupa Gosvami has compiled the complete book.

The other day I said, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu is speaker and Rupa Gosvami is writer of Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, then Jiva Gosvami is editor. He did the editing of Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu as per the instructions of Rupa Gosvami and he even wrote commentary on it. So two commentaries are famous, one is by Jiva Gosvami and another is by Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur. They are also available. Bhanu Maharaja has translated Jiva Gosvami’s commentary in English. I don’t know about the other one. So you can take help from those commentaries for teaching the next classes.

It was Srila Prabhupada’s suggestion that this Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu or Nectar of devotion should be the part of Bhakti Sastri. There are different grades or standards such as Bhakti Sastri, Bhakti Vaibhav, Bhakti Vedant, and Bhakti Sarvabhauma. You are sitting in the primary school. Srila Prabhupada already has given guideline about which books should be covered in Bhakti Sastri or Bhakti Vaibhav or Bhakti Vedant, or Bhakti Sarvabhauma. He is the founder acarya of these courses. As Maharaja was telling, Prabhupada used to have two complaints- ‘You don’t fear of Maya, you are so brave that you don’t fear of Maya, and another is- You don’t study my books. You may be reading them but not studying them’. So in this course you are not reading Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, but you are studying it. You have to take notes and all. When we say ‘study’ then it is ‘group study’. Reading you can do alone but study is better done in groups, study circles. Because when we read, we are alone, and some realization, some important point, ‘wow, clicked, wonderful, I got this’; we understand something but as we are alone, we can’t tell to or share with another person. Or if we are not getting some point, some doubt is there, then there is none to whom we can ask. But in the study circle we can ask and then there is bodhayantah parasparam and guhyam akhyati pricchati. So when Srila Prabhupada’s books were not being studied then he did this planning or you call it his trick or arrangement.

In the first wave of Eastern division of Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, the 11th sloka is the Paribhasita sutra of this book. Each book or scripture has its one or two statements or verses which are the basis or foundation or theme of that scripture, which are known as Paribhasita sutra. So the paribhasita sutra of Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu is –

anyabhilasita-sunyam
jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu-
silanam bhaktir uttama

This is the foundation of this book or of the study of this book. This comes in the first wave. anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam is called as tatastha laksana. There are two types of laksana- svarupa and tatastha. Svarupa laksana means pradhana or primary and tatastha means gauna or secondary characteristic. So in this paribhasita sutra, there are two gauna and two pradhana laksana. This whole book is study of the science of Bhakti. Srila Prabhupada called this book- The Complete Science of Devotional Service. This is sastra of Bhakti, and you are going to become sastrajna, scientists. The knower of sastra is sastrajna.

So in this verse there are characteristics of Bhakti, two primary and two secondary. Anyabhilasita-sunyam or jnana-karmady-anavrtam are the gauna laksana, secondary characteristics. Anya abhilasita sunyam, if you break these words then the meaning is clear. How should be the devotee, anya abhilasita sunyam- no other desire. In Bhagavad Gita Lord said, ananyas cintayanto mam, ana-anya, he does not think of someone else, but thinks only about Me. He is not having any other desire, but desires only Me. Caitanya Mahaprabhu called this ‘na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye’ free from such desires, such thoughts. Devotee does not have such thoughts in his mind; this is the secondary characteristic of bhakti. Anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam, jnana and karma adi, adi means etc, there is knowledge, karma, yoga etc, avrtam means covered; so in other words, karma kanda jnana kanda, keval vishera bhanda, as Gaudiya Vaisnavas say; so free from this karma and jnana, ana-avrtam- not covered, bhakti is not covered with karma and jnana kanda.

bhukti mukti siddhi kami sakale ashanta
krsna bhakta nishkam ata eva shanta

The devotee of Lord Krsna is free from this bhukti and mukti. So these are two secondary characteristics, gauna laksan.
At the end it is said that- bhaktir uttama, how is Bhakti? Bhaktir uttama, ut means above, tama means darkness of ignorance, so uttama means above or beyond the darkness of ignorance that means transcendental. It is gunatita, free from tama, raja and satva also. Bhakti is gunatita. So the devotee who is not covered by the darkness of mode of ignorance or passion or goodness which is due to karma kanda jnana kanda, such devotee, the bhakti of such devotee is uttama bhakti. This is tatastha laksana.

What is svarupa laksana? Sva-rupa, the eternal, personal form of bhakti! Tatastha laksana are additional which covers bhakti. So svarupa laksana is – anukulyena krsnanu-silanam, how should be Bhakti? Anukula bhakti, one is anukula and other is pratikula, favorable and unfavorable. Bhakti should be anukula. Kamsa also used to always remember Lord Krsna. It is said that if he sits to have meal and looks at the yellow prep like dal, he used to say, ‘hey, Pitambar! Is the Lord coming out from the plate? If He is here, then I will kill Him with my sword.’ This is also one type of bhakti, but it is not anukula but is pratikula. Anukulyena krsnanu-silanam, bhakti performed to please Krsna or as desired by Krsna; like Lord says, ‘patram puspam phalam toyam,’ so when there is the time for Lord’s meal, and you offer same menu as asked by the Lord, then it is anukula, anukulyena krsnanu-silanam. So these are two primary characteristics, muhkya laksana.

All this is explained in the first wave, but in your syllabus you have only essence of this. You need to read the remaining portion of the wave. Do you have book? You will be asked, ‘tomorrow there will be class on second wave of the Eastern division. So read before coming for the class.’ So you have to read it. You will also have exam in writing or in oral, so you have to read.

Based on this mula paribhasita sutra, in the same wave, six characteristics of bhakti are given. What was discussed just now was general. Going deep further, there is description given by Rupa Gosvami. This is intricate science. As I said, they are not types of Bhakti but stages of bhakti, three stages:

1.Sadhana Bhakti
2.Bhava Bhakti
3. Prema Bhakti

Rupa Gosvami has given two characteristics of Sadhana Bhakti, two characteristics of Bhava Bhakti and two of Prema Bhakti. In Madhurya Kadambini, Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur gives- there are stages from sraddha to prema- sraddha, sadhusang, bhajan kriya, anartha nivrutti, ruchi, asakti, up to here is Sadhana Bhakti. Then above that is Bhava bhakti, person is climbing on the ladder of bhakti, he is rising up. So from Sadhana Bhakti he rises to Bhava Bhakti and from there he attains Prema Bhakti, prema pumartho mahan.

In Shikshastakam, the first five slokas are sadhana bhakti, and then nayanam galadasru dharaya, and sunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda virahena me, this is bhava bhakti. And the last verse, aslishya va padaratam, is prema bhakti. Commentators say that the eighth verse is the statement of Radharani Herself. Caitanya Mahaprabhu when reached Radhabhava while narrating this astak, then aslisya mam padaratam this is narrated by Radharani only and this is Prema Bhakti.

So kleshaghni and shubhada are two characteristics of Sadhana Bhakti. And we are at which stage or level? Sadhana Bhakti! Kleshaghni, klesha-aghni, klesa means miseries, sufferings, and the one who destroys the miseries, is kleshaghni, the characteristic of Sadhana Bhakti. Shubhada- shubha-da, da means giver, shubhamangal..(sloka recited at marriage ceremony). Don’t go ahead; food for someone is poison for the other. Each one is having different requirements. So if one enters in grihastha asrama and from there becomes vanaprasthi then it is shubha, auspicious, good fortune. Some people don’t listen the words but listen only after kicks. Some brahmacaris wants to get kicked. Dande na shuddhyati, Yamadutas’ said this, one learns only after getting beaten by stick. Now people are getting kicked by Corona virus, they can learn from this and can change their lifestyle.
So kleshaghni and subhada meaning is clear. To explain this more, Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada has given description. When we do activities in this material world, or why do we perform material activities? Because of avidya, ignorance; we are influenced by avidya. One is rajavidya or paravidya and aparavidya. Materialistic people are expert in avidya. They keep on studying, overseas education and all; by this they gain only avidya. The duty of brahmacari is vidya-arjan, to gain vidya, proper knowledge. Krsna also did Bhakti Sastri course in Ujjain, 64 lessons, 64 arts and science of bhakti. One lesson in one day, exam in the evening and excellent marks and certificate!

So when one is full of avidya, he commits sins. So he committed some sinful activity, activity is complete, finished, but after that the sanksar, impression, thought is still there and each sin is having its result. One has to suffer those reactions. As you sow so shall you rip! What do we sow? Seed! Rupa Gosvami said, we performed sinful activity, then the thought of the sin, the impression of the sin is known as aprarabdha, unmanifested. Tukarama Maharaja said,

‘papachi vasana nako davu dola tyahuni andhala baracha mi!’
The seed of sins inspires the person to perform more sins. Arjuna said,
‘papam carati purusah anicchanapi varsneya baladiva niyojitah’ (BG 3.36)

By what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if engaged by force? Then in reply Krsna says, ‘kama esa krodha esa’, so the lust or the desire of lust when gets intensified then it takes a form which is known as seed, the seed of sin.

So one performed sin, then aprarabdha, then seed and then kutam, kutam means about to fructify. First there is a seed, to sow it, give water and fertilizer; in our childhood we have seen during Navaratri festival. One day they sow seeds, give water and next day when we get up, hey it’s ready. But some seeds may take few weeks or even few months to grow. We think, ‘is it going to come out or not?’ Like coconut seed, the whole coconut is sowed in ground, and after many months it shows a small sprout; it takes so much time. It may happen that the person committed sin today and thought, ‘hey I am free. There is no punishment.’ But what happens? The sin performed then the impression of the sin, seed, then kuta, and then one day police comes, and behind the bars, or any other type of punishment, misery, adidaivik or adibhautik. We have to get free from these miseries, klesha, which are due to ignorance, avidya.

Then after kutam, the plant grows in tree, then there are fruits and the person tastes those sweet or sour fruits, fruit of pious work or sin; but both are not good. Then this is prarabdha, or our fate, ‘this was in my fate’. Karmana daiva netrena sat-asat janma yonisu, one performed activity then impression or sanskar, seed, kuta and then fruit; to take birth is also fruit. Our sat or asat birth is result of our previous karma. When someone is suffering from some chronic disease, suffering from legal implications, -someone suffers from one court case to another, that is also result of his karma- born in a low or degraded family -asat janma yonisu-, if one is uneducated -for uneducated person the black letters are like black buffalos. They look at the book and say, so many buffalos are walking behind each other- and if someone is very ugly, so this is klesha. Only bhakti can free one from all these klesha, kleshaghni.

Then shubhada, good fortune comes with that. Have a happy journey. Life is a journey. So it will be smooth journey. Smooth journey in Bhakti and not even Ghana taral, you will come to know that in next lessons, the levels of bhakti, Ghana and taral. So this is Lord’s arrangement. If you will commit this sin then there will be this result, and that result for that sin, like that. After sin, comes aprarabdha, then seed, kuta, prarabdha, you will get to taste all of these. It is possible that the result of sin committed in one life will come in next life, it doesn’t leave us. When cows return to Goshala after grazing in the fields, there are many calves waiting for them. Within one -two minutes the calf of a particular cow reach to the cow, even within the big herd he is not having any difficulty to find his mother. Similarly wherever you go, the result of your sin will find you. Go in cave or on moon or anywhere you go, no way to escape.

Jnanagni sarva karmani bhasmasat kurute katha

All this was happening due to avidya but jnanagni, when we gain knowledge jnana from Bhakti Sastri course, then this lamp of knowledge gives light as well as it is having capacity to destroy or burn things. Fire gives light and also can burn. So this lamp of knowledge will burn piles of sins. It will burn the seeds of all sins. So from jnanagni comes klesaghni, free from klesa, miseries. Then progress in bhakti. Life free from miseries, that also means less anartha, anartha nivrutti. Lord said mam ekam saranam vraj, this is atma nivedanam, one type of bhakti. How many types of bhakti are there?

Nine, navavidha bhakti! Sravanam, Kirtanam, visnuh smaranam padasevanam
archanam vandavam sakhyam atma nivedanam

These nine, dha means types. Sometimes we say dvidha mana, mind is confused, what to do? I should do this or that? So navadha, ninth type of bhakti is atmanivedanam. If you performed that type of bhakti means you did mam ekam saranam vraja, surrendered unto the Lord then what Lord will do? Aham tvam sarva papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah, whatever sins you had committed, you don’t have to suffer those results, moksayisyami, I will free you. If we will not take shelter of the Lord then don’t know how many lifetimes we have to suffer. No end to it! We have not taken shelter of the Lord and had piled up papam bijam, kutam, then for many lifetimes, we have prepared for 1000- 2000 births. And with each birth comes janma mrutyu jara vyadhi dukha dosanu darsanam. So if we will take shelter of the Lord then kleshaghni, we will be free from all those klesha which are waiting for us in future. We call this proactive manner, in future I may have to suffer the result of this so I better not do this. I have to change, do adjustment in my lifestyle, in my thoughts. But most of the time people prefer reactivity, when the reaction will come then I will wake up. I did not know like this happens. Then crisis management, which crisis may come, make a list, what should be done to avoid them, all planning, master planning.
So did you note down the two characteristics of sadhana bhakti? Next is Bhava bhakti and it is also having two characteristics- moksa laghutakrita and sudurlabha. Moksa laghutakrta- laghu means small or lower, krta means to do, when devotee attains Bhava Bhakti stage, he considers mukti, liberation as insignificant, ‘who cares’. Kaivalyam narakayate, we are Gaudiya Vaisnavas, we are Rupanugas and it is our realization that there is something above liberation and what is that? That is love, Prema bhakti. Generally people talk about four purusharthas- dharma, artha, kama and moksa, mostly their aim is to merge in Brahma. They consider this is topmost and nothing is beyond that. Most of the so-called religious people are like this only. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave us the fifth purusharth and that is prema pumartho mahan. That is prayojana, the goal of Vaisnavas, especially of Gaudiya Vaisnavas. That’s why for Guadiya Vaisnavas don’t stop in between. For them this liberation is having no value, mokshalagutakrta. For the devotee who is floating in Bhakti-bhava, rasas are arising in him, he says, ‘bye bye mukti. We will meet some other day.’ Mukti is called as pishacini, ghost. Don’t get caught in her trap. Take diversion and go ahead. So those who are on the stage of Bhava Bhakti, they consider this mukti as valueless, insignificant, moksalaghutakrta. This is one characteristic of Bhava Bhakti.

Another characteristic is sudurlabha, very rarely achieved. Tukarama Maharaja said, ‘Bhakti is not the job of any fool. He must be intelligent.’ So at the end of many many births, bahunam janmanam ante, one who understands that vasudevam sarvam iti, isn’t this durlabha, rarely achieved? We could not achieve the Lord in this life, and not in that life, could not achieve bhakti, then they came in the association of the sadhu, sadhusang sadhusang sarva siddhi hoya, then they came to know the characteristics of the sadhu. In our country whoever wears saffron is sadhu. But the saffron cloth, or keeping shikha or wearing wooden sleepers or wearing kaupin,

kaupin vantah khalu bhagyavantah
vedanta vakyesu sada ramantah

Many sadhus of Varanasi talk like this. ‘See we are renunciants. We wear only kaupin and relish in Vedanta Vakya.’ Then what comes after Vedanta vakya? Aham Brahmasmi! They absorb themselves in this mahavakya. This is tatastha laksan, external characteristics of mahatmas, dress should be like this, such and such color, wearing tilak and all, this is secondary characteristic. What is svarupa laksan of mahatma? Mahatmanastu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah, the daivi prakriti, Radharani; Lord says, one who has taken shelter of the followers of Radharani, acharyas who come in that parampara, that person is mahatma.

titiksavah karunikah suhrdam sarva-dehinam
ajata-satravah santah sadhavah sadhu-bhusanah (SB 3.25.21)

These are characteristics or ornaments of the sadhu, mahatma. These are primary characteristics. This is the identity of Mahatma. Other than these are gauna laksana or tatastha laksana.

So sudurlabhah, to attain Bhakti is not easy. Lord said, manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye, one out of the million of people try to attain siddhi, perfection, okay, we can give credit that he is performing Sadhana Bhakti. Those who are performing sadhana are very few in the millions of people. And yatatam api siddhanam, among those who are sadhakas, kascin mam vetti tattvatah, rarely anyone can know Me. So sudurlabha, rare achievement is the characteristic of Bhava Bhakti. There could be many sadhakas who are performing Sadhana bhakti, but there are very few who have attained Bhava Bhakti and to attain this stage is very rare. We don’t have to get discouraged. Utsahan niscayat dairyat and also avasya rakshibe krsna, one who has taken shelter of the Lord, what does he think? Krsna will definitely protect me. He will definitely give me darsana. Therefore

utsahan niscayad dhairyat
tat-tat-karma-pravartanat
sanga-tyagat sato vrtteh
sadbhir bhaktih prasidhyati (NOI 3)
Sidhyati, siddha mahatma!

The third and last stage of Bhakti is Prema Bhakti. Actually there are seven more stages above Prema. We know only up to Prema as our border, limit is prema. But there is sneha, mana, pranaya, raga, anuraga, bhava, mahabhava; Mahabhava Thakurani! Rupa Gosvami has written Ujjvala Nilamani after Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu. In that book he has given description of bhakti of goloka eva nivasati, the residents of the Goloka, their bhakti is above prema. When prema gets intensified, then it is called as sneha, etc. etc.

So Sandra ananda visesatma and sri krsna akarshini, Sandra ananda means solidified happiness, Lord is Sachidananda. So solidified, intensified prema! Bhava is also Prema, it is the beginning of Prema. As we can see sunrays before sun is arisen, at dawn, pitch darkness of the night reduces and light comes out slowly that is bhava. And when sun is completely arisen then it is prema.

When Bhava is intensified then it is Sandra ananda visesatma, automatically puts one into transcendental pleasure. And it is natural.

Nitya siddha krsna prema sadhya kabhu naya
sravanadi-suddha-citte karaye udaya

Soul’s love for Lord is completely awaken, enlightened. This is svarupa siddhi, one has attained his svarupa. Hitva anyatha rupam svarupena vyavasthitih, when we will come at the stage of our real svarupa then the devotion, feeling, bhava we will have will be of prema. Every talk will be with love, we will feed the Lord with love, with spontaneous love, natural love of the soul for the Lord.

Jnanakarmadi anavrtam, when jnana and karma covers the natural love of the soul, layer by layer covering; so by performing sadhana, we gradually throw them away which are binding or covering us. And then at the end we pure soul only remain. Pure soul and pure devotee! At that stage all the activities are the loving devotional service. So when we do bhakti, bhakti doesn’t mean to stay inert; but all the activities we perform are the loving devotional services. The works of the materialistic people are inspired by lust. Oh what are you doing? I am busy in work. (kama means lust and also work in marathi language) so the lust engages everyone in the work. The nature of lust is to inspire the person to work. And then the person is called as kami, who is working by getting inspired by kama(lust). Then how will be the premi? His thoughts will be of love for the Lord, he gets inspired by love and works for the Lord with prema, also serving the devotees of the Lord. He gains bliss in that. Lord is Sacchidananda, or Anandaghana, and He also gives happiness. So his life is full of bliss. This is one characteristic of prema Bhakti.

Another and last one is sri krsnakarsini. When the premi devotee performs loving devotional service, then that devotional service attracts the Lord, sri krsna akarshini. Srila Prabhupada used to say, ‘perform such bhakti, such loving devotional service that Lord Himself should come to see you. If you want to see the Lord then you will not get the appointment, you will not get the Lord’. Many demigods also used to come to Dvaraka and would ask appointment. Lord would say, ‘hey who is there, talking too much. Is he Indra? Hey, keep quiet. Which Brahma has come?’ ‘Caturmukhi Brahma!’ ‘Oh ok, let him come.’ When Suradas used to sing, he was blind, so whenever he used to sit and sing the glories of Govinda, his prema bhakti used to attract the Lord and would brought Him next to Suradas. When he would understand that someone has arrived and listening my songs, we would realize, ‘is He Kanhaiya?’ and when he would come to touch the Lord, the Lord would get up and start running. Then poor blind Suradas, how much he could run? He would say, ‘hey if You want to run then run, but I have already captivated You in my heart. You cannot go away from me. Wherever I am You will be there. I will keep You.’ He used to speak with authority. Lord is also having love for His devotees. It is not that only souls love the Lord. It is two way traffic.

It is said that Lord Vitthala came to meet Vallabhacharya to his asram which is here at the bank of river (Chandrabhaga). Vitthala gave darsana to him. And don’t know if that time or at other time, but Lord Vitthala gave instruction to Vallabhacharya to enter in Grihastha asrama and then he became grihastha. He had one son and he gave him the name Vitthalanatha. And Tukarama Maharaja, when he was sick on one ashadhi ekadashi, he was not able to walk to Pandharpur to take darsana of Vitthala. Then what happened? Lord was attracted by the bhakti of Tukarama Maharaja. Lord came personally to Dehu to give darsana to Tukarama Maharaja. Such incidents take place on daily basis in Goloka. So sri krsna akarsini is the laksan of Prema Bhakti.
Gaur Premanande Hari Haribol

TOVP talks – Harer nama – No other way, No other way, No other way

Date: 11th August, 2020

Braja Vilas Prabhu: From Lokanath Maharajaa’s centers all over in Maharashtra, we collected at least two million dollars from Maharashtra. In 1971, he met the devotees at the first 10-day cross-made on pandal festival organized by Srila Prabhupada himself and his western disciples in 1972 and received the sannyas order from His Divine Grace in December of 1975, at the age of 26 years. I think in 1972 also, Maharaja came to Mayapur, is that right Maharaja?

Lokanath Swami Maharaja : 73 was the first time.

Braja Vilas Prabhu : One of the most important instruction which Maharaja received from Srila Prabhupada was to preach Lord Caitanya’s message by organizing padayatras. Maharaja is very well known all over the world for organizing padayatras, to realize Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s declaration, the holy name of Krsna will be preached in every town and village on this earth, that is also one of the predictions which this temple is going to fulfill.

Lokanath Swami Maharaja has worked on establishing many temples, ISKCON Aravade, ISKCON Nagpur, ISKCON Amravati, ISKCON Noida, ISKCON Pandharpur, ISKCON Solapur to name a few, all these places which I mentioned and even more. He is well known for his inspiring lectures and kirtans and the devotees call him Kirtan Samrat affectionately,. In 2006 the World Holy Name project which is an initiative to increase the events and activities that people can participate to spread the holy name on this planet.

Lokanath Swami Maharaja has established the Bhaktivedanta academy, BASS- Bhaktivedanta Academy for Spiritual Sciences in Noida, to teach the priceless heritage of Vedic culture and wisdom. He is also author of many books, the famous book is, My Prabhupada, In conversation with Srila Prabhupada and also Vrajmandal Darsana and he is one of the initiating gurus in ISKCON. He has initiated disciples all over the world and he is also working on several books projects, aside thiswhat I got, he is the greatest supporter of the Temple of Vedic Planetarium in fact recently one day before he has recorded a video for us, which we are going to discuss at some point in this interview with him.

Braja Vilas Prabhu : Maharaja thank you very much for participating and there are several questions which devotees wanted to ask you through this program already and our first question to you is, when we say this harinama is the only way, only way, one only way or no other way, no other way and no other way, this statement somebody can think it is like a fanaticism. How could you convince people otherwise is there any other way?

Lokanath Swami Maharaja: Lord also said that on number of occasions. One time, he was talking to Shuklam brahmacari, he was from Navadvipap and Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He said these verse,

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

and Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he started explaining this verse. In the beginning He said that,

“kali-kale nama-rupe krsna-avatara
nama haite haya sarva-jagat-nistara” [CC Adi 17.22]

Translation: “In this Age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare K???a mah?-mantra, is the incarnation of Lord K???a. Simply by chanting the holy name, one associates with the Lord directly. Anyone who does this is certainly delivered.

The day that Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared, He appeared in the evening but Lord appeared in another form during the day and that was the Harinama Prabhu appeared during the day and that’s when all those folks coming from all over taking baths and chanting the holy names of the Lord. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu said ‘”kali-kale nama-rupe krsna-avatara.” Krsna appears, tomorrow we are celebrating appearance of Sri Krsna and so that Sri Krsna appeared before Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in the evening, He appeared in the form of the holy name during the day and Caitanya Mahaprabhu was explaining, He said this,

d?r?hya l?gi’ ‘harer n?ma’-ukti tina-v?ra
ja?a loka bujh?ite puna? ‘eva’-k?ra [CC Adi 17.23]

Translation: “This verse repeats the word ‘eva’ [‘certainly’] three times for emphasis, and it also three times repeats ‘harer n?ma’ [‘the holy name of the Lord’], just to make common people understand.

Just to emphasize the glories of the holy name that He has said this tina bar,

hare nama hare nama hare nama hare namaiva and Mahaprabhu said after saying hare nama hare nama hare nama three times, He said, hare namaiva aiva means, certainly it is and then He also has added another word, says kevalam, that is also another one and the only one and then the next line and this is from Brihad Naradiya Puran,

kalau n?sty eva n?sty eva
n?sty eva gatir anyath?

na asti eva, na – not, asti- is, nastyeva- there is not, there is not, there is not, gatir means destination or a process also that you adopt or practices religious practices, gatir anyatha, anya means another. There is no other process, no other way but hare nama hare nama hare nam n?sty eva n?sty eva n?sty eva . So, why is He saying three times n?sty eva , that also has been explained by Mahaprabhu. He said, in this age of Kali first nasty eva means not by karma that’s one, nasty eva not by jnana, karma kanda, jnana kand and not by yoga, one could realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So, He said just three times, n?sty eva n?sty eva n?sty eva gatir anyatha, this is the only way, the only way, the only way and this statement that is hare nama hare nama hare nama kevalam this is in Brihad Naradiya Puran and this is an eternal statement. Whenever there is Kali yuga, you don’t have to worry or wonder, oh now what has to be done, so that mantra is there, that proclamation is there. So whenever there is age of Kali you could close your eyes and chant,

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

You would not go wrong. So, Caitanya Mahaprabhu was also, as He was talking to Prakashananda Saraswati in Varanasi and He was chanting and only chanting and doing nothing else. All those Prakashanand Saraswati and company, he had 60,000 followers, they were criticizing Mahaprabhu, oh what kind of sentimental sannyasi you are, you should be studying Vedanta. So there was a dialogue between Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Prakashanand Saraswati and Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, ‘My guru Maharaja, murkha dekhi, he thought I was just a foolish and karila shashan, he ordered me and what was the order, he asked me to chant Hare Krsna. Again Mahaprabhu said to Prakashanand Saraswati and those who assembled, He repeated this mantra hare nama hare nama hare nama kevalam and then Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, you know I took this instruction of my spiritual master so seriously that I chanted and chanted hare nama kevalam, only harer nama.

So that’s what I was doing and as soon as I was doing chanting and chanting day and night and khaite, suiyte, while sleeping, while eating well then what happened, Mahaprabhu said to Prakashanand Saraswati and assembled followers, he said that, I got transformed, I was transformed.

kib? mantra dil?, gos?ñi, kib? t?ra bala japite japite mantra karila p?gala [CC Adi 7.81]

Translation: My dear lord, what kind of mantra have you given Me? I have become mad simply by chanting this mah?-mantra!

So I became mad, so I when back my spiritual master and asked him, kiba mantra dila gosai kiba tara bala. Wwhat kind a mantra have given it has so much power, so much strength in this mantra that this mantra is just handing Me and I have gone mad. Then His spiritual master said why are you surprised, this is what happens when one take this harer nama harer nama harer nama this instructions seriously.

k???a-n?ma-mah?-mantrera ei ta’ svabh?va
yei jape, t?ra k???e upajaye bh?va [CC Adi 7.83]

Translation: ‘It is the nature of the Hare K???a mah?-mantra that anyone who chants it immediately develops his loving ecstasy for K???a.

Anyone who chants this holy name constantly with conviction that this is the only way, especially in this age of Kali then he develops bhava and love for the Lord. So that is what has happened to you, why are you so surprised? Go on, Go on.

So this is the way, this is not a new thing. Every time in the age of Kali, you go for chanting the holy names of the Lord that is what Shukadev Goswami also said to King Parikshit Maharaja, this is the beginning of the age of Kali, Kali was just about to commence. Sukadeva Goswami said,

kaler do?a-nidhe r?jan: asti hy eko mah?n gu?a?
k?rtan?d eva k???asya: mukta-sa?ga? para? vrajet [SB 12. 3.51]

Translation: My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare K???a mah?-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.

Kali-yuga is full of faults and flaws but there is eko mahan gunah, there is one good quality like harer nama harer namaiva kevalam, one quality is in age of kali.

kirtanad eva krsnasya, only Krsna’s name, again that harer namaiva, that aiva only is also coming here in Sukadev Goswami’s statement, kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet. So there is another authority Sukadev Goswami he has strongly recommended Chanting is the only process and if you want to hear more at the beginning age of Kali.

Braja Vilas Prabhu : I don’t want to stop you, one thing I want to tell you is Ambrish Prabhu would be very happy to see the background of Vedic planetarium behind you. I was thinking it was my screen saver then I suddenly realized that it is your screensaver. Maharaja with this I want to put another devotee’s question and of course Ambrish Prabhu is co-hosting with Ambrish Prabhu, he will also ask you a few questions. But I am going to ask you since you have got a background that immediately puts me to a TOVP question to you, that if TOVP is accepted as a good mandir how do you envision that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s eternal service will be spread all over the world from this temple?

Lokanath Swami Maharaja: Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu made one prediction that his holy name will spread all over the world but Nityananda Prabhu was yet another personality of Godhead, in fact

sankirtanaika-pitarau kamalayataksau

So founding fathers of the sankirtana movement are two, one is Gauranga and another is Nityananda. So one predicted that chanting of the holy name will reach every town, every village and the other one besides other predictions, Nityananda Prabhu talked about this temple,

adbhut mandir hoibe vikas and from there gauranger seva hoibe prakash

The Gurangas glories will spread all over the world, this is yet another prediction of Nityananda Prabhu. Bhaktivinoda Thakur kept seeing from his balcony towards yogapitha. So he was seeing effulgence, so he was seeing this adbhut mandir that Nityananda Prabhu talked about. Srila Prabhupada said that Mayapur was his place of worship. So Srila Prabhupada wanted to worship, do worship from this TOVP temple. Nityananda Prabhu predicted and the whole thing was revealed onto Srila Prabhupada and envisioning the temple and then he was talking, then giving shape as he was sharing with us. So this is the place of worship of Srila Prabhupada. So I think before any other deities we bring into this temple, I think the TOVP leaders or Ambarish Prabhu and Braja Vilas Prabhu and other Prabhus, I don’t know who else is involved with the decision. They are going to bring Srila Ptabhupad into this temple by next Mayapur. Acarya upasana, upasana of the acarya begins, our acarya who is also going to be doing upasana worship from this temple, he is coming, he is arriving and worship is going to be beginning very soon.

Srila Prabhupada talked of, whenever there were floods in Mayapur, Prabhupada said, Oh! It’s getting flooded here, so from here we will spread the flood of the holy name, devotional services, devotional practices from Mayapur to all over the world. So this is the original of center of flood from here it’s going to spread all over the world. I was thinking as I am into kirtans as this place gets ready. This temple is going to accommodate 10,000 kirtaniyas, there is no temple hall or no other forum like TOVP. 10000 at a time, so this is really a congregational chanting, param vijayate sri krsna sankirtanam, victory to sankirtana moment. So the victory is to be starting or originating from TOVP. So we are really looking forward to the completion of this TOVP at the soonest so that we could worship that Prabhupada talked about, my place of worship, TOVP. Prabhupada is coming and he is going to begin the worship. And last year, the pujari floors were inaugurated and a year before the chakras I could see, were installed. So everything is in progress, so we would like to wait, it is yet to be completed and for that we all have to do our part.

Braja Vilas mentioned that I became responsible or instrumental in raising some funds in my area. So likewise, all over, everywhere, wherever holy name has reached and I also keep saying this, what happens is as anyone and everyone receives the maha-mantra and he begin chanting the hare krsna mahamantra from nama to dham, from name to Mayapur, from name to Navadvipa. So every chanter who receives the holy name, next thing he thinks is one day I will go to Mayapur, my destination is Mayapur. So immediately they all make connection with Mayapur, and they are all going to make connection with TOVP, adbhut, outstanding temple that Nityananda Prabhu had talked about.

Braja Vilas Prabhu : Maharaja you were encouraging so much in this what you have said. One thing which I wanted to ask you is that, you said Prabhupada is going to come to the TOVP and the TOVP Ambrish Prabhu has decided that next year being the 125th year, the appearance year of Srila Prabhupada and he decided that we wanted to welcome Prabhupada and install him in beautiful worshipable pose which you said and you made a video also about that one. So I wanted to ask you, because you were also the minister for the centennial celebrations, so you carried out the whole operations on how to welcome Prabhupada on the centennial celebrations. If you can kindly tell us how it was like organizing centennial celebrations and how devotees, where enthusiastically anticipating to participate in this centennial celebration because this is quasqui centennial celebration now, 125th years.

Lokanath Swami Maharaja: I would say, the highlight of the centennial celebration was the abhishek that we conducted of Srila Prabhupada with of course sahastra tirtha jala, we had collected holy jala from 1000 holy places and exported them to all the temples. Okay, I was centennial minister and I was encouraging and inspiring, it wasn’t just myself it was the whole of the leaders were also doing, inspiring everyone to have a grand celebration and so many events and monuments to be established and this and that. So, this was all going to be costing, money talks everything walks, devotees wanted to have a grand celebration but it was not a cost then so our centennial ministry came up with this scheme of bathing Srila Prabhupada on that occasion and abhishek, maha maha abhishek of Srila Prabhupada. Through this one event which was also a fundraising event, we raised enough funds to cover all the expenses of centennial globally. Now devotees took this abhishek concept so seriously to their heart and they knew this was going to bring in some cash in hand, some fundraising is going to happen. So I think it’s time to repeat the history or copy the success, so that was the 100th birth anniversary and this is the 125th birth anniversary of Srila Prabhupada. So I think the decision of TOVP leaders Ambarish and others, to invite Srila Prabhupada, welcome Srila Prabhupada right into the temple hall or wherever is going to be residing or sitting for all the time to come. We have already thought of making a very extraordinarily beautiful deity of Prabhupada, worshipable pose and then do maha maha abhishek of Srila Prabhupada on this occasion. And I think this is giving all of us a service opportunity that we could all sponsor this abhishek of Prabhupada, there are various kinds as per your capabilities like silver kalash, copper kalash and gold kalash and I think Ambarish will go for platinum kalash. I heard about this and I was very enthused myself. I am encouraging Ambarish and team to go for this and I would appeal to devotees globally as they had cooperated 25 years ago during 1996 during the abhishek time. So many sponsors had stepped forward, so if that happens this time, one more time and for some of you this could be a once in lifetime opportunity to have abhishek of Srila Prabhupada right inside TOVP. We could all understand that because of the pandemic situation things have slowed down, the fundraising a little bit and the construction is also. So we need to give a boost to all the operations of physical construction and the fundraising and I think this is the fantastic proposal that Ambarish Prabhu has come up with, so go for it.

Braja Vilas Prabhu : Thank you, Thank you so very much Maharaja because Ambarish Prabhu wanted to start next year with a grand celebration by inviting Srila Prabhupada because 2020 was almost you know not much we could do and our construction we are just going to start by this month end and we are going to start this construction again. We are all expecting Srila Prabhupada to come so that we can dedicate ourselves more than what we are now. So Ambarish Prabhu is here and any questions? So I can go ahead with some questions with Maharaja, do you have anything to ask?

Ambarish Prabhu : I just wanted to offer my obeisances to Maharaja. I have known Maharaja for many many years. I think we were together with Srila Prabhupada in 1975 when you took sannyasa?

Lokanath Swami Maharaja : Yes

Ambarish Prabhuji : And then in centennial we worked together.

Lokanath Swami Maharaja : In Bombay we were together, on Juhu beach we walked with Srila Prabhupada together.

Ambarish Prabhu : Yeah I have a photograph. I have that wonderful photography. But during the centennial we had the ISKCON, the biggest foundation, one of the pebbles was the TOVP, it wasn’t called the TOVP that time but it was Mayapur project.

Lokanath Swami Maharaja: We were establishing monuments and this was the major monuments we were envisioning.

Ambarish Prabhu : I remember Sridhar Maharaja and myself, we started planning for the fundraising and I traced my involvement with the TOVP back to the centennial 1996. So have always been so supportive and helpful. We came to your temple and raised money and it was wonderful. My question Maharaja is, you know because your main interest is kirtan and I have told this many times before that you are one of my most favorite kirtan leaders, it is beautiful to listen to you but this temple is the Brihad Mridanga and Prabhupada said to me personally that he wanted to bring the whole world to Mayapur, so broadcasting the holy name from this temple. How do you see the activities of kirtan coming from this temple will influence the forces of the Kali yuga, which are getting more and more intense all the time. Seems to me that this year Kali has really revealed and you know things are going be a very rough road from now on. How do you see that this temple from now on will influence the age of Kali?

Lokanath Swami Maharaja : The holy name has and Mahaprabhu has influenced the whole world and Srila Prabhupada has. Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu propagated holy name all over India and at one point Srila Prabhupada was in Guntur or in some place in South India, he said he has left the job of spreading the holy name overseas or beyond the boundaries of India, he has left this job upto me, upto Srila Prabhupada . Prabhupada is empowered, he is our Senapati bhakta. What transpired and transformed in 1965 and then during Prabhupada days, who could have imagined that there will be Jagannath ratha ratra on the 5th Venue of Manhattan and who would have imagined of so many things which had happened. So many books have been distributed, chanting has gone all over. Westerners, I take that also as very historical, there were a bunch of followers in 1965-66 and ISKCON was registered and he was calling it the International Society for Krsna Consciousness. And he was talking, you know my temples are everywhere, my followers are everywhere and this and that. He was talking to a gentleman who was sitting next to him on the bench. So nothing was existing but he was talking about International Society for Krsna Consciousness. So then when he had few followers one day he sat down with them and all this vision he shared and said you could assist me, how to spread holy name and Krsna consciousness all over the world and if you are serious then you have to follow four regulative principles and the devotees asked about what are these 4 principles. What are those Swamiji. Prabhupada said,

No meat eating
No intoxication
No illicit sex
No gambling,

Are you ready to follow these principles? Then you could be my genuine followers and could support me, are you ready? And everyone assembled there and raised their hands and I think that this was the turnaround or beginning of the end of the age of Kali. If that could happen then what is Kali, Kali resides in four places right, where there is meat eating, where there is intoxication, where there is illicit sex and where there is gambling. These 4 places were given by Parikshit Maharaja to the age of Kali. Just see the influence of the holy name that the Westerners were for the first time in the history of the world, they were ready to renounce and kick out meat eating, intoxication and this was because they had developed higher taste, because of chanting of the holy name and honouring Krsna prasadam and of course the sadhu sanga that they were getting from Srila Prabhupada. Now we have around 1000 temples and millions of followers. So if someone had asked or informed or said in the early 1963 or 64 that in 2020 there will be devotees coming from over 100 countries from Mayapur and they are going to be doing, jai sacinandan jai sacinandan, as Bhaktivinod Thakur also has predicted. Who could have believed such a thing, people from 100 countries coming to Mayapur and chanting Hare Krsna and forgetting all other things. Srila Prabhupada said, this is the United Nation of the spiritual world. So this much could happen which was at one time beyond our imagination or inconceivable, so much more could happen. You may say, look at this situation now the pandemic covid-19, everything looked bleak and is there a way out? Is this the end of the world or something? No there is nothing of this sort, these things will be out of the way and these tumbling blocks will be overcomed by Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his holy name. So His predictions are no doubt true, if Caitanya Mahaprabhu has predicted that holy name is going to reach every corner, every town, every village then that is bound to happen and if Nityananda Prabhu has also predicted this TOVP temple, adbhut mandir, this also bound to happen. We should have no doubt, so how it’s going to happen is just beyond our imagination, but it’s going happen, which we are convinced.

Braja Vilas Prabhu : Wonderful Maharaja, I’m going to take up a polling question of all the devotees, who are online can vote for it just wait for 15 seconds. So I am going ask the polling question. The question is TOVP will influence change in the world in many different ways. What is the single most way you think TOVP will affect the world? So it is multiple choice question,

1.Chanting the holy name
2.Making more devotees
3. Distributing more books
4. Informing people about Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy

Everybody voted that it will do everything, making more devotees than anywhere else, distributing more books than anywhere else, and informing people about Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy, more people knowing about Srila Prabhupada and Vedic cosmology becoming more popular.

So Maharaja a very important question is that in the final days of Srila Prabhupada in Vrndavan he expressed his desire to go out on a parikrama and he called, choose you to lead the party. Please narrate the story, it is a very very interesting story with regard to your personal relationship with Srila Prabhupada during his final pastimes.

Lokanath Swami Maharaja : In those days 1977 October 11, Srila Prabhupada was bed ridden and he was in Vrndavan. So that time we were travelling and our party was called Narada Muni travelling sankirtana party. Travelling and travelling all the way, we had gone to Badrik asram, we were in Himalayan mountains, distributing Srila Prabhupada books. We also knew, I was Vrndavan. I was in Bombay with Srila Prabhupada when he had arrived from London and we were with Srila Prabhupada in Vrndavan for sometime and then we took off and went on distributing books. We knew Prabhupada’s health was not good at all and those days there was no way to get the news, no mobiles, no SMS nothing. So we came down to Vrndavan, we came to meet Srila Prabhupada and to find out Prabhupada’s health’s status and be with Prabhupada. So as we were party men, we were allowed kindly by Srila Prabhupada to enter his quarters. We used to give the whole report of book distribution, Prabhupada used to ask which book is selling the most? I also mentioned to Srila Prabhupada that while we were in Badrikasram, we visited the cave of Vyasadev, Vyas gufha and I said that I showed your Bhagvad gita to Srila Vyasadev. So we had gone with Gita and I thought we didn’t see Vyasadev but Vyasadev must have seen us and the Gita. Prabhupada heard this and he liked it. So towards the end we were leaving and I was the last person to leave Prabhupada’s quarter, I was just taking one last glimpse of Srila Prabhupada. Then Prabhupada signaled and said come, come back. So I went back and sat very close to Srila Prabhupada, we had to sit very close to Srila Prabhupada to even hear and understand what he had to stay. Prabhupada said to me that he wanted to see me and what time could he see me. Srila Prabhupada ki…jai. This is the humility of Srila Prabhupada. Then I said, what is the question, when can I see you, anytime. Prabhupada asked is 4o’clock okay? It was more than okay for me. So then all day I was wondering and thinking what is that, what Prabhupada wants. And when he said he wants to talk to me he sounded very serious and grave.

Finally at 4o’clock I went to Prabhupada’s door, but his servants and secretary Tamal Krsna Maharaja, Bhavananda Maharaja and Bhakti Charu Maharaja, now they had assembled in the Krsna Balarama guest house lobby, the front desk. So I was directed to go there, so when I arrived I found out that what Prabhupada wanted to talk to me about, he had already told his secretaries. They told me that Prabhupada wanted to go on Bullock cart, he wanted to tour Vrndavan and as Govardhan puja is ahead of us he wants to go Govardhan as a first spot. So myself and Panchadravid Swami Maharaja and we went to Mathura to arrange a Bullock cart. It was difficult as those days farmers did not want to work with bulls as it was go puja time, so they wanted to give rest and worship their bulls and cows. So finally we managed.

So Bullock cart had come and it was parked in front of Krsna Balarama temple. And we were greatly ancipating and travelling with Srila Prabhupada. So we had come back and reported to Srila that Bullock cart had arrived. We went to bed expecting that Bullock cart party to hit the road and go to Govardhan but during the night Srila Prabhupada was approached by Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja and Tamal Krsna Maharaja and Bhavananda Maharaja. It might be Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja who arranged Krsna Das Babaji Maharaja, one of Prabhupada’s god brothers to come and they wanted to use him to get some message across or get some concern across to Srila Prabhupada, and that concern was for health condition, not fit to travel on Bullock cart. So there were many discussions between Prabhupada and Bhakti Charu Maharaja and others assembled. Krsna Das Babaji Maharaja was like their advocate, so Prabhupada was convinced that this is not the best idea. That time Prabhupada said to Krsna Das Babaji Maharaja, just see how much they love me. That is what had happened and the Bullock cart plan was cancelled.

But I will quickly say that the next day we had again gathered around Srila Prabhupada because the travelling idea Prabhupada did not give up. He said I want to leave the body of this world fighting with Maya, preaching is fighting. So he was feeling restless lying on the bed, so he wanted to go out. Next day, as we gathered around, Prabhupada proposed that let me travel with the buses and everyone welcomed the idea. And those days when we were hearing Prabhupada, okay Prabhupada wants to travel with the bullock carts, fine, Prabhupada wants to travel with buses, wonderful. The thought was that way Prabhupada will stay longer with us, he is not leaving us, he is staying on with us. That was really inspiring, we were becoming jubilant as we were hearing this travel plans. All those who were assembled we were talking and saying to Prabhupada, Giriraj Prabhu, before he was Prabhu those days he said Prabhupada, wherever we travel the buses, whichever town we go to there will be opportunity to make life members, could I come?. Then Prabhupada said yes. Then Bhakti Svarupa Damodhar Maharaja said could I come? Prabhupada said yes. There was a devotee from Punjab, he was a good driver he asked Prabhupada could I come? Then Prabhupada said yes you could come. And then for sure I knew that I had to go, there was a long discussion before this, could I come thing was happening. Then I asked if I could come, Prabhupada? Then he said, it’s difficult to say what he said but he said to me so I have to say it, you will be our leader.

Braja Vilas Prabhu: I had just gone into the story Maharaja. I want to ask one question from the audience. That is, according to experience what religion will become the goal of all religions?

Lokanath Swami Maharaja : Adi-lila, chapter 7, verse 74

nama vinu kali-kale nahi ara dharma
sarva-mantra-sara nama, ei sastra-marma [CC Adilila 7.74]

So this is Mahaprabhu talking, the Lord who had appeared,

dharma sansthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge

The Lord who has appeared to establish dharma for the age of Kali, He is saying nama vinu kali-kale nahi ara dharma.

Ambarish Maharaja: You have been very kind, I know all these great ideas are coming from your fertile brain.

Braja Vilas Prabhu : Without your blessings nothing can happen. So now as Maharaja is blessing us. One last question to you is, Prabhupada so much liked you so much and sometimes he used to call you ‘Our Tukaram” all the devotees have so much love for you….?

Lokanath Swami Maharaja : I don’t know what it is, this is all blessing of guru and Gauranga, blessings of Srila Prabhupada. Whatever a disciple is, it is the mercy of the spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada is making us so. What we are is, tomar karuna sar, this is karuna of karuna avatar. Corona is there but karuna of Gauranga mercy of Gauranga is also there and Srila Prabhupada’s mercy.

Braja Vilas Prabhu: Thank You so much Maharaja for all your support and Ambarish Prabhu always wants that after the temple is opened you kirtana to be the first kirtana. We are waiting when they day will come. I am very grateful to you Maharaja and all our viewers who have participated and from Ambarish Maharaja and the TOVP team a very happy Janmastami.

Thank you for all your support that you are throwing to us.
Ambarish Prabhu: Thank you Maharaja for joining us. I am looking forward to see you in real life.

Lokanath Swami Maharaja: Lets met in Mayapur. When Prabhupada comes we have to be there at his lotus feet. Let’s do abhishek together.

Braja Vilas Prabhu and Ambarish Prabhu: Thank you Maharaja we are waiting for that day.

Lord Nityananda’s Mercy
Date: 2nd August, 2020
Lecture online Bangladesh
[1:28:56]

I can understand Bengali but not speak, so I will speak in Hindi. In Bangladesh sravan utsava is going on. That’s a festival for ears. Tomorrow is Balaram purnima, balarama hoilo nitai . I was told to talk about mercy of Nityananda Prabhu. So at that time these lines came to my mind.

ha ha Prabhu nityananda, premananda sukhi
krpabalokana koro ami boro duhkhi

So Narottam Das Thakur says, prays to Lord Nityananda. He says, ha ha Prabhu, nityananda premananda-sukhi: “My dear Lord Nityananda, You are always joyful in spiritual bliss. Since You always appear very happy, I have come to You because I am most unhappy. If You kindly put Your glance over me, I may also become happy.”

O Nityananda Prabhu, just look at me, I am very distressed. It’s not good, please shower your mercy on us. So Nityananda Prabhu is famous for His mercy.

sri guru karuna sindhu
adhama janara bandhu

We keep singing this, so guru is an ocean of mercy and Nityananda Prabhu is Adi guru, guru of all gurus. Balaram is also guru. Certainly such a guru always has his merciful glance on everyone and to distribute His mercy, Nityananda Prabhu has appeared.

Gaura nityananda bol haribol haribol

Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu both appeared and they both are famous as being magnanimous, maha-vadanyaya.

namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradayate [CC Madhya 19.53]

O most munificent incarnation! So both Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu both are maha-vadanyaya.

brajendra nandana jei, saci suta hoilo sei,
balarama hoilo nitai

In Vraj mandal parikrama when we go to Dauji near Gokul, there we get to hear,

dauji ke bhaiya krishna kanahiya, krishna kanahiya dauji ka bhaiya

One party says, dauji ke bhaiya and other party says, krsna kanahiya

So Dauji means Balarama and Dauji’s brother is Krishna. So in this way devotees sing the glories of Krishna and Balarama. In Navadvipa parikrama, Jayapataka Maharaja, he taught us, he must be the one made this chant very famous Gauranga- Nityananda, Nityananda- Gauranga. In Vraja we sing, dauji ka bhaiya krishna kanhaiya and in Navadvipa we sing Gauranga- Nityananda, this proves brajendra nandana jei, saci suta hoilo sei.

So this Balarama appears as Nityananda in Ekachakra gram in Bengal at the house of Hadai Pandit and Padmavati’s house. He performed his bala lilas in Ekachakra gram. Then a saint came to their house. He was received and served nicely. When he was about to leave he made a special demand from this family, please give me Nityananda Prabhu I want Nityananda, I want Nityanand. As he was parivrajakacarya he needed someone for help. So he left Ekachakra gram. Nityananda Prabhu came out of Ekachakra gram and travelled everywhere for preaching in the same way as Balarama performed His yatra of India. From this we can understand, balarama hoilo nitai. Balaram also travelded and Nityananda Prabhu also travelled. Nityananda Prabhu travelled everywhere and while travelling when He reached Vrndavan at the bank of Radhakunda then He got the news that His Lord, His Mahaprabhu, Caitanya Mahaprabhu had appeared.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki jai

After hearing this He directly moved to Navadvipa, Bengal. Gauranga Nityananda met at Nandana Acarya’s house in Navadvipa. The age of Caitanya Mahaprabhu was 20 years old. After that Gauranga Nityananda stayed together.

sankirtana eka pitaro

Lord Caitanya and Nityananda Prabhu are the two fathers of sankirtana, founding fathers of sankirtana. They both performed sankirtana at Srivas angan, all Pancha Tattvas used to join the movement. Then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa and after that Nityananda Prabhu left for Jagannath Puri. At one time Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, you always stay with me Nityananda Prabhu, now you go to Bengal. Then Nityananda Prabhu left for Bengal with dvadash gopals.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu had ordered to Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas Thakur,

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

Now Nityananda Prabhu will play the role of a guru, its Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s instructions. Nityananda Prabhu first came to Pannihati there 24 hours day and night kirtans were going on. Kirtan. So there he was establishing dharma, dharma sansthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge. Nityananda Prabhu will establish dharma and propagate dharma all over, that’s all mercy of Nityananda Prabhu. He is dinabandhu, He is karunasindhu, Nityananda prbahu. That is why Bhakti Vinod Thakur in his song says,

Nadiya godrome nityananda Mahajana
patiyache nam-hatta jivera karana

Caitanya Mahaprabhu made Nityananda GBC, governing body commissioner and pracharak.
patrapatra-vicara nahi, nahi sthanasthana
yei yanha paya, tanha kare prema-dana [CC Adi 7.23]

Translation: In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya Mah?prabhu and His associates did not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not, nor where such distribution should or should not take place. They made no conditions. Wherever they got the opportunity, the members of the Pañca-tattva distributed love of Godhead.

There was no discrimination Krishna prema was distributed all over. Nityananda Prabhu distributed Krishna prem everywhere. So once when Nityananda Prabhu was in Panihatti, there came Raghunath Das and he received special mercy of Nityananda Prabhu. When Raghunath Das came Nityananda Prabhu was sitting with his students on the banks of Ganga. Nityananda Prabhu asked has Raghunath Das come, someone said yes he is hiding and sitting behind. As Raghunath Das came Nityananda Prabhu blessed him by keeping His lotus feet on his head. And also said that you are a thief, I will punish you, you have to feed dahi chida to all devotees. Raghunath Das did the seva and thus he got mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu through Nityananda Prabhu.

So Nityananda Prabhu was preaching Jagai Madhai. You know the story, when someone among Jagai Madhai threw stone on Nityananda Prabhu and He got hurt. As Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard that Nityananda Prabhu was hit, He immediately called for Sudarshan Chakra and as Cakra came there next was vinashayacha duskritam, He was ready to kill the demons. But who saved their lives? That was Nityananda Prabhu, He reminded Caitanya Mahaprabhu, oh Lord you cannot destroy the anarthas by this kind of weapons in this Kaliyuga. Jagai and Madhai were hearing all this and then Jagai Madhai surrendered to Guara -Nityananda. Then they said we will leave all the sinful activities and chant the holy name. We will follow four regulative principles, no intoxication, no gambling, no illicit sex, no meat eating, we will only chant and perform kirtana.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

dina-hina jata chilo, hari-name uddharilo, tara sakshi jagai madhai

Translation: The holy name delivered all those souls who were lowly and wretched. The two sinners Jagai and Madhai are evidence of this.

Is there any proof that the holy name delivers the sinful?? Yes yes, tara sakshi jagai madhai. This is the proof. It was a team effort of Gauranga and Nityananda Prabhus. When we go for preaching we have to keep two approaches, soft and hard and thus do preaching. In this Jagai Madhai deliverance, Caitanya Mahaprabhu was hard and tough like vajra. He was about to use His chakra. But the soft nature, the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu saved Jagai and Madhai. All glories to Nityananda Prabhu.

It’s not that today Nityananda is not there, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is not there. He is still there in Navadvipa, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu are still performing their lilas. And fortunate ones can have darsana of those Gaura lilas and Nityananda lilas.

adyapa lila kare gaura rai
kon kon bhagyavan dekhi bare pare

Srila Prabhupada established ISKCON, he is founder of ISKCON. But Srila Prabhupada established ISKCON on behalf of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and even today the work is going on and many Jagai and Madhai are being delivered all over the world. Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu are only behind this. This movement is doing so many things, it is done by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu only. Senapati bhakta of this sankirtan army, Srila Prabhupada was made instrumental by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But the work of delivering the fallen Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu are doing and devotees are just instruments.

The order Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave to Haridas Thakur and Nityananda Prabhu was prati ghare ghare giya koro ei bhiksa, bolo krishna, bhajo krishna, koro krishna-siksa, the same order is given to all of us also. So all the preaching projects are going on under the direction of Nityananda Prabhu, He is the original spiritual master and by Him only all the preaching projects are going on. Nityananda Prabhu was preaching on behalf of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

yare dekha, tare kaha k???a-upadesa
amara ajnaya guru hana tara ei desa [CCMadhya 7.128]

Translation: “Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord 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.”

He is our eternal spiritual master. In kaliyuga the most important way of preaching is holy name, harinama sankirtan.

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

The preaching mission which Caitanya Mahaprabhu started and Nityananda Prabhu did and then Srila Prabhupada did, that we have to take it ahead.

Prithvite ache yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra prachara haibe mora nama

Translation: “In every town and village, the chanting of My name will be heard.”

Preach My name. One cannot preach unless he has compassion or karuna in his heart. Nityananda Prabhu was full of these qualities, He was karunasindhu. Nitai gunamani amar.

I was thinking when Jiva Goswami came to Navadvipa he directly went to Srivas Thakur’s house. Nityananda Prabhu was staying here in those days and He became dhama guru for Jiva goswami and performed Navadvipa mandal parikrama. This is the work of a spiritual master, acarya. Nityananda Prabhu revealed the Navadvipa dhama, He disclosed all the places in Navadvipa. This is simantadvipa, here Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave darsana to Parvati and she put the dust of the dvipa in her hair part so that dvipa came to be known as simantadvipa. Nityananda Prabhu described all the lilasthalis to Jiva Goswami and if one does such parikrama that will deliver the whole world.

If Nityananda Prabhu was not there then there would be no parikrama then Bhakti Vinod Thakur would not have written the Navadvipa mahatmya book. In that book he writes that these parikramas will deliver the whole world. yadi nitai na hoite, there would have been no revelations. Then ISKCON won’t have been established and parikramas won’t have been there. There is no limit to mercy of Nityananda Prabhu.

ha ha prabhu nityananda premananda sukhi,
kripabalokana koro ami boro duhkhi

We should pray at the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu so that His mercy reaches us also. In fact if you all are hearing lectures in sravan utsav then you have already got the mercy. And if you are like Jagai and Madhai then by chanting you will get mukti and bhakti.

Where I am sitting is Pandharpur, Maharashtra. Nityananda Prabhu came here when he was travelling. He was initiated by Laxmipati tirtha, that’s the glory of Pandharpur dhama. And in this dham the Chandrabhaga river which is non different from Ganga flows and on her bank we have a temple and also we have established Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhus lotus feet here. Also Caitanya Mahaprabhu had come to Pandharpur, He said I want to go to South India. Everyone asked why you want to go? I want to search for My brother Visvarupa and then He went for a south India yatra. Then He reached pandharpur and as He got the news that Visvarupa had come to Pandharpur. First Nityananda Prabhu came here then Chaitanya Mahaprahu came. Before Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came here Visvarupa had come. This Chaitanya Mahaprabhu knew from a Gaudiya Vaishnava, he said that when I went Navadvipa with Madhavendra puri, we reached the house of Jagannath Mishra, he welcomed us very nicely and Saci mata had prepared nice prasadam for us. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said oh you had gone to my house, Saci mata is my mother and Visvarupa is my elder brother. Then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked do you know about my brother something, he has taken sannyasa. He said, yes your brother had taken sannyasa and he came to Pandharpur and stayed here. His name was Shankararanya Swami and from here only he went back to Godhead. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu got the news in this way.

Visvarup is the expansion of Balarama, balarama hoilo nitai, Balaram becomes Nityananda and also Visvarupa. First Balaram appeared as 7th child and then Krishna came as 8th child, like that first Visvarupa appeared and then Nimai appeared. Dauji appears as Visvarupa, elder brother. One understanding is that Visvarupa went back to Godhead and another is he entered Nityananda Prabhu, two in one, Nityananda Prabhu and Visvarupa together.

Jai jai nityananda premananda sukhi kripa va lokan karo ami bado dukhi

So again and again we pray at the lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu so that He showers His mercy on us and not only us but on the whole world His mercy should be showered. So that people suffering from Corona get karuna of Nityananda Prabhu. Whoever gets mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, it’s his duty to preach. All the acarya preach on behalf of Nityananda Prabhu.

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur preached on behalf of Him, Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur preached on behalf of Him, Srila Prabhupada preached on His behalf and Jayapataka Maharaja is preaching on His behalf, Bhakti Caru Maharaj was preaching on His behalf. We all have to distribute the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu. How?

prati ghare ghare giya koro ei bhiksa bolo `krsna’, bhajo krsna, koro krsna-siksa.

By doing this or by yare dekha tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa. Or by sankirtana of hare krishna mahamantra and book distribution and prasadam distribution and by observing different festivals like sravan utsava and many more like Janmashtami mahotsav, Radhastami mahotsav, Jhulan yatra, Kartik vrata, Gaur Purnima festival. So our dharma is to spread the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu and Gauranga Mahaprabhu all over. Let’s follow that.

Question Answer Session

Question 1: Nityananda Prabhu is a disciple of Madhavendra Puri or Laxmipati Tirtha?
Answer: Nityananda Prabhu was disciple of both Madhavendra Puri and Laxmipati Tirtha. Caitanya Bhagavat states that Nityananda Prabhu was a disciple of Laxmipati Tirtha. Both understandings are there. He took diksha from Madhavendra Puri. It’s said that Laxmipati Tirtha initiated Madhavendra Puri and then Madhavendra Puri initiated Nityananda Prabhu. And second understanding is as stated in Caitanya Bhagavat, that Nityananda Prabhu was initiated by Laxmipati Tirtha. So there are two references or may be may be diksha guru and another siksha guru such relation can be there.

Question 2: How can we please Nityananda Prabhu?
Answer: By preaching,

golokam ca parityajya, lokanam trana karanat

When Lord sees jivas suffering then He also becomes sad so He appears and preaches, to make them happy. This is His motive of appearance, He wants to make people happy. So with our efforts if we can make some people happy by preaching then Nityananda Prabhu will be very happy.

yasya prasadad bhagavat prasado
yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto pi

We have to give His prasad to as many people as we can. We have to distribute Srila Parbhupada books to as many people as we can, we have to take people for dhama yatra. And then we can take them to Ekachakra gram. So the purpose of preaching is to please the Lord.

nama nache jiva nache

Nityananda Prabhu is very happy when He sees jiva dancing on the holy name and if you are successful in making some people happy then Nityananda Prabhu will be happy and will come to give you darsana. If we contribute to the temple building then Nityananda Prabhu will be happy, so do something for that. Also when you please your spiritual master then Nityananda Prabhu will be pleased because guru is the representative of Nityananda Prabhu. Try to understand what is on Nityananda Prabhu’s mind, He wants all people to come back home. So do something that people take up holy name, nama se dhama tak. Wherever a person is in Germany, America if he gets the holy name he tries to go to Mayapur thus taking them from nama to dhama.

Question 3: Tomorrow is Balarama jayanti which food items He likes and which games He likes and what are the reasons for his happiness?
Answer: For games, balavasta krida sakta

When Nityananda Prabhu was going to school He used to enact the pastimes of Krishna lila, Dhenukasura lila or Pralambasura vadha. Then once He became Laxman and there was war and Laxman fell unconscious as the bell rang all children went to class but Nityananda Prabhu was still unconscious. All the children went home but Nityananda Prabhu was lying there only. When Hadai pandit and Padmavati came searching for him, He was lying down on the ground. So they remembered that today they were playing Ramayan lila but as the bell rang the child who was Hanuman ran home forgetting his role. So all kids were called and Hanuman was sent to bring the herb and then gave it to smell and Nityananda Prabhu was again conscious, He jumped up and said where is Ravan? So these kinds of games Nityananda Prabhu used to play.

Question 4: I feel more attraction for Nityananda Prabhu is that sin?
Answer: It’s not an offence, if naturally that’s happening but such attraction will stay or change one can’t say.

hitva anyatha rupam sva-rupe?a vyavasthitih [SB 2.10.6]

Some sadhaka are attracted to Radha Krishna and some are attracted to Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. These attractions are not final, there can be changes.
There are two parts of Golok, one is Vrndavan and another is Navadvipa or Svetadvipa, those who are attracted to Radha Krishna reach Vrindavan and those who are attracted to Guara Nitai reach the Navadvipa part of Golok and those who are attracted to both reach both the places, but it’s too early for now, we can’t jump to any conclusion. There may be some changes, wait and see, keep patience.

Question 5: There is Vrndavan, Mathura in the spiritual world. Is there any place in the spiritual world where Gaura Nitai are chanting and dancing?

Answer: Gaura and Nitai are always together, like if Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself than Balaram is his prakash. Krishna and Balarama are almost the same, Prabhupada says if Krishna is 100% Lord and Balaram is 98% Lord, they are very close in regard to their godhood. So like that Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu are same they are always together, like brothers.
During Rama-lila also they are together, Who is Rama Laksaman, Krishna is Rama and Balaram is Laksaman. So Rama Laxman in Treta Yuga, Krishna Balarama in Dwapar yuga and in Kaliyuga Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. So they are always together, wherever Nityananda Prabhu is dancing there Caitanya Mahaprabhu appears like he appeared at Panihati festival. During the dahi chida festival, as Nityananda was dancing, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu rushed there. So they are inseparable, they cannot be separated.

Nitai Gaura Premananda haribol haribol!!

Grihastha Dharma
Date 26th July 2020
Online class for ISKCON Vizag

So I welcome you all again and again to today’s sunday festival lecture, I don’t know whether you will get the feast but at least you are getting the lecture. So Grihastha Dharma, I suppose there is the majority of Grihastha’s in this world, on and in ISKCON also, we brahmachari’s, sannyasi’s also are in minority and you are grihastha’s are much, much bigger number. So this is kind of the world of Grihastha’s including ISKCON world is full of Grihastha’s. So that may be also the reason why I am asked to speak on Grihastha dharma. I don’t why I am, I was never a Grihastha, but what to know about grihastha or grihastha dharma but I as you have asked me to talk, so I will do my duty.

Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam (SB 6.3.19)

Dharma is given by God. The Grihastha’s don’t get together and they make dharma for their griha or so not individually or the society institution doesn’t get together and they come up with grihastha dharma. Grihastha Dharma is eternal. It has always existed since the beginning of creation. And this dharma means, dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam, it is all written. Srila Vyas dev kindly wrote complied the principles of dharma’s, the Veda’s and Purana’s. Bhagavatam dharma is based on the principles given by God or Bhagavatam dharma is based on Srimad Bhagavatam.

So in 7th Canto, Chapter 14, there is a dialogue between one grihastha Yudhisthira Maharaja and Narada Muni. Narada Muni is authority, he knows dharma, he is one of the twelve mahajans. So Yudhisthira Maharaja has inquired and as Iskcon Vishakhapatnam has asked me or inquired from me, what is grihastha dharma Maharaja? So some similar question was raised by Yudhisthira Maharaja, he is a grihastha. So then the answer to that question the dialogue, discussion about the grihastha dharma is there in seventh canto, chapter 14.

So Srila Prabhupada has kindly summarised each chapter including this 14th chapter in the beginning of this chapter. So I am going to run through some of those statements, summary statements of Srila Prabhupada in this chapter, which talk about the grihastha dharma.

Before I talk I should also say what is not grihastha dharma or who is not a grihastha. One who resides in griha is grihastha situated in griha is grihastha. So the grihastha’s are of two kinds, one kind is a grihastha asrami or grihastha dharmi, one who follows the dharma of grihastha is grihastha dharmi, grihastha asrami and the other one is grihamedhi, and unfortunately this world is filled with grihamedhi’s. In fact as soon as Srila Shukdev Goswami started his talk on Bhagavatam second canto he gets on the cases of these grihamedhi’s and they said that these grihamedhi’s

nidraya hriyate naktam
vyavayena ca va vaya?
diva carthehaya rajan
kutumba-bharanena va (SB 2.1.3)

That at night time, well day and night they spend in nidraya (sleeping) and what else vyavayna ca va vayah they are uselessly wasting their night times in sex indulgence. So this is night’s business, of course eating also goes on and then they eat what they, unmentionable thing they eat against dharma, their diet is against grihastha dharma diet and as soon as they get up diva carthehaya rajan kutumba bharanena va. So as soon as they get up then where is money? Where is money?Where is money? Which is sweeter then honey for them and once they have money, kutumba bharanea va they stay busy in maintaining the family, shopping or doing this or doing that. So this is briefly, this is a grihamedhi, not following the grihastha asram dharma. They don’t follow, well they don’t know nor they are interested to know what the dharma is and then the others, the other party, as Yudhistira Maharaja was interested and you are interested they find out what is grihastha dharma.

Dharma is prescribed duties everyone does, oh I am doing my duty any way they don’t find out what is their duty, what is their dharma. So the first business of course is to understand grihastha’s dharma. Well as we say grihastha dharma because now some of you are, many of you are in grihastha dharma, so that becomes your dharma, then there is also brahmachari dharma, there is vanaprastha dharma, there is sannyasa dharma and there is brahmin bharma, ksatriya dharma, vaishya dharma, sudra dharma. So grihastha’s may be brahmin grihastha’s, grihastha’s may be ksatriya grihastha’s as Arjuna was a ksatriya and then that is a dharma for ksatriya and then there are grihastha’s are vaishya’s and then there is grihastha vaishya dharma.

In seventh canto the dialogue between these two great souls, Srila Narada Muni and Yudisthira Maharaja, they are talking about Varnasarma dharma, dharma of different varna’s, dharma of different asrams and this fourteen chapter is dealing with the grihastha dharma. Well before I may be get into that but we are not always grihastha’s or we are not always brahmachari’s or sannyasi’s or brahmin, ksatriya or vaishya or sudra’s, what we always are, we are souls, parts and parcels of Krsna and then the soul has eternal dharma, nitya dharma. So the grihastha’s also simultaneously they have their nitya dharma, eternal dharma and then grihastha dharma also.

grihe thako vane thako , sada hari bole dako vadane hari nam karo re

As Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur is saying, this is dharma of all the living entities, grihe thako vane thako, whether you are grihastha of a griha ( householder) or you are someone in the forest van ( vane thako) baramachari or sannyasi the common dharma of all the living entities is the chanting of Hare Krsna in this age of kali, or that is also described as Bhagavat dharma. So it is like the achintaya behada behed, one dharma is for everybody and then some additional dharma for somebody belonging to this asram or that varna but basically as the soul, we all, belonging to all varna’s all asrams, we have one common eternal dharma that also has to be understood but then talking of grihastha dharma. Narada Muni advised to Yudhistar Maharaja, grihastha’s first duty is , I am reading in the summary of this chapter, grihastha’s first duty is fully dependent on Vasudev Krsna and try to satisfy him in all respects by executing ones prescribed devotional service, his prescribed duties as a grihastha. He perform devotional service and depends on Vasudev Krsna and Narad Muni says this is the first duty of a grihastha, the first foundational principle. So the grihastha as a his married, he had different devotees say in this, they say Krsna is your marriage partner also. It is not just an affair between wife and husband, no, no Krsna is in the picture. He is your marriage partner, may be the first partner, he is the first one and then keeping that Krsna in the centre, wife and husband are serving even each other. Well there property, they build a house, keeping Krsna in the centre of the family of the house, they make the griha into temple. Ghar ek mandir hai not only dil ek mandir hai. Not only your heart is a temple but the where grihastha resides, he makes that into temple, you have a devaghar, the temple, deities. In fact the grihastha builds house for god and the guests. So the first thing grihastha does is a transform his griha into temple or asram, okay that’s grihastha asram, you grihastha’s have to make your griha into asram, grihastha asram and reside in okay you are not ready for brahmacari asram or sannyasa asram but you have to belong to one of those four asrams in order to you accepted as a civilized, a member of the civilized society. So okay at least now, not ready for baramachari or sannyasi, not yet. So stay in a griha but make griha into asram. So dedicate your asram your griha in service of the Lord and service of devotees of the Lord. I mean lot of grihastha’s specially in Bengal they call this is Thakur Badi, my badi, my property my home also Thakur badi. Lot of times families have properties and they are even their homes, they are in the name of the deities, there family deities own the property. So they make offering like that unto the lord, for the pleasure of the Lord
je dine grihe, bhajana dekhi, grihete goloka bhaya.

When I have sadhu’s coming, vaishnava’s coming to my home and there is kirtan going on in my home and Mridangam is tatai tatai bajela kol ghan ghan tahe jhanjahra rol. I feel that I am in Golok Vrindavan. So that kind of experience grihastha’s could expect Grihastha asrami could expect and should experience they are transforming their residence into Vaikuntha and inviting sadhu’s coming over.
This devotional service will depend on instructions of authorities and the association of devotees who are actually engaged in devotional service. So this is the advice of Narad Muni that Grihastha’s should be, they have to be connected with Spiritual masters, with the parampara or even spiritual institution and ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada that created this Iskcon. Prabhupada says just to give association to the world, association to the Grihastha’s. Prabhupada has created this Iskcon.

So the devotees have to kept in touch with and grihastha have to always seek advice/consultation from the Spiritual master you could say or siksha guru’s your diksha guru’s. This is most essential otherwise well, the Griha become andhakupam– deep dark well. You need someone to come with the torch light of knowledge and throw light on this or that and make you enlightened and lift you up from the dark well, take you out .
So that is done by the acarya’s, the spiritual masters, your shiksha gurus and this is very, very essential connection for the grihastha’s and these Acharya’s, these spiritual masters will teach you what is grihastha dharma, guide you, they will be your friends, philosophers and guides. They will understand your needs and concerns. So that connection has to be very strong connection and Srila Prabhupada is saying have association with those devotees who are actually engaged in devotional services.

Beginning of devotional service is sravanam, Srila Prabhupada is writing, one must hear from the mouths of realized souls and in this way grihastha’s attraction to his wife and children will gradually be reduced. Some people, lots of people will be surprised to hear this that Grihastha’s are supposed to be minimizing their attraction to their wife and children and Prabhupada has mentioned wife and children but then paraphernalia and property and this and that and all. Grihastha’s are caught in the middle of aham mameti aham mameti, this is me and this is myself.

So goal is to come out of this right and one day they have to, the grihastha asram is not the first and the last one, there are two more asrams to go. So we have to prepare gradually, developing detachment and of course you develop detachment to wife and children and reducing attachment to wife, children, household items and paraphernalia and property and this and love, friendship and society that Prabhupada talks about is by increasing your attachment to Krishna.

For the maintenance to his family a grihastha while earning, what he requires for his living must be extra conscientious and must not undergo extra ordinary endeavour simply to accumulate money and unnecessarily increased material comforts. the grihastha is only one of the four asram you know, grihastha’s is the only one who acquires wealth, fund, accumulate possessions but he has to be very careful, Prabhupadaa says atyaharah prayasas ca is to be avoided there are more items also prajalpo niyamagrahah the atyaharah try to make more money and this is because of the greed so of course your needs are welcome, you take care of the needs but the grihastha may and they do become greedy and they want to accumulate more and more money and they get into double shifts and triple shifts and so this needs to be avoided. They want to acquire more money , Prabhupada is writing to increase material comforts but you don’t do that I means that’s what if you are acquiring, want to acquire more and more wealth and more property, more comfort and luxurious life. So that is once ends up becoming Grihamedhi.

You are supposed to be grihastha asrami belonging to grihastha asram and practicing grihastha dharma, then you will to keep your life simple living high thinking, don’t make your home into a comfort zone or home theatre. Once I was invited for a Sat sang by a grihastha family in Nagpur, when they were conducting the satsang there is a big television, and so I wasn’t very happy to see the big television screen there and I was calling bad name or idiot television and I also said, in India they call this television as doordarshan and I said now you see some actors from bollywood or Hollywood for they are not very door, they are not far from where you are, you can’t really call that as doordarshan it somewhat door somewhat far but if you really want to take have a doordarshan then doornagari, Lord is in Golok and that’s very far far away, if you could have a darshan that would be doordarshan , if you really want to go for doordarshan and then I was again invited for the program by that family and to my great surprise and pleasure I noticed there was no TV and in the place of TV there was a altar with Radha and Krishna.

So don’t make your home into a home theatre or comfort zone, make that into a temple, make that into a asram, grihastha asram and lead a simple life. Don’t work like a donkey (Mudha). Otherwise the grihamedhi grihastha’s are compared with the donkeys, they work very very hard like donkey does carrying big loads of washer man’s cloths and some grass is always around, is available something simple something basic need is could be fulfilled all the donkeys need but he think no I have to carry this big load so that’s one thing. Donkey is known for carrying big loads and donkey’s is also known for getting the kicks of the she donkey, she ass. When a donkey runs after she donkey, wanting to enjoy sex pleasure then she just kick in the face. So grihamedhi’s are known for this is their dharma, their adharma, so opposite of this is a grihastha dharma keep it simple, simple living and high thinking could be motto of grishtha’s.

I was again last time, I was in America some association in fact, they said Swami ji Swami ji, we follow a formula called kiss formula. KISS, I said I am sannyasi we have nothing to do kiss. Then he said no, no not that kiss, KISS – what kiss is this? KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID. Keep it simple stupid, oh stupid keep it simple. That is what Narada Muni is advising and Srila Prabhupada is repeating that principle for grihastha to follow. One should not be extravagantly engaged in making money and spending money extravagantly. Specifically a Grihastha should engage in agricultural activities to earn money. Hari hari

As said in Bhagavad-Gita 18.44 – krsi-go-raksya-vanijya? agriculture, cow protection trade are special duties of grihasthas. So this is Krishna is talking about the grihastha dharma, Vaishya dharma or grihastha or Vaishya like Nanda Maharaja was Vaishya he was a head of Vaishya community and what did they do. k??i-go-rak?ya-v??ijya?. Krishi – farming. Srila Parabhupad writes what is our basic needs? annad bhavanti bhutani , Lord has said in one word, there are few other items but the very basic need in anna – food and your economic problem is solved if you have anna, if you get the food. Srila Prabhupada always encouraged, you have a land, land and the cow, land and the cow. In other words we are agrarian economy, agrarian versus industrial economy. The world is into and this started some 500 years ago, western civilization and science and technology and this and that and industrialization are they made even agriculture, a business enterprise and then mostly depending on industry, industrial economy, but the Vedic economy, the grihastha’s , we are followers of grihastha asram, our members belonging to grihastha asram, we follow Vedic principals, Vedic dharma, grihastha dharma is vedic dharma. So the Vedas encourage this agrarian economy.

And again grow what you need, the necessity is grow grains, vegetables that is the Grihastha dharma but don’t grow tobacco. Hari Hari. You know the (Oh Krishna) I was on Padayatra in Gujarat and that as we were walking though big Tobacco fields, miles where ever we looked out tobacco field disgusted. I met the farmer who was farming the tobacco, I asked him how come your tobacco field doesn’t have fencing, previous other fields, grape garden , this garden, this field, that field we were seeing fencing but your tobacco field has no fencing and this farmer said Maharaj Oh Swami ji not even donkey eats this tobacco so what is the need where is the need of fencing, I said except one donkey one kind of donkey the human donkey goes for this tobacco and you know what the ill effects and damages and cancer and all, so krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam. Grihastha should engage in agricultural activities and cow protection , agricultural cow protection, trades of cow protection also Krishna Gopal,

gopal gopal nanda yashoda dulal giri vara dhari gopal

Gopal, Gopal, Gopal, Gopal even Krishna in fact in Vrindavan everyone is gopal, Go is Cow, pal is protector, one who takes care of the cow he is Gopal. So Vrindavan is full of Gopala’s but Krishna, we think Krishna is gopal but no everybody is gopal, Krishna is principal Gopal, the main Gopal, the leader Gopal, so even god takes care of cows, protect the cows. Cow is such a useful animal, cow is our mother one of the seven mothers, cow is a mother, the grihastha’s should be protecting cows but you know what is, what happens in this world today, the world of grihamedhies.

So understand what is expected from the Grihastha and follow that, and then Prabhupada writes, grihastha should be very affectionate towards lower animals even birds and bees, treating them exactly like his own children. A grihastha should not indulge in killing animals or birds for sense gratification, the cocks and hens are birds, so you know what happens to them. What are worldly people and grihamedhi’s are doing with the cocks and they are also useful, cocks in they get you up early in the morning, braham muhurta. They are the first one to get up. I was born in the village I know I remembered the way.

In Dwarka Krishna books says, Bhagavatam says in palaces of Dwarkadhish, Shri Krishna there were cocks and they would crow do their dharma and then Krishna would get up. So they are useful and they should be protected and looked after as a family member, Prabhupada says. But you cock, you are disturbing my sleep during early morning hours I will get you, I will kill you I will eat you, this is the response of grihamedhi’s and then they kill cocks and hens and chicken and gobble them up.

Oh Krishna, Grihastha should not eat anything not offered to the supreme personality of God head as it is said in BG 3.13.

yajna sistasinah santo ,mucyante sarva kilbisaih
bhunjate te tv agham papa ye pacanty atma karanat

The devotees of the lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food that is offered first to, first for sacrifice. So you know the famous statement of Sri Krishna in Bhagavad-Gita 9.26 patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati. This is dharma of Grihastha, they made their home into a temple and next to the temple or alter there is a kitchen also and ours is also kitchen religion, religion is practice , ladies, mataji’s are practicing religion in kitchen by cooking for the lord patram puspam phalam toyam or they may be doing chappan bhog also and that is offered to the lord and then the family sits and enjoys Prasad, wonderful climate is created, atmosphere is created by such offerings and honouring prasadam at home and Srila Prabhupada also says, the grihastha’s they feed prasadam to everybody. It is also Prabhupada use to say those were the good old days the grihastha’s would cook offer to the lord and then they would go to the public places and distribute Prasad, and anybody else hungry around here, ok no more responses everyone is satisfied and they would go home and then eat and patram puspam phalam toyam not matanam, chickenam, briyanium.

If they would follow this dharma offer food to the lord first patram puspam whatever the grains or fruits or milk and honour that all over the world if they do that, that will transform the phase of earth and you know, right now what world is going through the Pandemic situation and that also has transformed the phase of the earth and you know what the cause is , this eating bats and rats in Wuhan in famous city in China where they kill all sorts of animals and birds and mix this with that and the snake soup and ants bread and then that generated this virus and this was exported and reached all over and you know what the world is going through. Every human being is being tortured because of the wrong kind of diet, that they are not following the dharma or grihastha dharma as prescribed by the lord, prescribed by the sastra’s and acaryas like Narada Muni.
Srila Prabhupada ki jai.

Holy places of pilgrimage mentioned in purana’s as summary , yes this also, has to be specially your Andhra Pradesh is full of so many Holy places, Narsimha you are next to Simhachalam, Ahubalam, Kurumshetra and Balaji ki Jai. You are welcome, you could go to Vrindavan, Mayapur , Jagannath puri dham ki Jai, so this is strongly recommended and Iskcon takes Yatra’s out , so you mentioned and you are welcome to Pandharpur, Lord is waiting and how he is waiting, kar katavari thevuniya, Keeping his hands on the hips, waiting position , why are the Grihastha’s from Vishakhapatnam not coming , Andhraites why are they not coming lord is waiting. So go on pilgrimage, visit holy places but this has to be done by

yasyatma buddhih kunape tri dhatuke
sva dhih kalatradisu bhuama ijya dhih
yat tirtha buddhih salile na karhicij
janesv abhijnesu sa eva go kharah (SB 10.84.13)

Again it is said you go to the holy places and you just take a holy dip and you think oh I did my pilgrimage finished I had a holy dip ya tirtha buddhih salile na Just take, salile means water taking bath in some sacred river or sacred point and then finish I did, no what you should be doing is abhijneshu the knowledgeable or the dham gurus , in Vrindavan they have pandas, the pandits the learned they are the guides, of course to present a guide have become professional and not the exploiters. So best thing Iskcon takes out yatra’s so please go on yatra , Prabhupada organised, founded Mayapur Vrindavan dham, temples, projects there and festival there, Gaur Purnima festival, Kartik festival, Damodar masa, Damodar month in Vrindavan. So you go on pilgrimage like this and let Iskcon devotees, your shiksha guru, diksha guru, your councillors guide you during such pilgrimages. In this way you should fully engaged in worship, grishtaha should be fully engage in worshipping Supreme personality of Godhead for the benefit of his family, his society, his country , and the humanity at large , so you could say this is high thinking not a selfish thinking or narrow minded thinking. So grihastha, staying in griha but he also thinks whole world is my family or vasudhaiva kutumbakam. Kutumba – Family, wife, husband children that is one Kutumbz and Vasudhaiva, Vasudhaiva kutumbakam – everybody on this planet is part of my family Vasu-dha-aiv-Kutumb-Kam thought like this and do something for the benefit for your family, your society, your country , humanity at large and that is what is encouraged in Iskcon for grishastha’s to do , specially Srila Prabhupada used to remind that is also there, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has asked someone from your state Andhra Pradesh – Kurma Brahmin – CC- Madhya -lila 7.128

yare dekha, tare kaha Krsna upadesa amara ajnaya guru hana tara ei desa

This gentleman, Kurma brahmin I called him, he was ready to go, he had invited sadhu. The sadhu was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself parivrajakacarya and he had made enquiries oh tell me about Grihastha dharma, my duties and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had enlightened him and then he had became enlighten and he was ready to go with the lord, but Mahaprabhu said No, No, No stay behind, stay here, what should I do?

yare dekha, tare kaha Krsna upadesa

Everyone you meet your neighbours, your friends, your colleagues, your business partner, tare kaha you preach , teach them , give them Krishan updesh, and by doing so then your family , society, country and Humanity at large is served and in other words Grihastha are supposed to be doing Paropkar CC -Adi Lila 9.41

bharata bhumite haila manusya janme yara
janma sarthaka kari kara para upakara,

So Grihastha’s have to be paropkari, giving charities and assisting others and make your life perfect by doing so. So time is over, time is running out, I think we stop I guess can’t be dealt with in one session or one hour, so should we stop now.
Q 1 – Question from Ranghuvanshi Ram Chandra Prabhu question – Maharaj ji you said that as a grihastha’s it is our duty that before we take our prasad , we asked if anybody else is hungry out there then only we take Prasad (Its lock down now, you can’t go out) how do we follow this in practical day to day life in Kaliyuga?

Answer – Well ISKCON has food for life programme, ISKCON has midday meal programme, so if you cannot do yourself you could feed, if you have some guest coming or some sadhu coming to your home you could feed them also. Athithi Devo Bhava, Atithi are welcomed here and are treated here as god so you could feed them , brahmin Devata’s you could do, you can share Prasad with your neighbours or sometime you have a function at your place and no function, spiritual function is complete without prasad distribution. This is something out of your home from your home you could do the feeding others, but as I said, I think we have Iskcon family so through this family you could sponsor, sponsor Sunday feast (prasad) and the hungry guest you are feeding they are fed on your behalf and those poor children in schools at mid day they are hungry so we distribute millions of plates of prasad. During this Pandemic situation Iskcon has done such a marvellous job of feeding you know tons of prasad for needy and hungry people. So like that or when there is earthquake or this or that calamities, the grihastha’s could go with Iskcon devotees and feed so you could find some ways and means to share prasad with others as much as possible. You do it directly or do it through temple do it through Iskcon different food prasad distribution programmes.

Thank you so much Maharaj ji , for giving so many different options.

Q 2 – Question: Maharaj ji you said one should not do atyahar, but how do we know what is the definition of atyahar, may be my wife wants more money but I want to live simple. How I am supposed to adjust as a husband it’s my duty to fulfil her desires also , how do you define Atyaharah.
Answer – I think I did not read, but one advise was when our family members demand this or demand that, then don’t take every demand seriously, you could fulfil something but not everything and you will have to let your guide , your friend, philosopher , your counsellor if you cannot preach to your wife, or maybe could be vice versa also, wife cannot preach to husband he may also be wanting some gratification of the senses and so Iskcon authorities, Iskcon Gurus, Iskcon counsellor, social masters they could do the preaching if you cannot manage, bring them on to the scene and let them do the talking. But I also was thinking or remembering that Atyaharah, as much as you could digest so far talking, talking of eating and ahara means eating , so tongue eats as much as you could digest , Prabhupada said to keep the body and soul together, the amount of food you need to keep the body and soul together. So that much is the need, and additional thing is greed, additional thing is atyaharah.

Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur explains that each of our sense has food or Aahar. When normally think eating food something to eat that is aahar , that is also aahar but the eyes also have aahar, eyes are seeing forms, seeing ok the sense object. Eyes sense object is form , form is aahar and the ears have Shabda as aahar and skin which is another sense in the body, the touch or the sparsh is aahar, like that we have five senses and there are five sense object. Sabda, sparsh, rupa, rasa, gandha and gandha is aahar for nose, nostrils. So we need to check whether the aahar that we are feeding or each of our sense is getting fed, how much we are feeding and what we are feeding is a right food or wrong food. That form you are looking at, are you supposed to be looking at the form or you better close your eyes, oh what about the music, shabda. May be you should plug your ears and go away it’s some nonsense cinema music and the touch and this and that. So this is this comes under sama, dama, tapaha, saucham. If the sense controlled mind controlled, so each senses aahar the food of each sense is to be reviewed or controlled or governed and better feed the right kind of food. So this is also part of grihastha dharma, we have to learn. A grihastha should be learning, this is dharma for the sense control, mind control and so that we don’t get into trouble.

So atyaharah so what happen see this answer is getting longer – (BG 2.62)

dhyayato visayan pumsah, sangas tesupajayate
sangat sanjayate kamah, kamat krodho ‘bhijayate

As one contemplates different objects of senses, Krishna says in second chapter it develops attachment “sangas tesupajayate, sangat sanjayate kamah” from attachment comes develops lust, and when lust is not fulfilled comes Krodha the anger then (BG 2.63) smrti-vibhramah, you lose your intelligence (BG 2.63) smrti-bhramsad buddhi-naso and then you lost your intelligence and then pranasyati you fall down right enter those three gates down to hell. So briefly I could say that what we should be doing is (BG 2.62) dhyayato visayan pumsah we have to change the objects of our senses we should be choosing spiritual objects for all our senses including our mind (BG 15.7) manah-sasthanindriyani and if we contemplate on spiritual object of senses and then you meditate and contemplate on those object of senses you will develop attachment, same thing will happen , you will develop attachment, you will develop attachment to the form of Krishna as you see or as you hear the holy name and holy scriptures you will develop attachment again to the holy name , name ruchi jive daya all that will happen , those four Kumara’s just by smelling the fragrance of tulsi as they entered vaikuntha, fragrance they become immediately attached to the Lord.

And mandira-marjanadau we could also touch the deities or touch the feet of the Lord or touch the floor and clean it and the touch sensation is satisfied and we develop attachment to the spiritual objects and anyway I am making it again too long I am supposed to be making it winding it up, so then as we develop attachment to spirituals sense object then what happens “ sangat sanjayate kamah”, instead of Kaam coming into being or into existence you develop “sangat sanjayate Prema” you develop prem, and then as you develop prem there is no anger doesn’t come into picture and you do not loose intelligence in fact you (BG 10.10) “dadami buddhi-yogam “ Lord gives you intelligence and what do you use that intelligence for (BG 10.10) “mam upayanti te” to come back to me, the other person the grihamedhi have no control over senses he was doing all sorts of atyahara with all the senses of gobbling up sabda, sparsh,rupa, rasa, gandha and he was ending up pranasyati ending up in the hell, while the grihastha asrami who has his sense object are spiritual sense objects and then he is getting prem and getting intelligence and we are going back to home back to Godhead , they jump into the boat called Iskcon and our captain is Srila Prabhupada and Prabhupada is the captain of the boat and destination is Goloka.

You are a thief, you are accumulating so much and you should be punished. So instead of getting punished Hare Krishna grihastha asrami following grihastha dharma he is rewarded with the Krishna prema and Vaishanva bhakta prem and he goes back to the Lord brings his family member with him or pushed them on the right path back to home which is also duty of the Grihastha or the children that you have given birth to. You have to make sure their Krishna Conscious has been cultivated. You have to make sure they don’t have to die, may be this time they will die as they have taken birth but no more birth no more death, you have to prepare them for that goal.

Grihasta asrama – Practical tips

Date: 31st July, 2020

Practical tips start from here,

“Grihe thako, vane thako, sada ‘hari’ bole’ dako,
sukhe duhkhe bhulo na’ko, vadane hari-nam koro re”

Whether you are a grihasta or brahmacari or sannyasi like me, one dharma is common and
same and that is chanting of hare Krishna.

grihe thako, vane thako, sada hari bole dako

We all are spirit souls, grihasta has soul, Sanyasi also has a soul, there is no difference on
spiritual level, zero difference. We have our sanatan, eternal dharma which is also called bhagavat dharma, vaishnava dharma or jaiva dharma which was said by Bhakti Vinod Thakura, so they are same for all, for all the varnas and all the asramas. Some principles, some rules and regulations are same like chanting of the hare krishna. Then from the vision of varna and asrama dharma is called varnasrama dharma. Varna and asrama includes brahmacari, grihasta,

vanaprastha and sannyasa. In these everyone has their own dharma, brahmacaris have their
dharma, grihastas have their dharma, vanaprasthas have their dharma and sannyasis have their
own dharma. Also varna includes brahmin, ksatriya, vaishya and sudra. Brahmin has their
dharma, ksatriya has their dharma, if vaishya then protection of cows. Prabhupada has said
and written many times that for grihastas vaishya dharma is nice. Sudra also have their

dharma, to serve all the three varnas. There are some people who are called chandal or mleccha, they don’t have a dharma. They are separate from varnasrama dharma, they have their own separate world, they are not even human beings they are just two legged animals.

ahara nidra bhaya maithuna? cha
samanam etat pashubhir naranam
dharmo hi teshamadhiko vishesho
dharmena hina pasunhir naranam

The thing which is common between animal and man is food, sleep, defence and mating.
The tendency of eating, sleeping, mating are common in both humans and animals. But it is
expected from humans to become religious, dharmo hi tesham adhiko vishesho. Who is a
human being? If someone says I am a human being, then prove. When you accept dharma
then you can be called human. When you follow the dharma then you’re a human being. A
person who doesn’t follow dharma is like an animal only. So first of all we have to accept
dharma or understand dharma. Human birth is very rare. Sankaracarya says three stages
of life kaumaram yauvanam jara.

When we are a child then we waste our time in playing, in
youth we get attached and attracted to each other, one third life gets wasted in this way and at last in old age we are in total anxiety. So Sankaracarya says where do you have time to become dharmic? In childhood you are busy playing, in youth you are busy with lusty affairs and in oldage you are engrossed in anxiety. So human life is very rare.

durlabham manusam janma
tad apy adhruvam arthadam [SB 7.6.1]

Transaltion: The human body is most rarely achieved, and although temporary like other bodies, it is meaningful because in human life one can perform devotional service. Even a slight amount of sincere devotional service can give one complete perfection.
Prahlad Maharaja says, life is temporary and it can get wasted, but we should not do this.

Human life is very meaningful and very useful.

durlabha manava-janama sat-sa?ge tara e bhava-sindhu re

We should engage this rare form of human life in satsang. Satsang and devotee association is the a very important need for every human being. We can be part of any varna or asrama but specially for grihasta without satsang and sadhu sanga life is useless, then its equivalent to death. If there is no satsanga then we will not serve Radha and Krsna in grihasta life.

manushya-janama paiya, radha-krishna na bhajiya, janiya suniya visha khainu

Translation: 0 Lord Hari, I have spent my life uselessly. Having obtained a human birth and having not worshiped Radha and Krishna, I have knowingly drunk poison.

We will drink poison and then we will die. But if we do satsang in this life,

urlabha manava-janama sat-sange tara e bhava-sindhu re

Then in this human life only we can cross the ocean of material existence.

krishna-prapti hoy jaha ha’te

Those grihastas who can understand this and those who are living life with the aim of krsna prapti by taking advice form saints, diksha guru and siksha then their life will be successful. In shastras two types of grihastas are mentioned:
1. One who is in grihasta asrama, who is following all the rules and regulations of
householder life as stated in the scriptures.
2. Grihamedhi
Prahlad Maharaja says,

Yan maithunadi-grihamedhi-sukham hi tuccham [ SB 7. 9.45]

What are grihamedhis doing? They make their house maithunagar and thus waste and destroy their lives. They are called grihamedhi. We need to understand who are grihamedhi. Sukhdev Goswami talk about grihamedhi,

diva carthehaya rajan ku?umba-bharanena va [SB 2.1.3]

Translation: Householder in the daytime they are busy either in making money or maintaining family members.
These householders who are now days in majority in this world and in this modern civiliazation. Infact majority of people of this modern world are uncivilized. Such people are not grihasta asrami but grihamedhi. Highly so called education but they are not cultured. Their slogan is, ‘If you feel good just do it, do not even think.’ The civilized householders they think then they act. But uncivilized householders their formula is ‘Just do it.’

nidraya hriyate naktam
vyavayena ca va vayah [SB 2.1.3]

Translation: The lifetime of such an envious householder is passed at night either in sleeping or in sex indulgence.
When they get up they are busy in making money, money for what? ku?umba-bharanena va.

Once when I was China, it was written on a shopping mall, ‘After your work hours spend time with us.’ The hidden meaning behind it was, when you work hard and then at the weekend waste that money shopping on our mall. What to talk about these grihamedhis?

In brief Sukhdev Goswami said,
kaler dosa-nidhe rajann. asti hy eko mahan gunah [SB 12.3.51]

5000 years back Sukhdev Goswami has said, that the lives of followers of Kali will be filled with faults in their lifestyle. Then starts Kali-Puran. So we need to understand the difference between grihasta and grihamedhi. There are some do’s and dnt’s, favorable and unfavorable. We need to understand both in spiritual field. Grihasta householders should understand what should be done and what should not be done. We should not follow the grihamedhis.

There is vivaha yajna, actually the whole life of grihastas should be a yajna, sacrifice. Human should do all activities for the pleasure of God. When there is marriage ceremony going on

otherwise shubhmangal savadhan, marriage is auspicious, mangal but be careful, savadhan.

yajnarthat karmano anyatra loko yam karma bandhanah [ BG 3.9]

Translation: Work done as a sacrifice for Visnu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world.
Otherwise it will bound you, you will be entangled in attachment and karma fully. In Iskcon when there is marraige in the grihasta circle that time we hear that, we should make Krsna our marriage partner. It should not be that only partnership between husband and wife but Krsna out of the picture. No Krishna should be the center of the grihasta life. As we are talking about grihastas, the grihasta should also stay in asrama, those grihastas who do not stay in asrama then they are grahamedhi.

Your house where you spend your most of the time, housewives practically spend 24 hours in the house, your home is where your heart is. So make that home a temple or make your asrama as temple not just make home theater. We have to become grihasta asrami not grihamedhi. It is said in sastras grihastas make and stay in house to serve the Lord and the guests. And which type of guests? Those who are parivrajakacharya and devotees. So make your house a temple or asrama. You can have deities at home or also a picture of the Lord to make it simple. If God is in your home then make Krishna as the center of the house and let everything revolve around Krishna. If there is a Lord then there should be kitchen also and our movement is also known as kitchen religion. Krishna has a very close connection with the kitchen. Make different dishes or bhogas for the Lord. And of course when you do this then you can fulfill Lord’s instructions,

patram puspam phalam toyam,
yo me bhaktya prayacchati [Bg 9.26]

You will be saved from sins, sins like meat eating, egg, fish. People say, eat eggs any day Sunday or Monday then Yamraja will give you dande or punishment. Offer bhoga to Krishna and then don’t sleep but sing the glories of Radha Krishna. So make your house a temple when the Lord comes and also devotees come as guests, keep it very clean as it’s a temple.

King Kulshekhar was an ideal grihasta. Now-a-days people talk about swacha bharat abhiyan, it’s nice but cleanliness should not only be external. First thing which should be cleansed is our mind and thoughts, ceto darpana marjanam. This kind of deep cleanliness we need. Grimedhis may look clean early morning, they say good morning but we can also say suprabhatam in place of good morning. They say good morning but hear and read all bad news and fill the mind and heart with bad news. Mind and thoughts both become dirty. You should not only keep deities and pictures of Lord but also keep sastra in the house. Put fire to all the stock of newspapers, and decorate your house with sastras, Gita, Bhagavatam, Chaitanya Charitamrita. Keep all Prabhupada’s books at home. Tulasi Maharani should be there and if you can keep a cow it will be very good. And if you have a dog then it should be kept outside. You can keep a cock not to eat but so that they wake us up early morning like in Dwaraka there were cock to wake up. Dwarkadhish Krishna used to get up with the help of them. This is all Lord’s arrangement how cocks assist us. The Lord wakes up early, so if you want to have Krishna prema and also want to go back home back to Godhead then we have to practice waking up early. Early to bed and early to rise, makes men healthy, wealthy and wise. Getting up early is not hard but sleeping early is difficult.

asat sanga tyagat yei vaishnava acar

If you want to become vaishnava grihasta then you have to stay away from bad association. Late night parties and all this affairs stop all this. So stop all this, the whole family gets into bed early and gets up early. Because to say, to Krishna, uthi uthi gopala, Yasoda maiya wakes up Gopal early in the early morning, brahma muhurta. So if we have Bal gopal at home you could play the role of Yasoda maiya and wake Krishna up and short mangal aarti. Or on the walls you can have paintings of Vrindavan, Mayapur, Jagannath Puri, acaryas instead of politicians, actors,etc. Throw them out, you don’t need them, there should be spiritual decoration so that wherever you see that will inspire you to stay high forever, jiva jago.

Leave hi hello, it’s practical why say hello hello just say Hare Krishna you don’t have to
invest time separately in that, it’s practical just say haribol. When you are making money,
keep life simple, simple living high thinking. People say just do it, do not even think, they
have high living, low thinking. Not only low thinking, they do not think, don’t even think just
do it. Householder is also a money holder or property holder and the other three asrama don’t hold money. Whatever you have acquired should be acquired by fair means, do not go for meat

eating, gambling, illicit sex and intoxication. Don’t do any job in which these activities are
done, stay away from all this. And you make money, you have the right to acquire or collect money. We brahmachari or sannyasi collect or acquire knowledge and give it to you and you should share half of your collected money for spreading Krishna consciousness or building temple, food for life, printing books, you could spend on pilgrimages, buy books. If you have a Krishna centered lifestyle then all your investments will be in Krishna consciousness. A grihasta should be selfless, parupkaraya idam sariram, this body is given for being selfless.

Rupa Goswami says that a Grishatha should share 50% of his wealth for Krishna Consciousness and keep 25% for emergency purposes. The important duty of every Grishatha is to raise Children in Krishna Consciousness and if this duty is not followed then you are irresponsible. It is said in Bhagavatam,

gurur na sa syat sva-jano na sa syat
pita na sa syaj janani na sa syat
daivam na tat syan na patis ca sa syan
na mocayed ya? samupeta-m?tyum [SB 5.5.18]

Translation: One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod.

Don’t become parents if you cannot send your children back home back to Godhead. It’s your duty to make your children devotee. Providing only mundane education and providing basic necessities to children is not sufficient, then they will just have higher education and earn money and use money in wrong ways. They are also spirit souls, the need of children’s souls should be fulfilled that is to make them Krishna Conscious. For this there are various seminars in ISKCON centres on parenting. In today’s world it is challenging to make children Krishna Conscious. For that we can learn parenting tips from Iskcon, sadhu sanga is important or sunday schools of ISKCON, send children to Bhakta Prahlad schools, there are so many things you can do. If you have made your home asram all the members should be Krishna Conscious and especially children should be raised in Krishna Consciousness.

Question 1: What is the right way to manage or balance material education as well as the
spiritual culture? As they spend most of the time in school, we send them to sunday classes,
read bhagavatam but what is the right kind of balance?

Answer : Like I said we should make our home a temple or asrama, by staying in this environment your children will get all the samskaras and impressions automatically. Make such an environment at home, parents are the first guru of their children, you get an example
for them. I was thinking when Srila Prabhupada was a child, he would be sleeping, and father would be doing arati, ding ding ding, he would hear the bell and wake up and see their father bowing down before Krishna. This provides balance, prasadam at home and arati all have influence. Inspire children to chant rounds everyday.

Question 2: How can a devotee wife grow in bhakti and raise her kids to become devotee if the husband is not much spiritually inclined?

Answer: You do your duty, it is best if both husband and wife inspire children to become
devotees, both wife and husband both are gurus. Maybe later he will change his mind in future but for now you do. Spiritual education can begin from mother or wife also. It is said if you bring change in your wife’s or husband’s life then you change that person but if you bring change in housewife’s or a mother’s life then she will work on the whole family, then she makes everyone a devotee, she makes it her personal project. Make children Krishna conscious and use your
intelligence how to make your husband also Krishna conscious.
Hare Krishna.