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.

24.8.2019

I wish all of you, all those who are listening to me or watching me, I wish all of you a very happy Janmashtami! As this is the happiest day of the kalpa, in fact so very rare is Krishna’s appearance, yes Krishna’s appearance is very rare. Although He has said ‘sambhavami yuge yuge’ in each yuga there is avtar and Krishna appears in some form or the other but Krishna Himself, Bhagavan Himself appears only once in one day of Brahma, of one kalpa which is thousand cycles of catur yuga and then Krishna makes His own appearance so, others are avatars and Krishna is avatari so that avatari Shri Krishna appears today.

If we do a calculation five thousand three hundred & forty-three years ago on this day and that day was Wednesday, when Shri Krishna appeared in Mathura at midnight. He made His appearance and Shri Krishna Janmashtami is the anniversary celebration of the most auspicious appearance of Lord Shri Krishna.

Happy birthday to You Lord Shri Krishna!
By doing so we will never take birth again but we had taken birth, so please do not forget us. We fallen souls we are trying to reach You. As You are very very kind, You are appearing so that we do not have to take birth or we don’t have to appear in another species or human form again.

Janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma naiti maneti (BG 4.9)

He explained this to Arjuna. So if you celebrate Lord’s birthday, appearance with understanding of the Lord who He is and how is our relationship with Him, by doing so, by celebrating appearance like that, He has declared a reward and a reward is ‘tyaktva deham punar janma’ no more birth, no more death for those who celebrate Lord Shri Krishna appearance into this material world .

Hare Krishna!
I was thinking fifty or fifty-one years ago while Srila Prabhupada was on the way to America possibly his ‘Jaldoot’ boat was in Atlantic Ocean and then it appeared Janmashtami celebration. Srila Prabhupada had Janmashtami festival right on Jaldoot boat. There the crew, captain had joined and Prabhupada had great celebration of Krishna’s appearance so that was possibly only one celebration outside India or overseas that he was celebrating.

Now fifty years later today I am very proud to say this, share this that today International society for Krishna consciousness will celebrate Lord Krishna’s birthday Krishna Janmashtami mahotsav in 150 countries around the world. Shri Krishna Janmashtami mahotsav ki Jai!! .So let us join the vigilant around the world in making the celebration the very grand birthday party on the planet . Lord Shri Krishna’s appearance day by remembering Him, remember remember remember again by chanting the holy name.

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

To remember Sri Krishna with the help of reading of Krsna book, book written by Srila Prabhupada. It was named after Krishna, Krsna book, is nothing but the summary study of tenth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam and in old days I remember all day there used to be reading, recitation of Krsna book in our Hare Krishna temples. We used to take turn. In Noida today and they also started this morning from Krsna book.

How Nanda Maharaja celebrated the first birthday of Shri Krishna, which was not held on Janmashtami but held on the following day and it was held, sponsored, organized by Nanda Maharaja. so that festival, of first Krishna Janmastami festival became known as Nandautsav. A grand festival that took place in Gokul so, following in the footsteps of Nanda Maharaja, following the footsteps of great acaryas, and especially following the footsteps of His divine grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, let us celebrate Lord Krishna’s birthday by remembering Him, by chanting, by grand arrangements, by feasting after midnight. Hari Hari! Lord Krishna has kindly appeared in the form of His archa vigraha and He appears in Gokul in the form. Deity form is appearing, or has appeared all over the planet so that in Shri Krishna’s archa vigraha form we could celebrate His birthday in so many varieties of ways.

We held this festival in Grand ways or in fact Janmastami celebrated by ISKCON devotees is most popular in India. Most popular celebration of Janmastami is ISKCON Janmastami. We are here, we are specialized in Krishna, we are for Krishna, we understand Krishna. If anybody understands, Gaundiya vaishnava understand Shri Krishna. The members of the Hare Krishna movement understand Krishna as He is. As knowledge that has been revealed onto us by Lord’s pure devotee. Srila Prabhupada and he even gave us Bhagavad Gita which Bhagavad Gita , ‘Bhagavad Gita as it is’ , So there also Krishna appeared in the form of Bhagavad Gita on Gita jayanti day and He is also among us, with us . Prabhupada gave us the message of Gita in the purest form. So, we are indebted to his divine grace Srila Prabhupada for giving us Krishna, in the form of His holy name, giving us Krishna in the form of Bhagavatam, in the form of Bhagavad Gita.

So in this way the Lord made His appearance and on Janmastami He gave, He has lot many gifts for His appearance and those are available to us. So, today is Krishna’s birthday & we should be bringing gifts, making offering , we should do, we must do but at the same time we are also receiving gifts from Krishna on His birthday and of course what will be the better gift then receiving Krishna Himself, take Me. He offers Himself to us to each one of us in so many forms, in the form of holy name, in the form of Bhagavad Gita, in the form of Bhagavatam including also the prasadam form. Prasadam is also non different from Him so there we receive all these gifts, keep receiving all the time today and every day and make our life Krishnaised as we receive his gift we will become Krishna conscious Krishnaised and ultimately that would be the best of all the gifts that we will be allowed entrance to His kingdom .
mameti, so Arjuna pritijano priyoasi mai .

Those who accept Krishna’s love, serve Krishna, remember Krishna all the time and propagate Krishna consciousness for them what Krishna has guaranteed?

mameti that person will come back to Me pritijano I take, allow this is My benediction priyoasi Mai and I take this love I guarantee that you would come back to Me. He said this to Arjuna but it wasn’t just Arjuna who is dear to Lord. All of us, each one of us are very very dear to Lord otherwise why would He bother to come?

To appear in this world of suffering. Because He loves us, Lord loves all of us. So the Lord kindly made His appearance on this day so that one of the day at the end of this life we would go back to Him. Now He is missing us. So, He appeared was looking for us and His merciful glance fell upon us and this is reviving our dormant love for Him and that will result in our returning to Him, where He resides.
So, once again I wish you a very very happy Shri Krishna Janmashtami. So, celebrate Shri Krishna Janmastami and be happy!!
Hare Krishna!

Past times of Lord Jagnnath
Place: New Jersey, USA
Date: 21 June’2020

Jai Jagnnath and Hare Krsna to you all and we welcome all assembled devotees, assembled everywhere or assembled on zoom conference and I expect that there are lot of devotees from New Jersey today, as this is their festival and they have invited me to talk and I am sure that others also are joining the talk Jagnnath Rath Yatra Talk. Although Rath Yatra Festival is in two days to come. However I think conveniently devotees in the west, devotees in New Jersey they are celebrating Rath Yatra, of course on this weekend. Yesterday was Rath Yatra and today is a Jagnnath Rath Yatra Katha.

Hari Hari

Now such Rath Yatra’s are being held all over the planet, there was a time, Rath Yatra mostly was held in Jagnnath Puri and there may be few more towns in India, Ahmadabad and few other places, but now Lord Jagnnath kindly is making his appearance everywhere, to begin with I was just remembering, Jagnnath appeared in San Francisco in 1967 and there is little story I think some of you have I am confident, you have heard this. Our Malati mata ji goes for shopping and there she founds, or she found one doll, looked very strange but was attracting here attention. So as she did here shopping, she also managed to get that doll. I don’t think she purchased it , she must have just grabbed it and upon returning to the temple, she presented that doll to Srila Prabhupad and Srila Prabhupad knew this was not a, just another doll but, this is Jagnnath( haribol) and Srila Prabhupad said oh, where did you find this.

Oh of course I found this in a shop, then Srila Prabhupad said there must be two more dolls, go back and try to find the remaining two dolls and so Malati mata ji that is what she did and to her surprise, there were two more dolls and she was very happy to find then and then she rush back and offered those two dolls to Srila Prabhupad and now he was holding, keeping those three dolls in front of him and Srila Prabhupad was offering prayers to those dolls and he was in different mood, well devotional mood. Srila Prabhupad devotion aroused and he was meditating on those dolls, of course to Srila Prabhupad they were not doll they were deities, small deities of Jagnnath, Baladev and Subhadra and then Srila Prabhupad revealed the fact, that these dolls are Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is Krsna, and this one is Baladev and this is their sister Subhadra. For first time Srila Prabhupad introduced Jagnnath, Baladev, Subhadra to the devotees, they were just now becoming devotees in San Francisco and then Srila Prabhupad had idea of holding Jagnnath Rath Yatra. He know Malati mata ji’s husband, Shyam Sundar, he knew carpentry. So Srila Prabhupad gave that task, take these three dolls, deities, keep them in front of you and make bigger size deities replica just like they should be looking just like this three deities or dolls.

So that’s what Shyam Sunder Prabhu did and once the, those deities were carved, so Shyam Sunder became like Vishwakarma and whole plan of organising first ever Rath Yatra of Iskcon in western world. Western world or Eastern world there was no eastern world that time. Iskcon was only in the western world. So lorry they have ordered, Lorry flat bed truck the sides hand down two sides, back side, the flat platform. So deities were placed there and in Golden Gate park America’s or California’s most famous park are called Golden Gate park. Rath Yatra was held and this lorry was the Rath. Lorry was the chariot and the big surprise of the , of Srila Prabhupad and all well as all the devotees, there was a large gathering. Srila Prabhupad and his followers had never ever seen such big crowds turning up for Hare Krsna Festival. Here Jagnnath Rath Yatra Festival. 10,000 American ladies and gentlemen participated in Rath Yatra and it was a amazing event, Kirtan throughout and Srila Prabhupad was dancing in the Kirtan, the famous photographs of Srila Prabhupad in San Francisco rath yatra and towards the end there was a big prasadam distribution, Jagnnath Prasad distribution and Srila Prabhupad was so much pleased, over whelmed in fact and he said, we should rename this town and from today onwards San Francisco will be known as “New Jagnnath Puri” and that is what it has become now known as “New Jagnnath Puri”. So that’s was Iskcon’s first ever Jagnnath Rath yatra, and then in some more towns in America, Canada, Rath yatra’s were held and in London, then here, then there then everywhere and now over 700 cities Jagnnath Rath yatra is being held and what do you think in future probably every town, every village, wherever the holy name goes, preaches, Jagnnath is gone to follow and Rath yatras would be held everywhere.

Jai Jagnnath

So this Jagnnath Rath Yatra festival is a favourite festival of the Gaudiaya Vaishnav’s and that is obviously for the reason that Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu took keen interest in Jagnnath and Jagnnath Rath Yatra Festival. Of course, Caitanya Mahaprabhu choose to reside in Jagnnath Puri for 18 years. He could have stayed in any other holy dham. He could have stayed in Hardwar or Panderpur or here there, but no he choose to spend 18 years in Jagnnath Puri. As a result Jagnnath Puri has become most famous dham and there were times that two Purroshotam were residing in Jagnnath Puri, at the same time lila Purroshotam Jagnnath and Prem Purroshotam Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu stayed for 18 years together. This has enhanced the glory of Jagnnath Puri Dham. So as Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu had just now returned from South India tour on time, to participate in Snan Yatra, that was first snan yatra that Caitanya Mahaprabhu was attending and his joy know no bounds. Jagnnath was not well, he was sick, bed rest, and no visitors, means no darshan and Caitanya Mahaprabhu was more disappointed, more than he was satisfied the day before during Snan Yarta. So what to do, where to find Jagnnath, where to see Jagnnath, where to see Jagnnath, so kindly there is arrangement in Jagnnath Puri, Jagnnath give darshan in “Alarnath”, So Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu literally he ran to Alarnath, for darshan of Alarnath, who gave darshan of Alarnath, who give darshan as Jagnnath and then, he was, there was no point of his returning to Jagnnath Puri, why return to Jagnnath Puri, Jagnnath is not giving darshan, there is no darshan of Jagnnath. So Mahaprabhu stayed on in “Alarnath”, but then Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya and Nityanand prabhu they have come to Alarnath to inform Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu that so many from Navadvipa have arrived in Jagnnath Puri and my dear Lord, they would like to see you because they also couldn’t see Jagnnath. So they could at least see you, so please return. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu returns to Jagnnath Puri and devotees from Navadvipa also from Shantipur, also from Khanda, also from gram, which gram “Kulin gram”very good from Kulin gram. So devotees were of course fully satisfied seeing Caitanya Mahaprabhu and they met, they met and they saw and have darshan of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They didn’t miss Jagnnath, because Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Jagnnath. So then that day, two weeks past after Snan Yatra and then day before Jagnnath Rath Yatra, it is a “Netroutsav day “ and also it is Gundicha Marjan day. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu had once again a feast, feast for eyes, it is called netro- utsav, feast for eyes, feast for tongue that everyone knows,

Maha prasade gonvinde….

But eyes alos enjoys the feast, seeing, taking darshan of Jagnnath. So Mahaprabhu who was missing Jagnnath so much , ya Caitanya Mahaprabhu for 18 years, he kept missing Jagnnath, feeling separation from Jagnnath and then missing and them meeting, miss and meet, he would miss Jagnnath, then they would, he would go for darshan and meet, had darshan of Jagnnath and Jagnnath also was missing, who else Jagnnath missing, ya he was missing Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu is not only, well he is “Sri Krsna Caitanya, Radha Krsna nahi anya”

Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Radha and Krsna combined, so who is Jagnnath missing, who is he missing Radha Rani. He is missing Radha Rani, Jagnnath is missing Radha Rani and Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu is missing Sri Krsna, ya that is why technically in technical terms, it is said, “Radhe Virah Vidur Jagnnath”, Radha Virah Vidur Jagnnath” and “Krsna virah vidur Caitanya” and of course Jagnnath is Krsna and Caitanya Mahaprabhu is also Krsna, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Radha and Krsna, so one is missing Krsna, one is missing Radha and in Jagnnath Puri, they find each other. So Jagnnath Puri is the place, this is the place, most appropriate Dham for Caitanya Mahaprabhu to reside in Jagnnath Puri and find missing Krsna, in the form of Jagnnath.

So during Rath yatra festival time, ok first of all we should briefly mention that Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu is having darshan of Jagnnath, Krsna, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is taking darshan means who is taking darshan of Krsna, Krsna is Jagnnath, Radha Rani is taking darshan of Krsna, Krsna is Jagnnath and Jagnnath is Krsna, he is taking darshan, he is meeting Radha Rani. So that happen say on “Netro- utsav” day and on the same day Caitanya Mahaprabhu does the Gundicha Marjan, cleansing of Gundicha temple in as a devotee as of course. Here Radha Rani is best of all the devotees, she is leader of the devotees, so she is leading this cleansing Gundicha Temple, cleansing Gundicha temple service and with this so much devotion Caitanya Mahaprabhu was sweeping and moping and, the temple with the tears, he was using his tears as a water for cleansing, there was also, water was available but then another source, natural source of water was his tears coming down. Not äshru bindu but ashru dhara” you know that when Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu would shed tears not just drops would lie down the cheeks but like a hose pipe, when you are watering the plants in the garden, so like that, they would reach like a 100 metres and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is doing Kirtan and then he is making round and what would happen, all those devotees around him would get drainage, soaking wet in the tears or there is abhishek, all the devotees abhishek happening , Snan yatra would take place as Caitanya Mahaprabhu would chant and dance and go round and round like that Maharaj prabhu makes round and round, like Caitanya Mahaprabhu making rounds and then we haven’t seen the tears yet at least we can see the rounds. So this Gundicha Marjan is quite a festival, Gundicha Marjan in Vrindavan and next day Krsna, Jagnnath, Baldev, Subhadra they are gone to be arriving in Gundicha temple, and they are gone to stay there for about week, nine days.

This is like Jagnnath is coming, Jagnnath is coming, my Jagnnath is coming like for us during Srila Prabhupad days, there is to be Prabhupad is coming, Prabhupad is coming. Then we make ready Hare Krsna Land and Prabhupad quarter’s and we do thoroughly Maha clean up and this and that, everyone is thinking, on everyone’s mind Prabhupad is coming, Prabhupad is coming. So certainly for Jagnnath is coming. Jagnnath is gone to be in Gundicha Mandir tomorrow. Is everything ready? So main thing to be done is cleansing before, all year long temple is not used. Visitors come take darshan of tourists coming, but Jagnnath is not there, Krsna is not there, after one year he is arriving, so there is a great excitement getting Gundicha temple ready to welcome, Grand reception of Jagnnath next day. So then the next day arrives, the day of rath yatra and then the carts are ready. Jagnnath, Baladev and Subhadra carts, and you know they, Jagnnath Puri they make cart every year new cart, they don’t use Maha Cart, Maha meant the used before and use it again and again and again, as we do in Iskcon. Even one temple’s cart goes to another and to another temple, another temple, maha, maha, maha rath, In Jagnnath Puri, rath the chariot is only used only one time, then it is abandoned, next year, new cart, the new cart, new canopy, new, new, everything new and Jagnnath is alos kind of new, after snan yatra, he recuperates, he regains his health and he is looking fresh and healthy, they also paint his body, his form and he becomes known as “Nav-yovna”.

In fact on “Netro-utsav” day, day before rath yatra, when devotees take darshan, they take darshan of Nav-yovna Jagnnath. So Jagnnath is kind of new Jagnnath and of course every 12 years there is “Nav Kalevra”, Nav is new and Kalevra is form, New deity, that also we are not doing in Iskcon, we have some deities there, they are 40 years old, of course they are new, Lord is ever new, Lord never becomes old, that understanding is also there. In Jagnnath Puri there is different tradition and every 12 years there is a new deity and there is a whole ritual they follow to find the right tree and whole thing and transporting of that tree to Jagnnath Puri and then lots of things, lots of whole science and process and mantra’s and tantra involved in identifying the right tree and in carving deities from that wood. So on the day of rath yatra, there is a “Pahandi festival”. A Pahandi, that is bringing Lord from his signhasan, rattan vedi, the alter in the temple to the chariot and that is a festival in itself. I have witnessed that festival several times and few years ago there was “Nav Kalevra” and I was in Jagnnath Puri that day and not only in Jagnnath Puri but I along with some other devotees. I don’t know who else, Dharamraj, you were there.

We managed to get inside the temple and when the Panda’s were, during that “ Pahandi Festival, the rope’s around his waist and lift again and place him on some kind of cushion and lift again and so they have brought Jagnnath from the alter through the Darshan man dap and Jagnnath was about to come outside through the front entrance and I was appropriately situated or stationed, when they are bringing Jagnnath and as Jagnnath looked outside, I was the first one to look at Jagnnath, I felt like that ah! Jagnnath looked at me, Jagnnath looked at me. I was very strategically located Lord’s glance fell upon me and as Panda’s have brought him few steps forward , Jagnnath outside the entrance, the some devotees manage to bring me forward and Panda’s also, well I think, he was helping out and I was pushed near Jagnnath and I, they managed to, so much struggle, push and pull, so finally I touched my head to Jagnnath’s Nav-Kalevra, the new form. so some memory to relish forever. So then finally as Jagnnath, Baladev Subhadra they are seated on their respective chariots. This is 500 years ago Caitanya Mahaprabhu use to come and offering his dandavat pranams to all the three deities, as he would come in front of Jagnnath falling flat in front of Jagnnath falling flat in front of Jagnnath then he would stand with folded hands and pray offer prayers and praise to Jagnnath and one of the prayer/praise is

Jayati jayati devo Devaki nandano sau
Jayati jayati ko vrsni vamsa pradipah
Jayati jayati megha syamalah komalango
Jayati jayati prthvi bhara naso mukundah
(CC Madhya lila 13.78)

So jai ho, jai ho , Jai Jagnnath, Jai Jagnnath, Jai Jagnnath. You are vrsni vamsai, and then syamalah komalango, your form is syamalah, bluish black form and Komal, very soft to touch and you are Devaki Nandan, You are son of Devaki and Prithvi bhara naso mukundah, thank you lord Jagnnath for giving relief to Prithavi Bharo, mother earth was burdened by the sin of the sinners, but you appeared and you relieved the earth burden, oh Mukundah, oh giver of the liberation and then the rath yatra would/procession would begin and Caitanya Mahaprabhu, so the first the king has to be there and he use to be there. King Pratap Rudra, cleaning of Gundicha Marjan has happened but now, In front of Jagnnath chariot, the street cleaning. “Swach Bharat”. So King was personally sweeping the streets specially that street, that road, grand trunk road ya rath yatra marg, with his own hand and big kind big authority. Everyone is at his disposal, he could order, hey sweepers come, thousands of sweepers could line up but he would prefer to sweep himself. So Mahaprabhu had taken note of this the humility, this is “trnad api sunicena, taror api sahisnuna” this trnad api sunicena, and as soon as soon as there is humility then what happens. Lord is pleased, if that person could do his devotional service with no interruption and that candidate deserves association and darshan of the Lord.

Vinyane yati patrata

From humility comes eligibility, you become eligible to serve Krsna or eventually seen Krsna, if there is humility among other things, humility has to be there. So when Caitanya Mahaprabhu noted that humbleness, humility of Raja Pratap Rudra, immediately Caitanya Mahaprabhu, why not I must see, I must meet this person. So anyway this is a long story, we have no time. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu was not willing to meet this king thinking he is a kind, he is attached to power.

Kissa kursi ka

And other things, So but when he saw that he is very humble king, his humility, Mahaprabhu changed his mind. I would like to see him and during that Rath Yatra then Lord’s, Lord just desired when they saw he has to do and then everything else is done by other shakti’s other energies, lila Shakti, this Shakti that Shakti. So that day, first of all when there was a, so as Rath yatra started, pulling the chariot and there was four kirtan parties in front of Jagnnath chariot, two parties on either side of Jagnnath chariot and one party behind the chariot, so that’s total seven parties and Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu was dancing simultaneously in all those seven kirtan parties.

Hari Hari

This is nothing for him, when there is a dance with, Rasa dance with three crore gopies, then Krsna become three crore Krsna’s here he is becoming only seven Krsna’s. So big deal as they say ad then lord arranged, I think it was only, King Pratap Rudra was able to realise what was happening, otherwise each party was thinking that oh he is dancing only with us. Hey, our party ki jai, our party is special party, just see he is dancing with our party, or other party Murdabad or our party Jindabad, but that was not the case, Caitanya Mahaprabhu was dancing in all seven parties simultaneously and by Lord’s arrangement, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is always in full control, he arrange only king Pratap Rudra to visualise or realise or have a vision, darshan of Caitanya Mahaprabhu dancing in all the parties at the same time. No one else was understanding, not realising but by Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s special benediction upon this very humble soul. King Pratap Rudra, he had the special darshan and then

Hari hari

The procession, they are all heading towards Gundicha temple and Gundicha is Vrindavan, Jagnnath Puri temple is Dwarika and those who are pulling the chariot, bringing Jagnnath, Baladev, Subhadra they are all devotees from Vrindavan headed by Radha Rani. Radha Rani is in the fore front or in the centre and so during the procession there is a whole lila, dealings, reciprocation going on between Krsna in the chariot and Radha Rani in the front of the chariot and that Radha Rani is Caitanya Mahaprabhu and that Krsna is Jagnnath. So pulling the chariot, they are six times a day, so it’s time for honouring prasadam. Today you ate only one time and you are not Jagnnath, so it’s okay and only Jagnnath could manage eating six times, we will die if we ate six times and what to speak of amount of Bhoga that he relishes. So during Uppal bhoaga Caitanya Mahaprabhu goes into the garden adjoining garden called Jagnnath Vallabh garden and while he was resting, it was recommended by Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya and others. This is the time king, put on you vaishnav clothes so he was given dhoti and Kurta and then king goes forward, obsciences and he begins massaging transcendental form, Sac-Cid-Ananda vigraha of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and while massaging, he is chanting, he is reciting Gopi Geet.

jayati te dhikam janmana vrajah

Like that, so reciting and reciting , he comes to the line/ stanza

tava kathamrtam tapta jivnam
kavibhir iditam kalmasapaham
sravana mangalam Srimad atatam
bhuvi grnanti ye bhuri da janah
(gopi geet satanza 9)

When Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard this “bhuri da janah” which gopies and Radha Rani also had uttered or recited that prayer and that prayer, “bhuri da janah” the Caitanya Mahaprabhu started, you are that bhuri da janah, bhuri da means charitable, magnanimous because you are sharing this gopi geet with me, you are so kind to me, so because you had shared this gift, I am very grateful to you and Lord is still lying down, his eyes are closed, he has no clue who this person, who is massaging and reciting Gopi Geet, but Mahaprabhu is talking, Bhuri da, you are that bhuri da and you did so much for me, what could I, I must do something in return for you but what could I do, I am just tri-dandi not tri dandi, ek dandi, bhikshuk, sannyasi. I have nothing, I am empty pocket, I have no pocket, not even pocket. So saying, so Mahaprabhu was now getting up, and he says okay, I mean I have nothing to really offer to you in return but if you don’t mind, may you accept my embrace and Mahaprabhu hold King Pratap Rudra in his long arms and hold him tight and then, so did then King Pratap Rudra, so they were embracing each other and that was the perfection of king Pratap Rudra and that is also perfect timing for us to stop our Katha. So then the chariot proceeds and soon they arrive at Gundicha temple, which is Vrindavan dham ki Jai..

On the way Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in the mood of Radha Rani, he keep saying, “mor maan Vrindavan, Mor maan Vrindavan, my mind is Vrindavan, my mind is Vrindavan. Oh Lord please reside in Vrindavan. My mind is Vrindavan, stay in my mind, on my mind in my heart and then Lord down from the chariot and another Pahandi Mahaotsav, bringing deities from chariot to the alter in Gundicha temple. So Pahandi festival is two times, before the chariot and after the chariot yatra gets over and now Caitanya is gone to spent, Jagnnath is gone to spent/Jagnnath is gone to spending time with Baladev and Subhadra at Gundicha temple and they are very happy feeling at home. When Jagnnath Krsna is in Vrindavan, he is at home. Your home is where your heart is, he says your home is where your heart is. So Krsna’s heart is in Vrindavan. So that is his home and that is perfect location, situation.

Jagnnath Baladev Subhadra ki Jai………….
Jagnnath Rath Yatra Mahaotsav ki jai …………
Jagnnath Puri Dham ki Jai………
Iskcon New Jersey ki Jai….
Iskcon New Jersey Bhakta Vrind Ki jai…..
Nitai Gaur premanande Hari hari bol

Viduras advice to Dhrtarastra

[1:25:57]

om namo bhagavate vasudevaya

We will read from Bhagavatam Canto 1, chapter 13, text 28.

athodicim disam yatu
svair ajnata-gatir bhavan
ito rvak prayasah kalah
pumsa guna-vikarsanah [S.B. 1.13.28]

Translation: Please, therefore, leave for the North immediately, without letting your relatives know, for soon that time will approach which will diminish the good qualities of men.

Dhrtarastra quits home in the chapter and what we are reading is advice of Vidura to Dhrtarastra.

Purport: One can compensate for a life of frustration by becoming a dhira, or leaving home for good without communicating with relatives, and Vidura advised his eldest brother to adopt this way without delay because very quickly the Age of Kali was approaching. A conditioned soul is already degraded by the material association, and still in the Kali-yuga the good qualities of a man will deteriorate to the lowest standard. He was advised to leave home before Kali-yuga approached because the atmosphere which was created by Vidura, his valuable instructions on the facts of life, would fade away due to the influence of the age which was fast approaching.

To become narottama, or a first-class human being depending completely on the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, is not possible for any ordinary man. It is stated in Bhagavad-Gita (7.28) that a person who is completely relieved of all taints of sinful acts can alone depend on the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead. Dhrtarastra was advised by Vidura at least to become a dhira in the beginning if it were impossible for him to become a sannyasi or a narottama. Persistently endeavoring on the line of self-realization helps a person to rise to the conditions of a narottama from the stage of a dhira. The dhira stage is attained after prolonged practice of the yoga system, but by the grace of Vidura one can attain the stage immediately simply by willing to adopt the means of the dhira stage, which is the preparatory stage for sannyasa. The sannyasa stage is the preparatory stage of paramahamsa, or the first-grade devotee of the Lord.

So, good advice coming from Narottama himself or Mahabhagavata himself or the best moralist the world has ever seen and that is Vidura here, who is none other than Yamaraja himself, who is one of the twelve bhagavatas. Dhrtarastra is certainly lucky to have Vidura as the younger brother and he is kindly giving his advice of which is,

“Go away, get out of here”
athodicim disam yatu

Which way should I go? Not just any way, my way or the high way. You go disham, in the direction of Northern direction. That is the general advice.
“Which direction to go?” “Go to the North.” There is Lord Bhadrinarayana there. On the top of the Himalayana mountain the Ganga is flowing through there, lots of caves also in that mountain. The mountain itself is,

sthavara nam himalayah

Lord says, “Of all the immovable things or objects, Himalaya, that is Myself.”

The Lord is putting some stand up. He, being sacred, very powerful, one of the vibhutis. So, there is advice and tradition of going to the North. Five pandavas, later on, this is not the time. This is the time Lord is still on the planet. Pandavas, when they received the news of Lord is no more on the planet, then they also had departed for the North.

Go to the North and how should you go?

svair ajnata-gatir bhavan

“Make sure, svair, your own people ajnata, without their knowing. bhavan yatu, you go without their knowing; knowing which way you are going or, moving without them knowing your movement, just go. And amongst other reasons for you to leave is,

ito rvak prayasah kalah

That time is approaching very fast. itah, very soon the bad times will come. Those times, that kalah is the kali kalah. And what would kali kalah do?
pumsa guna-vikarsanah

This Kali will take away gunah, or the good qualities of pumsam. Human’s good qualities will be stolen, taken away by this age of Kali. So, before that time comes you better get out of here. So, the time that Vidura is talking, advising to Dhrtarastra is happening in Hastinapur. That is the place and time wise.

Sometime after battlefield of Kurukshetra, all the sons of Dhrtarastra are no more and he is now being maintained by Pandavas. What a shameless lifestyle! Vidura knows that soon Lord will be leaving the planet and the age of Kali would commence.

yada mukundo bhagavan
ksyam tyaktva sva padam gatah

It is mentioned, yada mukunda. Mukunda, the liberator, also mentioned as bhagavana. Ksyam that is the earthly planets. Tyaktva, would give up, Lord giving up this planet and doing what?

svapadam gatah, He would go to His own pad or place, return to His own abode.

tad dinat kali ya ha taha, from that very day, the day Lord departs would be the day, the first day. Kali would begin. And what kind of Kali Yuga that would be?

sarvasa sadhana badhakam

That this Kali Yuga would do create badha, obstacles, stumbling blocks. For who? sadhakas, those who are practicing sadhana bhakti. Those sadhakas will find lots of difficulties in their practices. So, before that time comes better leave home and you will have some time to practice and prepare to return to the Lord.

The goal is always going back to Krsna. So, there has to be preparations. One of the preparations is developing detachment from the world, developing detachment from worldly affairs, developing detachment from worldly relationships. This is all that is binding, causing the conditioning; conditioned souls, conditioned, bound. Like the air conditioning, you are creating a little air conditioned within a little room.
So, the souls have become bound. They do not know where to start but it always starts from turning away from the Lord,

bhoga vancha kare

In the spirit of enjoyment, in the spirit of bhoga, bhoga vancha, and then,

nikatasta maya tare japhatya dhare

The maya is not far away. As soon as the spirit of enjoyment is there, maya, immediately, grabs him. He is captured; he is bound; conditioned. Then, he lives a conditioned life. But more,

kama kraudah parayanah asa pasa satair baddhai

Baddhai, he has become baddha, conditioned. By what? asa pasa. asa means desire; pasa means ropes. Ropes, bonds of desires. asa pasa how many? satair, hundreds of ways and means to enjoy this world. So, asa pasa satair baddhai. He becomes fully bound. And, kama kraudah parayanah
He becomes experts, parayanah, by kama and kraud. Desires, kama. And when desires are not fulfilled, which would never be fulfilled, then there is a frustration, that is, kraud. One can compensate for a life of frustration, Prabhupada is opening his purport. Life of frustration, compensate that kind of life by becoming a dhira, or leaving home for good. So, life of kama and kraud are hankering and lamentation. Hankering for this, hankering for that. Then followed by frustration, lamentation.

brahma bhuta prasanna atma na socati na kamsati

Goal is to become brahma bhuta, that is, Krsna conscious, and prasanna atma, fully satisfied, joyful atma. Na socati, not aspiring for anything mundane anymore. Because na kamsa, he does not have any mundane vanca anymore. Then he does not also lament. There is no lamentation. There is no kama so there is also no kraud.

kamat kraudho vijate

From kama comes kraud. If there is no kama, there is no kraud also. There is no anger, no frustration, no battling, no quarrel, no wars, no fighting. There is no mundane kama, mundane lust, no mundane desires. The person or a practitioner is expected to, or as he practices,

vasudeve bhagavati bhakti yoga prayojitah

Means he is practicing, he is practicing and the practice of bhakti yoga results in jayanati. Jayanati means the devotional practices, life of devotion, would lead jayanati. Jayanati means giving rise to, giving birth to. Ja means janma, birth. So, as we practice Krsna consciousness, practice sadhana, we have become sadhakas.

jayanati asu vairagyam

Vairagya is one outcome. It means detachment. Vi – raga. raga means attachment. Viraga, just the opposite of attachment, that is, detachment. Vairagya, vai, against detachment. Develop detachment as we practice Krsna consciousness. And we also become more and more knowledgeable. For that we have to hear, not sleep. There are some practices there and we become, we develop jnana and vairagya. Vairagya is the outcome, is the result, also, kind of, is reward to the person who is practicing Krsna consciousness.

In other words also, as we practice bhakti yoga, as we serve bhakti – and bhakti has two children. One child’s name is jnana. Another child is vairagya. These are bhakti’s two children, two sons : jnana and vairagya. So, as we practice bhakti, serve bhakti, then bhakti gives birth in our life. Then jnana enters our life or knowledge enters, prevails in our life. So is vairagya, detachment. If the practices are right, right conduct, right kind of practices, right kind of sadhana, right kind of prescribed sadhana, authorized, authentic sadhana bhakti, then is jnana and viragya.

tesam satata yuktanam
bhajatam prti purvakam
dadami budhi yogam tam
yena mam vayanti te [BG.10.10]

Krsna also said this. Those who serve me. How often? satat yuktanam. So, bhakti has to be satat, constantly. Like this word also, satat. How does it sound, satat? There’s no interruption, right? It’s continuous. As described, how one should perform devotional service? satat.
Yuktanam. Yukta, those who are busy, equipped, engaged. Bhajatam. One thing is constant, satat. And prti purvakam, priti also, loving devotional service, with love. Give your heart. Give yourself. Not mindless or heartless service. Then that is no service. Chanting hare krsna also. Mindless chanting. Chanting minus mind. Chanting is there but the mind is not there. Mind is elsewhere. So that is not a priti purvakam. That is not with love, devotion or dedication or absorption. So giving mind, giving heart, giving, of course, your consciousness.

mat cittah madagata pranah bhodha yantah pranas pradam

Very proudly, with great pride, the Lord said, “my devotees.” mat cittah. Ceto darpana marjatam. There is the cit there, consciousness. It is a part of our existence, of our subtle body. There’s is a mind, intelligence, your real ego, your aham. I am servant of Krsna and your citta, your consciousness. This constitutes our subtle body.

“My devotees, give all that to me!” Krsna said.

Mat citta. They are citta, consciousness. The mind is there, mind stuffs; mind matter is also included in that. cittah, the mind, the intelligence, the ego. Ego means that is us, in fact. Giving all their mat cittah, their mind, their intelligence, their consciousness, all glued to me.
madagatah pranah

Their pran, their very existence of every breaths.They remind each other, they converse, they make Me the topic and they talk about Me. They remind you of My instructions. What I am talking to you or Arjuna, devotees remind each other. You are serving, all the time you are serving. You want to? That is the point, whether you want to. We are supposed to serve all the time, not part time. Krsna consciousness is not a part time thing. It has to come to full time. “I’m very regular, I’ve been coming to the temple, you know. I’m very regular.” One person said. “I’m very regular, every Janmastami.” Isn’t this regular? “Every Janmastami, I’m there. I’m not there 364 days, but that day I’m there.” That’s pretty regular, constantly. That also could be called satat. He constantly comes. That is nice and that is the beginning. But time has to come that not once a year but every Sunday, every day, every hour, every minute, every moment, kshan.

There is a talk like that. Krsna consciousness is to be practiced. We have to come to that level and unless we come to that level there is no going back to Krsna. Or, you can come back and practice further and become perfect before you would be allowed, the soul – the gates of Vaikuntha or Goloka will be, then, opened. Not up until then. Because in Goloka, there is no part time devotee. Hundred percent of the population is hundred percent devoted and dedicated, with full devotion. No karmis there; no gyanis there; no yogis there also. Only bhakti yogis. So, karmis, jnanis,
bhukti mukti siddhi kami sakale asanta

They are still maintaining kamana, kama, some desire, some lust, some independent existence. Just to take this, to take that from the Lord and, “bye, Lord, you may leave now. You have given what I wanted. So, thank you.”

om jai jagadish hare swami jai jagadish hare
sukha sampati ghar aye kasta mite tan ka

The prayer says sukha sampati ghar aye – while worshipping You I’m leaving my doors and windows opened. Throw some sampati, some wealth and let my body gets some comfort, some relief, all glories to Jagadish.” So this is some business, some transaction. This is called karmi which is also a part of total dharma. They also have a place. Karmis,fruitive workers. They are also supposed to be religious, practicing dharma. They are gyanis, cultivating knowledge of aham bramhasmi. First, they try to enjoy Lord’s property and when that does not work out – which never works out, as we said – then for the fox the grapes are sour. Jumping, he is trying to jump to reach the grapes. As he could not reach, he goes away, “I’ve never wanted those grapes. That is so sour.” First person is karmi trying to enjoy this world this way, that way. Even becoming religious, performing yagya, demigods worship.

aham mama eti

First is mama. This is mine or I want to acquire more, make it mine. Mine is for what? For me to enjoy. My, my, my, accumulation. And when he goes through this and does not get anything out of that at the end of the road, then he goes for aham. Maya or illusion is described also in two small words. One is aham mameti. aham mama iti. iti means this much. Period. Illusion. What is illusion? What is conditioned life? aham mama iti. First, they say, “mama, mama, mine, mine.” Starting with the body and then everything else: vitta, the wealth; kshetra, the land; putra, offsprings. Like that, the list goes on.

Then when that does not work out, he goes for aham.That is jnani. Karmis and then jnanis. “I am God, I am Him.” tat tvam asi.” Tat, that, brahman. You are that, you are Him. They would not call Him because Him refer to personality. So, they say tat, om tat sat. Sticking to only tat. This is the existence. He just exist, He does not do anything, has no form or activity. He just He is. That,I am that.

bhukti mukti siddhi kami

Astha siddhis, different kinds of perfections. Becoming lighter than the lightest, the heavier than the heaviest, this, that. In the spiritual sky, in the abode of the Lord, you will not find these kind of karmis, jnanis, these kind of yogis. Only bhakti yogis. We were saying, also, there are no part time devotees or part time souls in abode of the Lord. They have done

sarva dharman parityaja
That is how they could get back home. This karmi dharma they have to give up. Jnanis dharma, give it up. Yogis dharma, give it up. We could say proudly. That is what Lord is talking when He says sarva dharman parityaja. Give up this all varieties of religion, religious pratices. Being karmi, being jnani, being yogi – give it up. So, what should I do?

mam ekam saranam vraja

Surrender unto me. Depend upon me or get fully connected with me. ma sucah, do not fear. There’s lots of talk in the purport but one talk is becoming dhira, undisturbed. It says one fully surrenders unto the Lord. One of the symptoms of surrender, what is the symptoms of surrender? One symptom is for sure Krsna will protect me. If someone wants to surrender, he has one symptom, one thought he has is, Krsna will protect me. And if one is surrendered and he knows, he is convinced Krsna will protect him. Whereas, Krsna says, “surrender unto Me. Come near. Come here, oh dear, do not fear.” If Krsna becomes our protector, any dear? Armed response. So Lord is also armed for protection of His devotees.

paritranaya sadhu nam vinashaya ca kritam

He has His Sudarshana, armed response. He has His club. He is armed with a club and His powerful arms.

pahi pahi maha yogi

Who is that? Uttara, when her son was attacked and she was praying, pahi pahi means, “please protect! Please protect!” Who should protect? She did not say, “protect, protect, oh Vamsidhara.” “You play nice flute and that is really nice. But I need protection. Your arms will protect. Your arms with Sudarshan. Your club will protect.”

And that is what also happened. Lord stepped forward that He entered the womb and Lord became tiny, thumb sized. Then you could imagine what was the size of His arms and He was holding the club, Bhagavatam says, and going round and round and round Pariksit Maharaja in the womb.

dadhami bhuddhi yogam

Lord says when you serve Me, satat yuktanam, and priti purvakam or ahaituki and apratihatam. Ahaituki, no motivation and apratihata, no interests. We have to come to that level. To that person Lord says,

dadhami buddhi yogam,

“I give the intelligence to that person and that person uses that intelligence given by Me, ena mam upayantite. Ena, by which the help of this intelligence given by Me. Mam is unto Me.”

Upayanti. It also talks of yatu here.
“You go, you go.” Yatu talk of going. “You should go, go away!” That was the advice. . Ultimately, one has to go where? Not only go away. But going away from the family and the relationships and the bonds and all this entanglement. Going away that is half of the story. That is vairagya part. Ultimately, the person had to go. “Go to Krsna. Go to Him.” Go away from where I am but that does not say where should I go. Go away from here but then, where do I end up? Where do I go? So, Lord says, “I give the intelligence.” As one practice Krsna consciousness, then jnana and vairagya is there, knowledge is there. Lord is giving intelligence and that intelligence is to be used.

Mam upayanti. Mam. “Go to Me.” Upa means near, yanti means going. “One goes near Me.” Mam upayanti. “A person comes to Me.” When I was a little boy, my mother used to bring me to the temple and asked me to pray, pray. “What should I pray for?” “That oh God, give me intelligence, God give me intelligence, pray like this.” So, I used to pray, ” God, give me intelligence, give me intelligence.” So, finally He gave me intelligence to go to Him.

When I joined Hare Krsna Movement, my mother was not happy. She was not expecting this kind of intelligence to go to God. Or, not that quickly because I was just a young boy, a young man. This was not the time. Do this and become an engineer. Do that and get all the A+, high grades, give intelligence not to go to Him. So, it was like that, mundane material intelligence and those thoughts and thinking is there. “I am because I think,” one scholar made a profound statement. Did he hear or did he said that? Anyone who thinks he is or he exists, what is the proof that he exists? Because he thinks I am because I think. The animals also think. The cats also think. So, they all are souls, they are not just bodies. That is also the idea we could say.

Ok, I think we should stop. It could go this way or that way. So, keep dwelling, contemplating, getting meanings out, food for thoughts. Getting enough food for thinking, nourishing your thoughts.

vasudeve bhagavati
nityam bhagavata sevayah
bhagavati uttama sloke
bhaktir bhavati naistiki

That is the goal of hearing and thinking. You hear and you think what you have heard about. You think and that is assimilated. As you think assimilation takes place. Not that we just heard and just stored that what we had heard. That is called accumulation. Just accumulation of all that information, knowledge. That is just the jnana part.

Jnana has to be made into vijnana, the practical application. Apply that in life. So jnana, you think before you proceed. You hear, you read or you study, you know, you know and you think, you think, you contemplate. It is called manana also.

In terms of sastras it is called manana, contemplation, reflection, dwelling in its topics or conversing, sharing, talking about what we have heard. Then, we become realised. That knowledge becomes realized knowledge. It becomes our property, not just something that is in stored.
It becomes a part of us. We become that knowledge. That is also what is called bhagavata, person bhagavata. Yamaraja is person bhagavata, maha bhagavata, grant bhagavata. They are big big names.

Srila Prabhupada maha bhagavata ki, jai!
Yamaraja maha bhagavata ki, jai!

Like that, many, many of them. Starting with Bramha, Shiva, Narada, and four Kumaras,

kapila mano prahlad janako visnu balir vaya sakir vayam

Yamaraja is talking to Yamadhutas. He said 11 names: Bramha, Shiva, four Kumaras… and at the end, he said vayam. Vayam means we. That included him and that becomes the 12th Mahajana. Vayam, we, means I am also.

dharmam tu saksad bhagavat pranitam

He is talking, “dharma is given the the Lord, and it is understood by these 12 Mahajanas or maha bhagavata. I am part of that list.”
Yamaraja has now appeared as Vidura and is giving all the advice to his brother. He has spoken a lot, in fact. There are talks with Vidura and Maitreya Muni. There are several cantos where Vidura and Maitreya Muni are talking and talking. Maha bhagavatas are talking.

bodhi yanta paras pradam

They are doing and we are benefited. Srila Vyasa Deva has taken trouble for the conversation he has complied in the Bhagavatam, which we could get to read and hear out, and be eternally benefited.

Srila Prabhupada has, further kindly, given us the purports and given the guidance to the contemporary human beings in the present day and the context and the circumstances. Now what is to be done, what is to be practice? There are different circumstances Krsna is on the planet and He may be leaving soon. So, please, hurry up before the age of Kali gets in. It has all happened. Kali Yuga is already here now. And now what is to be done? So, another set of advice, set of instructions adjusted to the present day, time, place and circumstances. Of course, although the age of Kali is condemned but there is no age like the age of Kali! Hari bol! All glories to the age of Kali!

This you will find right there in the Bhagavatam. Kali’s glories are chanted and Kali is welcomed. Kali becomes glorious. Advent of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu makes the age of Kali glorious. Lucky we are to appeared in the age of Kali, soon, after Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s appearance, just 509 years ago. Lord was just now here, 500 hundreds years ago.

When Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared and then Srila Prabhupada also appeared. He was appointed, empowered. The gift of the holy name that Lord Caitanya had brought from the spiritual sky to this world, he distributed within India. And Prabhupada said Caitanya Mahaprabhu left this task of spreading the holy name overseas, left this task to the International Society for Krsna Consciousness. That you do some home work, you need something to do. If I spread it everywhere, what will they do? Let them also do something.

The propagation of Krsna consciousness and the holy name was all over the world started by Srila Prabhupada, 50 years ago. There is the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s going overseas, going to America. This is that year grand celebration is planned in different places. You should also be celebrating that. Srila Prabhupada’s most auspicious departure and, finally, arrival in the west, in America. He started with America.
The capital of the age of Kali? New York. Devotees say the capital of the age of Kali is considered New York. So, senapati bhakta, the commander in chief of sankirtan army has met the target New York. The destination was New York. And as he arrived, he showered bombs, he attacked, bombarded New York with time bombs also. The books are time bombs. He planted bombs which would be exploding in due course of time. Washing the brains of Americans, brain washing and he exploded, showered the holy name everywhere.

Then he came with the ISKCON bullets. What are those? Gulab jamuns? Commander in chief of sankirtan. Senapati bhakta. Sena means army and pati means master, commander in chief of sankirtan army. So as he did some explosion there, he converted the hippies who became happies and with their small army he attacked more countries. He travelled 14 times around the world. Preaching is fighting. We would say he was fighting, preaching, propagating. Then

greha taka vana tako sada hari bole tako

You do not have to leave. Where would you go? Where are the forest? There are no forests. The people in the age of Kali have done deforestation. You go the the forest to find some peaceful cave or corner to practice. But if there are any forests, what are there? There are army bases. Armies are based here and there. All the missiles are ready to go. Where would you go?

Only place is left is Durr-ban (Durban) some greatest distance. You stay wherever you are. That is also the advice of Bhaktivinoda Thakura and our other acaryas. Remain at home. Vane tako, or if you are managing go into the forests, stay in the forests, travel, practice, preached, go to Vrndavana. You may do so wherever you are. If you are at home as a grhasta, you are brahmacari in the forests, one thing in common for both of them: lt is to chant the holy name of the Lord.

sukhe duhkhe bole na kovadane hari nama karo re

There will be sukha sometimes, there will be duhkh something, transcended, just keep chanting.

jivana hoila sesh na bhajile hrusikesh

Life is diminishing. You have not served the Lord of your heart. Go for, get serious, become serious, worship Hrisikesh, worship Radha radhanatha, moe seriously.

Hari bol.
Jagannatha Swami ki, jai!
Ratha yatra mahotsava ki, jai!
.
Gaura Premanande, hari hari bol.
Thank you.

Stop committing offences

Venue:Germany

29/05/1994

There is no purport there, no purport for any verses so we will keep going.
While Indra, the King of the demigods, thought in this way and repented in his own assembly, B?haspati, the most powerful spiritual master, understood his mind. Thus he became invisible to Indra and left home, for B?haspati was spiritually more powerful than King Indra {S.B 6.7.16}

Text 17: Although Indra searched vigorously with the assistance of the other demigods, he could not find B?haspati. Then Indra thought, “Alas, my spiritual master has become dissatisfied with me, and now I have no means of achieving good fortune.” Although Indra was surrounded by demigods, he could not find peace of mind.

Text 18: Hearing of the pitiable condition of King Indra, the demons, following the instructions of their guru, Sukracarya, equipped themselves with weapons and declared war against the demigods.

Text 19: The demigods’ heads, thighs and arms and the other parts of their bodies were injured by the sharp arrows of the demons. The demigods, headed by Indra, saw no other course than to immediately approach Lord Brahm? with bowed heads for shelter and proper instruction.

Text 20: When the most powerful Lord Brahma saw the demigods coming toward him, their bodies gravely injured by the arrows of the demons, he pacified them by his great causeless mercy and spoke as follows.

Text 21: Sri brahmovaca aho bata sura srestha hy abhadram vah k?tam mahat brahmistham brahmanam dantam aisvaryan nabhyanandata

Translation and purport by Srila Prabhupada

TRANSLATION
Lord Brahma said: O best of the demigods, unfortunately, because of madness resulting from your material opulence, you failed to receive Brhaspati properly when he came to your assembly. Because he is aware of the Supreme Brahman and fully in control of his senses, he is the best of the brahmanas. Therefore it is very astonishing that you have acted impudently toward him.

Purport
Lord Brahma recognized the brahminical qualifications of Brhaspati, who was the spiritual master of the demigods because of his awareness of the Supreme Brahman. B?haspati was very much in control of his senses and mind, and therefore he was a most qualified brahmana. Lord Brahma chastised the demigods for not properly respecting this brahmana, who was their guru. Lord Brahma wanted to impress upon the demigods that one’s guru should not be disrespected under any circumstances.

When Brhaspati entered the assembly of the demigods, they and their king, Indra, took him for granted. Since he came every day, they thought they did not need to show him special respect. As it is said, familiarity breeds contempt. Being very much displeased, Brhaspati immediately left Indra’s palace. Thus all the demigods, headed by Indra, became offenders at the lotus feet of Brhaspati, and Lord Brahma, being aware of this, condemned their neglect.

In a song we sing every day, Narottama dasa Thakura says, caksu dana dila yei, janme janme prabhu sei: the guru gives spiritual insight to the disciple, and therefore the guru should be considered his master, life after life. Under no circumstances should the guru be disrespected, but the demigods, being puffed up by their material possessions, were disrespectful to their guru.

Therefore Srimad Bhagavatam (11.17.27) advises, acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit na martya buddhyasuyeta: the acarya should always be offered respectful obeisances; one should never envy the acarya, considering him an ordinary human being.

Translation of this verse again: Lord Brahma said: O best of the demigods, unfortunately, because of madness resulting from your material opulence, you failed to receive Brhaspati properly when he came to your assembly. Because he is aware of the Supreme Brahman and fully in control of his senses, he is the best of the brahmanas. Therefore it is very astonishing that you have acted impudently toward him.

Indra offends Brhaspati is the chapter. He committed this offence long time ago, when committing offence this business goes on. You know there’s spiritual masters who appear one after another who are sent by the Lord and then all the disciples who are always connected with the spiritual masters and some of them continue to offend their spiritual master as did Indra offend his spiritual master a long time ago.

When someone – when we are fortunate, you are fortunate, then someone like Brahma stops us or reminds us ‘no, no, no, no what you did was not the right thing. The person you offended is the best of the Brahmanas and a person who has control over the senses,’ so they glorify. They tell us the glories of the spiritual master and they remind us of our blunder. Then some of us come to our senses, some of us do not come to our senses and so again they’re off together {inaudible} spiritual master anymore so they keep making progress and from the comments of verses again one after another we are reminded by someone like Brahma or some other devotee of the Lord.

Those who stop committing offences, who keep making progress in their spiritual lives – committing offences is in the blood of all the conditioned souls, yes or no? Is it difficult to commit offence, do you have to prepare? Do you have to have a seminar on how to commit offences? So you have to go to someone and learn how not to commit offences. And even after going through so many seminars, what do you do? You end up committing offences. It is so easy and for us it is so natural when we are overwhelmed, to commit offences. And it seems we are very tired of this business of committing offences.

Committing offences in general is no good in that it has no benefit; no one derives any benefit from committing offences. Do you know anybody who could benefit – anybody in your country, in your temple who has benefitted so you also decided to follow in his footsteps hoping that you would also assume a similar benefit? It never happens, committing offence is never beneficial. If you know what is beneficial so the trouble with us according to Prahlad Maharaj is

Na te viduh svartha gatim hi visnum {S.B 7.5.31}

We do not know what the goal of life is. Then what else do we not know? We do not know what is beneficial for us or what is not beneficial for us. This is – we are talking about the conditioned souls.
So the Gati and the destination is Vishnu, Krishna then someone would think that ‘if I did this, would that help me achieve Krishna or not? If I don’t achieve Krishna, if I don’t go closer to Krishna by doing this, doing this then what would be beneficial? If it is sending me away from Krishna, something that I do sending me in other direction, then that is not beneficial.’

Simple, we have to understand what is beneficial, what is not beneficial. In the words of Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakur glorifying the spiritual master and informing the whole world of the significance of the spiritual master, what does he say?

Yasya prasadad bhagavat prasado yasya prasadan na gatih kuto ‘pi

Na gatih, Prahlad Maharaj said ‘you do not know the gatih. Gatih means? Gatih means destination and Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakur also said ‘na gatih.’ Na gatih means no destination. You will not achieve a destination – by what? Apasadad, prasadat means by Prasad, by mercy and aprasad means there’s no mercy. A means no, without mercy. Yasya prasadad, if you’ve got his mercy then?
Bhagavat Prashad, so get his mercy and the Lord’s mercy – the Lord also will shower upon you.

The first lines says Prashada, the small four lines, last prayer the last four – the four lines. The first line says Yasya Prashada then Bhagwat Prashada, Yasya prasadan na gatih kuto ‘pi – the first line talks of Prashad, the mercy of the spiritual master then you have Bhagawat Prashad, he can go back to Godhead and eat some remnants from Krishna’s plate, Bhagwat Prashad. But Aprashad you don’t get his mercy and then you don’t even go there, what to speak of getting Bhagawat Prashad.

Na Gatih, you don’t even reach the destination, Krishna is all alone and you can sit down with Krishna and by the banks of the Yamuna eating lunch and breakfast. You know Krishna is doing that right now with some others, those who are not offensive. As soon as we stop committing offences and once we get rid of all our faults we go to Krishna. What is the benefit? There is a big loss right, there is no benefit, only loss by offending the spiritual master. And for us it’s our only connection to going back to Godhead – but you must not be serious about going back to Godhead, you must not be serious about or you don’t care for Krishna, that’s why.

If you are really interested in Krishna, you want Krishna? Then you cannot be offender, offences must stop, then only talk of Krishna. Otherwise don’t even talk of Krishna, you better go home, turn back around and you better go home. Become mouse again, go back to home and you know go home and go back to the spiritual world and go back to the home, supposedly. At any cost when the soul wants to be with Krishna at any cost then why not, I can give up offences also. They are not prepared to do so and they stay on in this material world. Now before Krishna allows us to associate with him directly, Krishna wants to check out ‘let me see how this person deals with my representative first of all. I’m going to send my representative who is as good as me, he has all the qualities.

Saksad Hari he is, I will send him and then we will see who deals how with my representative, I’m going to just watch from a distance. Or I didn’t get the report from my representative.’ He will tell him, those who deal with him gently, those who bow down before him, those who are very, very eager to listen to him, listen to him about who? Listen to him about me, about Krishna.

‘And those who are also eager to follow these instructions, those persons I’m going to choose and those persons I’m going to make them come back. Others they can stay there longer,’ this is what Krishna does. Before he could associate with Krishna directly he has to pass this test. He has to learn how to first of all deal with his devotee, his pure devotee, his representative. When he can pass this test, no problem and then that person is..Hare Krishna! Say ‘Hare Krishna.’ Especially some of you do not want to say it louder.

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
So some of you have done a lot of Sankirtan yesterday so today is Sunday – even God took rest on Sunday, yes? God was working, working, creating six days.
So our goal is to go back to Krishna, back to the spiritual world and there are no offenders. There are no people, those who offend Krishna or Krishna’s devotees. We know that, we know that by reading Bhagavatam the description ‘the kingdom of God.’

There is one video also -where did we find out that there are no offenders in the spiritual sky? We found this out in the scriptures from the spiritual master. Now if you want to go there we also have to be like those citizens, citizens of the spiritual world – the citizens of Goloka Vrindavan.

If we want to be one amongst those souls, we must not imagine, you don’t want to imagine – there’s a description of all those souls, the Gopi’s are those souls, the cowherd boys are those souls, the parents of Krishna Nanda and Yashoda, all those souls- the servants of Krishna.

And the cows and the birds and the trees, even the clouds are so devoted to Krishna. If some day is especially hot then the clouds appear. Because Krishna doesn’t make the {inaudible} so when Krishna and his company is moving, clouds are also moving and clouds want to serve Krishna.
Everybody wants to serve Krishna and everybody is so gentle and pure and knowledgeable and all that. So the spiritual master teaches us all of that, the spiritual master is informing us all of that. And many of you are preparing to go to another country as I have come here this took lots of time.

When you want to come to Germany, they have to make sure that you are physically fit and the heart beat is just the right..
Every time, this is third time – this is new rule or something, I had to go to the doctor and had to get my heart checked. I had to have a whole insurance policy; this is one of the requirements just to come to Germany. Then I had to know what climate, it is very hot in Delhi. They don’t wear this in Germany and coming here we had to get all sweaters and hats and socks to go into another country. So just to come from one end of this planet to another end..

So many preparations and you have to know so many things then what to speak of going to the spiritual sky? So especially the topic is no offences, you cannot offend. Especially all of you, you cannot offend the spiritual master. Then you cannot say ‘oh okay I will not offend the spiritual master but could I – could you please allow me to offend other Vaishnavas?’ What do you think? Is that ‘Okay, can I – the spiritual master I understand, okay I will not offend him but please allow me to offend Vaishnavas. They are not big devotees.’ To blaspheme a Maha Bhagavat. The first offence is what? To blaspheme the Vaishnavas – sometimes they say Maha Bhagavat. Some temples they say Maha Bhagavat.

So they may say ‘yes, we will not blaspheme Maha Bhagavat but you could blaspheme a little Bhagavat, tiny Bhagavat.’ No, you cannot offend God, spiritual master, Vaishnavas and other living entities also. So far you are offensive you are unfit to return back to godhead, you will not remember Krishna at the time of death and you will enter another body which could be very easily arranged, no problem. Arranging another body is no big deal, very easy.

Just like making another pot. You know the pot makers in India? They make pots, I’ve seen them in Vrindava, the wheel they have– you’ve seen that? And they have so much clay and they could just wait there – every human is now another pot, right?

Very easily while we are talking or smoking or listening to the radio or whatever, very easily making parts and there’s no great effort. So like that creating these parts there’s material nature, agents are there and its all very easy. So if we are not giving up blasphemy of God, his devotees and other living entities, then yes – another body and yet another body and yet another body. But it could start with not offending spiritual master, it could start from there then you could become more refined and then also stop committing offences at the feet of Vaishnavas and you could stop committing offences at the feet of other living entities.

So a lot of times when the soul doesn’t commit offenses at the feet of God, and then there are others, those who do not commit offenses at the feet of God and the spiritual master and there are others who manage committing offenses not at the feet of God or the spiritual master and the Vaishnavas and the perfection is not to commit offenses at anybody’s feet and that is the pure state of mind and consciousness and that is the qualification. So when you have, that’s when you are fully Krishna conscious and when you have love of Godhead and you have Krishna’s love – you have love for Krishna. When you have love for Krishna – you can’t only, you can’t have love for Krishna and not love Krishna’s – you serve Krishna ‘but I’ll just blast these other persons.’

That is blasphemous, that means your love for Krishna has not been developed fully. The law is there to love, ‘love my dog before you love me’ they say that. ‘Love my dog first and then you love me. Because I love my dog, if you don’t like what I like then I also don’t like you.’
So God likes all of his parts and parcels so when we also would like them and just go and step forward and serve them, not just ‘I like you, I love you’ but ‘okay I want to see how you love me.’ You may want to give me some gifts or do something for me- not just I love you and just sit back.
So if you love me you would get up and do things for me. Our goal is to increase or to have love of Godhead, love for Krishna and then we will have love for the spiritual master.

Never offend him and the spiritual master would say that ‘you cannot offend my disciples, my followers’ and spiritual master and Prabhupada said that ‘if you love me I want to see how you cooperate with each other.’ Cooperate to do what? ‘To keep this institution together after I’m gone. You want to show your love for me? Okay I’m ready to see, I want to see it, how will you show your love for me? By how you are cooperating with each other, not how you are fighting with each other, not pulling others’ legs but how you’re cooperating with each other to please this ISKCON mission together.’

So this is offensive and is our basic disease of course because in fact we don’t like anybody, we love who? Yes, I love myself and this is applicable to each one of us here in the material world. ‘I love me.’ This is bogus, I love you is a bogus thing. It is true thing, it is not bogus. From the material platform it is true ‘I love you and you love me and – but unless you love me I don’t love you. It is give and take and take and give but it is not free, my love for you is not free. I must get something in return, then I love you. As soon as I know that you don’t love me then I don’t love you.’ That’s not love in true sense. Well that is what is going on so what we are talking about, love of Godhead is just of another nature and is just of another world altogether.

So we are preparing to go to another world but if Krishna wants to keep us here, that’s another matter. We have to pass the test first of all otherwise (inaudible) mind. Especially when weather is like this we will take no darshan of the sun. Day after day not even no sun exists or you have got to take a flight to see if the sun is there. When do you like- why are we so much attached to this world? But it’s so nice. ‘But it’s so nice that we’re attached to this world.’ Can you say something that is so nice here? Prashad – that is not from this world. Prashad is from another world. But tell me what is so good in Germany or whatever in England that we must stick to this German and England mentalities and conditions and countries.

Yes we don’t want to leave this Krishna conscious world because Prashad is so nice and like that what could you say, in the material world what is so nice? What do we not want to leave; can you name something that is so nice? We’d like to hear some glories of the material world, can you take a minute, can you glorify material world for one minute? The conditioned soul has been saying this all life long, life after life they are glorifying this existence saying how it is so nice for the devotees. What can you say now as you turn around after knowing and hearing about the spiritual world and Krishna and Krishna consciousness and Prashadam, nice devotees –what could you say?

We are in the material world where it’s considered like death, is that how you glorify? That’s not glory – you are blaspheming this world {laughter}. We want to hear some glories.. {question posed by audience member}.

Lokanath Swami: So it was nice so why did you give it up? So yes, it is nicer to be dependent on Krishna, so what you are saying is that it is not nice then in that case. ‘If I was independent then I could do whatever I like.’ Is that nice? It is not nice. Can someone tell me what is so nice?
We have forgotten that quickly all those nice things.. yes? Yes this is also Krishna’s energy and by using Krishna’s lower energy I am glorifying.

Chocolates! {Laughter} yes now that you could remember huh? But that one chocolate could keep you in this world. If you think chocolate is so nice – like Prabhupada said ‘some people are just attached to just one bidi {cigarette}. Just that one attachment, if there is one good thing in this world it is bidi and that’s not available there. There’s no bidi shop in the spiritual sky then you will think twice about going to the spiritual sky because there is no bidi or cigarette in the spiritual world.

So chocolate is so nice, just to eat chocolate you have to come back. Yes someone else’s hand was up?
So many have tried that {laughter}. You are going to make it? Oh when you said that –Hiranyakashipu is a great example. He tried his best and in fact ultimately when Brahma – he asked for the boon from Brahma to make me immortal and Brahma said ‘no, no even I am not immortal, what to speak of making you immortal. Then Hiranyakashipu he started thinking. ‘So okay you cannot make me immortal so I could be most powerful and no-one can challenge me. You give me a boon so that I don’t die in night time, day time, inside, outside or by human beings.’ He thought of all possible ways.

Okay, okay Brahma said ‘okay have it.’ And ultimately – there was a big list, inside, outside, not day, not night, no human being, no weapon, no this’ and this was all equal to what? Immortality – Hiranyakashipu, this is how he thought. ‘If he is not prepared to give me immortality, immortal life, he did not give me such a boon’ but now he has given all this big lists and the meaning of this is what? ‘Now I am immortal.’

So he thought he was the smartest person, he cheated Brahma. There is always someone who is smarter than you, the Lord is smarter – the smartest person. So he was – Lord was kind of treaty-signed between Brahma and Hiranyakashipu. A treaty, you know these days two nations get together and they sign treaty and they take pictures and they publish them in papers. So Brahma and Hiranyakashipu they signed this treaty ‘okay not day time, not night time’ Brahma signed – Brahma and Hiranyakashipu signed. Then Hiranyakashipu was carrying that treaty ‘yes, yes now..’ So Krishna came with all the – he had the draft of the treaty and Lord followed all the conditions and at the same time, killed him!

So Hiranyakashipu cannot say ‘oh what about this treaty, I followed it. I followed it perfectly, you see it.

Is it night time?’
‘No’
‘Is it day time?’
‘No’
‘Are you being killed inside the house?’
‘No’
‘Outside the house?’
‘No’
‘Do I look like human being?’

‘No, no you don’t look like human being.’
‘Do I look like animal?’

‘No, no it’s just a human being here in most bewildering conditions’ and now what was near was death.

So Hiranyakashipu had not succeeded so you want to try? You want to try now {speaking to audience who asked question}. Yes you will create history and then your name will also appear in Bhagavatam {laughter}. In the name and fame. I mean Rama is also famous and Ravana is also known and those who are sinful are also famous and Hiranyakashipu.. So depends what kind fame or infamy you are looking for, so that’s not nice. One is glorification and one is..

Anyway even Hiranyakashipu tried and he was defeated – the number of foes, there’s no dearth of foes in this world and they will continue to make attempts thinking that he was smarter than Hiranyakashipu and so that is what goes on in this world and will go on under that banner, this ism, this philosophy.

There is always persons trying to become lords and in fact nothing is – for the soul especially nothing is beneficial so it’s better to come to conclusion, come to their senses and surrender unto the Lord and especially to the Lord’s representative, spiritual master and take precautions so that there is no blasphemy.
So that he is welcomed and is glorified and such attempts on our parts will purify us and get rid of all the traces of this mundane consciousness and may allow us to associate – first of all stay on in the devotee community for all the time in this lifetime and by the association of devotees, we continue in our spiritual life – especially in this age of Kali, in congregation.

In Satya Yuga we could be in congregation just by yourself, in fact. Those who went to the caves, they did not go in a group, there was no group meditation. In a cave how many persons mediated? One person would meditate. But now, revert the number- where’s the concentration? ‘He is doing, he is doing, he is doing – so many are doing, that’s good!’ This conditions you also. So many people are – in this age of Kali this mentality is there , ‘oh so many are doing, it must be good. So many are in this supermarket so it must be good, so many are watching cricket on the television so it must be good.’

So like to convince the conditioned soul – If one person is doing, few are doing then not convincing and then they see hundreds and thousands of Hare Krishna’s chanting and dancing and you also would like to join and you feel part of the community, you feel at home and all that. So our practice in Krishna consciousness and practice especially under the circumstances where we are trying to unite Prabhupada’s family, and have strong force that will make ourselves part of this family and also in that way practice the life of the spiritual world, practice that on Earth.

Vaikuntha on Earth, we are trying to create – Prabhupada said ‘it is Vaikuntha on Earth.’ Vaikuntha has appeared in the form of the Hare Krishna movement, all that is there in the spiritual world is also here. So we will stay in this atmosphere- purifying, purifying and then when we are apparently evolved then whenever is our turn we go back to Krishna and if Krishna wants to keep us here and continue distributing books, or stay on till the hundredth birth anniversary of Srila Prabhupada – his hundredth anniversary is coming.

If we did not do enough then we will have to go back and prepare for that centennial of Prabhupada. We can do that, we can be born again as Hare Krishna’s, taking birth in Vaishnava family, go to Gurukul and in that time stay in Vrindavan Gurukul, Mayapur Gurukul. Mayapur city will be ready by that time. Harikesh Maharaj is working on it, we are collecting, supporting – it is a big project. So if you want to stay in that city that you are building and collecting for, you better come back. So like that the choice is yours, if you want to go back to Godhead or if you want to come back to the streets distributing books – both are nice but there’s no alternative. Third alternative is becoming lost again and that is not nice.
Okay thank you and Hare Krishna.

Okay a few questions. So yes?

You heard the question that the world is so useless, this and that but we are still attached to it. Well one reason, quick reason that they don’t know that spiritual world exists, or most of the population they don’t know that there is an alternative. They think they have to be happy here, they have to be happy in this body, they have to be happy with the matter that is around. There is no – they don’t know that there is alternative.
Like the deer in the desert – there’s a mirage in the desert and from a distance you feel it’s a lake of water or some water body and you go there, there is no water. Then you go there and you look around and you see ‘oh there’s water there.’
And then you rush in that direction and you go there and see ‘no, no there is no water there. Water is here, water is there, water is there.’ So the few things to understand from this is you need water, you cant survive without water.

There is a need in you for water so water must be existing some place. There’s some simple law like that. If you’re in need of something that place is somewhere, it exists. So the water exists but it doesn’t exist in the desert and the illusion of the desert just makes you think ‘water is here water is there.’ But there is no water; there is no question of finding water in the desert. But just because you cant find water in the desert, that doesn’t mean that water does not exist. Water exists, but not in the desert. So similarly, what you are looking for in this material world, the happiness and joy and eternal life – all that we are desiring it exists.

Hiranyakashipu doesn’t want to die, he wants happiness, eternal life -It exists, such a thing is possible. There are so many, billions, trillions of living entities living eternal life – but not here. The trouble is with the materialist is that they want everything that is in the spiritual world, they want that here. But this is a desert, it is not possible here. And that is the point we made earlier that because the materialists have no information of the spiritual sky, the spiritual world – they try to get that here, they try to find that here. This is a big mistake on part of the materialist.

Not that you cannot have happiness, eternal life, this that – whatever you are looking for is part of your nature in fact. It’s your nature to have it but now you are covered with your body. You are covered with your body so you cannot enjoy it all so not what you have to do is uncover. Take off this, take off this also. When you are covered over – there was a class in Mayapur, Trivikram Swami Maharaj, he was giving an example, I don’t know what he said Prabhupada said but just quoting he said that man and women want to enjoy each other but they cant enjoy themselves so much.

So when they want to enjoy what they do is gradually their clothes – they got no clothes on their bodies when they are enjoying- free. So he was using this example he said ‘because we are also bundled in these clothes and then the body and then the subtle body inside, so we have to give up all this and become free from all this then the soul is directly in contact with the supreme soul.

The yoga, the link, the union then is a complete protection. If we are covered over then we cannot even touch Krishna or cannot have even full view of Krishna. So this Krishna consciousness is like that. Then you are in the body but you are not covered anymore so the illusion is not there anymore. In that sense your soul comes in contact and none of this material bodies or coverings is a stumbling block.

{Answering question} So that helped
or did anyone fall in Maya? Did we lose anyone, did someone stay behind?
There is a risk, there is a risk, there is a risk. So we have to be careful. Those who are not confident they shouldn’t go to such places.

Special Class for disciples and well wishers of HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja.

01/07/2020

We can read or hear something from Srila Prabhupad Lilaamrita, but I have not prepared for that, either from Ocean of Mercy by Srila Bhakti Charu Maharaja we can read but was not prepared , so my address is for all disciples of HH Bhakti Charu Maharaja and my disciples are also hearing and many others will also be hearing. This address has already started or maybe you will be thinking why Maharaja ji is not saying anything, Maharaja ji is only singing, Maharaja has to address us, so what we have sung was also an address. Me along with you all were praying to Lord Krsna, and to all we were praying to Radha Krsna, Radha Govind, Radha Madan Mohan, Radha Madhav, Sri Sri Pancha Tatva, Prahlad Narsimha, the acharya’s of our Parampara, we all were praying to all while we were singing, or while kirtan was going on because these prayers are powerful, prayers are powerful.

Doctors are also taking Care of Maharaja, he is in good hands. American doctors and Hare Krsna Doctors whole team is taking medical care of Maharaja. But our faith, Hare Krsna devotees faith and even my faith is not only in medical care, but we know that prayers are also essential. Doctors care and devotees prayer will take care, will cure . And as we all are praying and we are seeing that there is improvement in the health of Maharaja. Thank you Lord Narsimha, Madan Mohan or Srila Prabhupad, that they are bringing improvement , but we wish complete recovery. With full patience , good medical care and with prayers we must continue. We want Karuna, Krauna of Lord, Corona is not free to do whatever it want, Corona 19 is in the hand Lord, who said that

mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa caracaram (BG 9.10)

So Lord is in command, and it will happen in the way that Lord’s want. Thy will be done, it is written in Bible. Things will work as the Lord Krsna wants them to work. So we would like that Krsna’s Karuna defeat Corona virus. So let us keep praying, crying for mercy. We want Bhakti Charu Maharaja’s good health. We want him back with full revival or with good health and power. We want our Bhakti Charu Maharaja back in action.
Hari Hari.

So when two days ago, approximately same time, I was addressing the devotees. Daily we do Japa and Japa talk, devotees from all over the world join it. So when Japa talk was going on, I was given a news, and when I read it that it was about the health status of Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja, So as I read and announced that Maharaja ji is Corona Positive, Maharaja ji is suffering from Corona then I couldn’t talk any further. All the talk was stopped there. Then we started the prayers , we started the kirtan. So this news was unexpected and undesirable. So this news brought a shock wave in the whole world and whole ISKCON was worried with this news and we all started praying. That day, the day before yesterday was very difficult for me to digest this news. It became very difficult to concentrate on my services, on my sevas, as I was continuously thinking and worrying about Bhakti Charu Maharaja. While honouring prasadam I was hearing the of Bhakti Charu Maharaja. Srila Prabhupad, the founder Acharya , One seminar of Maharaja is World famous, I heard that and also I was hearing other preaching. So I was in touch with Maharaja and was also praying. Then I thought that everyone should pray and everyone is praying also. I was also thinking to form a forum for praying. So Ujjain devotees, disciples and ISKCON Harinaam Ministry together form a prayer “Kirtan fest globe was formed, who was praying for the health of Bhakti Charu Maharaja for his GET WELL SOON. This continuous Kirtan fest will continue for one week, and it will be open for 24 hours a day, and you all are welcome to participate in that global prayer for 7 days and 7 nights and many ISKCON leaders, Kavichandra Maharaja are going to sing today and many more, I don’t have full report, Eklayva prabhu is coordinating that global Kirtan Festival in form of a prayer so that Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja’s health condition will become better.

Few days ago, before going to America, Maharaja was in Ujjain. Almost 2 months Maharaja stayed there. And not only Maharaja stayed there, he showered so much mercy on the people of the whole world, Bhakti Charu Maharaja’s mercy. Everyday Maharaja was giving lectures in Bengali, in English, Bhagvat lecture and so many lectures. I was reading reports of his lectures. It was amazing. How engaged he was. Others were also doing, I was also doing but we didn’t do lectures and kirtans to that extent how much Srila Bhakti Charu Maharaja did inl one two months. And it was being released and broadcasted globally.

So one day before departing for America,Maharaja phoned me, I was surprised and pleased also when I got his phone. There is one documentary, lost village documentary, you must have heard or seen. So Maharaja had some free time due to lockdown so he saw that documentary, lost village, documentary related to my birth place, whose hero was I, myself. So Maharaja became so happy after watching that documentary that he called me and said, “I have to share this with you, I got to know you more”. He saw the documentary and was happy and impressed by it. Whatever environment or situation Coronavirus has created, Maharaja was telling the solution for this is natural living, simple living of the village, the way the villagers live. He saw all this in lost village documentary, it should be like this, we must promote this.

We had two days meetings, bureau meetings on conference, zoom meeting. So I was two days with Maharaja also with others, so we had a nice meeting. Bhakti Charu Maharaja made so many nice contributions during those meetings and then we were surprised that Maharaja reached America and then Coronavirus positive.

So, Disciples of Bhakti Charu Maharaja you are not alone, I am also with you. I was thinking Bhakti Charu Maharaja is Srila Prabhupada’s Bhakti Charu Maharaja, before becoming your Bhakti Charu Maharaja first he was Srila Prabhupada’s Bhakti Charu Maharaja and also my Bhakti Charu Maharaja. So Bhakti Charu Maharaja’s God brothers also have rights over Bhakti Charu Maharaja. Disciples should not make the exclusive claim that he is ours, no no he is your but also ours, his god brothers and God sisters. Bhakti Charu Maharaja is everyone’s, he has such a character, personality. He is dear to all the ISKCON devotees worldwide. Everyone likes and loves him, me too, I also love and like Bhakti Charu Maharaja so much. He is my brother and I thank Srila Prabhupada for giving us, giving me a god brother like Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja. And I am sure you are thanking or you should be thanking, if you have not thanked already for giving you Bhakti Charu Maharaja as your spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada gave you. Thank God, thank Guru, Gauraga. We are very thankful to specially Srila Prabhupada.

I think he is one of the last one who met Srila Prabhupada. Other disciplines were meeting and joining ISKCON in 1965, 1966, giving contributions to Srila Prabhupada. I also joined in 1971, 1972 but Bhakti Charu Maharaja joined in 1977, but it didn’t matter anyway.
How much association Bhakti Charu Maharaja got of Srila Prabhupada, very few out of thousands of Prabhupada’s disciples got, most of the disciples were bereft of Srila Prabhupada’s association. But as soon as Srila Bhakti Charu Maharaja came in contact with Srila Prabhupada, it was Kumbh mela of 1977, I was also there. In 1977’s January month, before that Bhakti Charu Maharaja was in ISKCON Kolkata and after that he went to Mayapur and from there he started his seva, Abhavanand prabhu brought him to Kumbh mela.

Bhakti Charu Maharaja eagerly wanted to meet Srila Prabhupad. Both of them Bhakti Charu Maharaja and Srila Prabhupad met in January. So, from January to 14th November, till post nitya-lila of Srila Prabhupad, Bhakti Charu Maharaja became the councilor of Srila Prabhupad. He was like the shadow of Srila Prabhupad; just like shadow follows us wherever we go, he followed Srila Prabhupad. Srila Prabhupad kept Bhakti Charu Maharaja next to him. There was a strong, close and dense connection between Bhakti Charu Maharaja and Srila Prabhupad. It was a very intimate relationship and dealings. Just in a year, Srila Prabhupad gave him first initiation, second initiation, and Sannyasa initiation. Haribol! That is why also Bhakti Charu Maharaja wrote the book Ocean of Mercy which describes Prabhupad’s mercy as ocean of mercy. Bhakti Charu Maharaja wrote his experiences with Srila Prabhupad like the rainfall of Prabhupad’s mercy or vision on him. He was the secretary of Srila Prabhupad, Prabhupad gave him transcription seva, letter writing in Bangla language. He was secretary of services, serving, cooking also, he was very good cook, there were some Bengali items which only Bhakti Charu Maharaja could cook. Hari Hari.

Prabhupad was in Vrindavan those days. After that, Prabhupad went to Hrishikesh and he took Bhakti Charu Maharaja along with him. He was with Prabhupad in the last days of Srila Prabhupad on the planet for personal care. OfcourseTamalkrishna Maharaja, Bhagvananda Maharaja were also there. In coordination with these Maharajas’ he was also serving. He served a lot. Prabhupad wanted to do the Vrindavan yatra and Govardhan yatra on a bullock cart. So, I got that seva of arranging and decorating the bullock cart. Prabhupad wanted to go to Vrindavan yatra but at that time some devotees were worried about Prabhupad’s health, how can he go on a bullock cart in this condition? Bhakti Charu Maharaja was one of those devotees. When he expressed his disquietness or worries in front of Srila Prabhupad, at that time one of the God brothers of Srila Prabhupad from Gaudiya math was also present; Prabhupad said, “See how much they love me”. All those who were requesting that Srila Prabhupad may face many difficulties while travelling on a bullock cart said, “Please do not go, do not go at this time”. In this way when Bhakti Charu Maharaja and other devotees were requesting, Prabhupad said “see how much they have love for me”. Srila Prabhupad himself expressed how much Bhakti Charu Maharaja loved him by saying, “see how much they have love for me.” So, Bhakti Charu Maharaja loved Srila Prabhupad and Srila Prabhupad loved Bhakti Charu Maharaja. Srila Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja ki Jai.

So, there are endless qualities of Bhakti Charu Maharaja. Who can describe the life and teachings of Bhakti Charu Maharaja? We used to call him, “He is Prabhupada man, he is Prabhupada man”. Who is he associated with? He is Prabhupada man. Bhakti Charu Maharaja is Prabhupada man; so much Prabhupada conscious and so much dedication. During the celebration of SrilaPrabhupad’s 100th birth anniversary, centennial, many disciples served him in several ways, dedicated their offerings, increased and expanded the greatness of Srila Prabhupad. At that time, Bhakti Charu Maharaja translated all the books by Prabhupad in Bangla language, every single book. Haribol! All the translation seva, he was making sure it is getting done or he was doing himself. He connected all the Bangla speaking men to Prabhupad’s teachings. Abhay Charan biography, you all must have seen, so this was Bhakti Charu Maharaja’s brainchild, this was all the concept of Bhakti Charu Maharaja. He prepared a movie, documentary based on the life of Srila Prabhupad named “Abhay Charan” which was then translated and into many languages along with subtitles. So that was quite a monumental herculean task making a long documentary of many many episodes based on the life of Srila Prabhupad. In the documentary, he covered the entire life of Prabhupada. When devotees conferred their shradhanjali to Srila Prabhupad on Prabhupad’s 100th birth anniversary, BhakiCharu Maharaja’s contribution is outstanding. As far as construction of a temple is concerned, I think this is first in ISKCON, Bhakti Charu Maharaja constructed a temple in Ujjain in just one year. Haribol… And we usually see the upbuilding of a temple takes 10 years, 20 years, 5 years, so many years, but Bhakti Charu Maharaja established a record; within one year. He invited all the Governing Body Commissioners along with so many other VIPs and other disciples like you all, I was also present there. It was the grand opening of ISKCON Ujjain temple, Radha Madanmohan temple, Krishna Balaram temple, Sandipani Muni temple.

I just remember one more thing, it might be during the 80’s. I had been to Kolkata and at that time, Bhakti Charu Maharaja was in-charge of BBT. He used to stay a few miles away from the temple. When I went to Kolkata, I stayed with Bhakti Charu Maharaja. The way Maharaja welcomed us, our hospitality, our lodging and boarding and eating prasadam, the arrangement and organization was very good. I was really impressed. Maharaja has also been cultural minister of ISKCON at some time; Gaudiya Vaishnav Sankriti. So, he is himself cultured. There exist many well-educated, but all the well-educated are not always well-cultured. They are highly educated but rarely well behaved. So, Maharaja is exemplary; Vaishnava etiquette. I think, 20 to 25 years ago in Vrindavan, as part of VIHE, Maharaja delivered a course – Vaishnav etiquette. This course which was delivered by Maharaja is followed today also. When any devotee conducts a course of Vaishnava etiquettes, they always take references from Bhakti Charu Maharaja. The syllabus is framed from his contents. Bhakti Charu Maharaja has taught the Vaishnava etiquettes to the entire world. He is a gentleman. Someone asked Prabhupada, “ How are your disciples going to be recognised?”. Prabhupada said in one word or few words, “as gentlemen”. So Bhakti Charu Maharaja is a Gentleman.

I forgot to tell, when I was in Kolkata for a few days with him, Maharaja made chinese noodles for me. Before that I had no clue what is even noodles, maybe when Maharaja was with Tamal Krishna Maharaja in Hong Kong then might have learnt it from somewhere. So he made noodles for me, we can’t eat noodles with a spoon or hand, we have to eat it with it’s sticks. There is a method to eat it so he also taught me how to eat it, pick it.

Whenever there are Mayapur meetings, Bhakti Charu Maharaja makes sure, Tamal Krishna Maharaja also used to do this in Vrindavan I remember. Everyday he used to call his God brother and God sisters to his room for lunch, for every batch special feast, theii favorite items, so I also got this opportunity many times. He is a good cook, so he makes menu, overseas cooking. At the time of serving also there is a method, a procedure, which item first then next, then next, this Bhakti Charu Maharaja only knows, I don’t know in which order item is to be served first or eaten first. He has perfected that art and science.

Maharaja is quite gifted. He is one of the big fundraisers in ISKCON. Amongst the leaders, Bhakti Charu Maharaja is the leading fundraiser within ISKCON and he collects millions of dollars, not millions of rupees. He also of course is very generous, generously donates. At one time GBCs didn’t have a good conference hall, Bhakti Charu Maharaja donated for the entire GBC conference hall, Bhakti Charu Maharaja spent all the money for it. That’s only one thing there are so many others. He raises funds and of course built Ujjain temple by fundraising and also his many other projects. He is into cow protection, cow and bull protection. He has bought a farm in Florida, America where he is establishing a Cow protection project. Right now the place where Maharaja is, nearby there is a hospital Deland, Deland there is Maharaja Headquarter, very grand, transcendental. I visited it last year when I was in America, Maharaja insisted me to come and meet him. So I spent little time with Maharaja. Now where Maharaja went, from India to America is the same place where I met Maharaja last year. So it was a very short and sweet visit. He offered me food to eat again and then I asked from Maharaja, we all are getting old, I also and Maharaja also, so what new are you doing in this old age, something new? Then he said,” I want to eat less in this old age”, so it was a lesson for me from that day I am also thinking about it, I should also do this. I wanted to learn something from Maharaja, I want to eat less.

Maharaja is gifted in so many ways. Maharaja’s memory is amazing, he remembers so many things, say Leela or sloka. When Maharaja gives lectures he speaks Slokas of Brahma Samhita, I remember only some. When I hear him, he remembers so many, so many verses.

At the time of appearance day of Srila Bhakti Siddhant Saraswati Thakur in Mayapur if Mangala Charan has to be spoken then Bhakti Charu Maharaja only manages it, all Acharyas pranam mantra Srila Bhakti Siddhant, Bhaktivinoda, Jagannath babaji. If I have to say, then first I have to keep a book in front, see and read, see and read but for Maharaja it’s very simple, he just remembers. So many bhajans, so many ashtakam Maharaja knows by heart, Radhika ashtak, very big and difficult verses and sanskrit is also very difficult and so its pronunciation. I remember during old Mayapur festivals, Maharaja used to sing new ashtaks, Maharaja used to sing them very simply and successfully. After hearing it, i also know some pronunciation but Maharaja’s pronunciation and remembrance.

Maharaja is a big scholar and he travels and preaches in the whole world for the whole year. In advanced age, I think Maharaja is 76, he is much more advanced than me and not only advanced by age (Vayo Vriddha) but also advanced in knowledge (Jnana Vriddha). After hearing the knowledgeable talks of Maharaja I am amazed, I am just surprised and impressed. Then I get inspiration, I can also do something like this, sing like this, say like this, slokas, mantras. Maharaja is Vayo Vriddha and also Jnana Vriddha, which is much more important. For being Vayo Vriddha you have not to do anything, just don’t die, you will become Vayo Vriddha. But for being Jnana Vriddha you need endeavour and effort, you need not do anything for being Vayo Vriddha, just don’t die.

Maharaja travels around and gives seminars on so many topics. He also takes good care of his disciples. So whichever country he goes to, he organises a three days seminar on a topic for his disciples and also for other devotees. If he goes to Mauritius then one topic, South Africa another topic, America this topic, England that topic. So Maharaja has disciples all over the planet, globe and to nourish them, to cater to their needs Maharaja goes to so and so country to give them his association and keep giving seminars.

Whole ISKCON is hearing his teachings, seminars, and kirtans. His bengali bhajan are very famous, nowadays Maharaja is singing hindi bhajan also, from the day he reached Ujjain, it’s a hindi belt. So Maharaja is speaking in hindi and singing hindi bhajans but his bangla bhajans are very famous because bangla is his, ‘Amar sonar bangla’, this language is very sweet. A survey was conducted some years ago and there was a declaration that the sweetest language amongst the whole world is bengali, bangla. It was the mother tongue of Srila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Sachi mata. Sachi mata used to speak not in english, not in hindi but in mother tongue, bangla. The mother tongue of Gauranga is bengali, Srila Prabhupad had the same language and also Bhakti Charu Maharaja’s language was bengali. This is a special benefit, it’s very beneficial to have bangla language as your mother tongue especially if you are Gaudiya vaishnava because most of our Gaudiya literatures are in bangla, tikas of our acharyas. So Maharaja is very fortunate, because of having bangla language as his mother tongue he has access to all this treasure of jnana. He also sings in bangla, his sweet songs, there are so many CDs. Srila Prabhupada’s Gitar Gan, do you know what Gitar Gan is? Prabhupada wrote bhagavad gita in bengali, Sanskrit sloka to bengali, called payaar and this was named Gitar Gan, it was very famous. He wrote Bhagavad gita as it is later, whole translation, but every sanskrit sloka Dharmakshetre kurukshetre we wrote in bagla in a poetic way, whole bhagavad gita and it’s name is Gitar Gan. Bhakti Charu Maharj arranged a best bengali singer, so with music he sang it, Sangeetmaya Gitar Gan, it’s very famous in bengal. So the seva of making Prabhupada’s Gitar gan to Sangeetmaya Gitar Gan was done by Maharaja.

In his Vyasa Puja also, he is Prabhupad’s man so it is given the name ‘Prabhupada Memorial Festival’. It is not promoted as Vyasa Puja Memorial Festival but as Prabhupada’s Memorial Festival. And also his birth is around that time when Prabhupada reached America. So I was given an opportunity, I was in Surat for one year and Durban, South Africa one year with him, may be somewhere else also but these two places I remember, I attended those memorial festivals and got his association on his birthday.

I pay obeisance to the lotus feet of Bhakti Charu Maharaja,

vancha-kalpatarubhyash cha
kripa-sindhubhya eva cha
patitanam pavanebhyo
vaishnavebhyo namo namaha

at Radha madhav pancha tatva and Lord Narsingh Bhagwan lotus feet we pray that such Bhakti Caru Maharajaa whom I tried to glorify in some broken words. I tried to sing his glories just for my own purification.so Bhakti Caru Maharajaa is everyone’s. I spoke in relation to my Bhakti Caru Swami Maharaja. I am sure if a microphone is given to you you will definitely be able to speak something about your Bhakti Caru Maharaja. So whoever you are wherever you are. If you are a disciple of course you are very special. you have special relation with Bhakti Caru Maharajaa. we have to keep Maharajaa in our prayers. Remember the global kirtana festival is going on 24 hours it’s going on. on behalf of yourself or your temple or your bhakti vrusha or Namah ata or on behalf of different groups of disciples can perform kirtana. iskcon harinama ministry which is established it’s also called kirtana ministry it coordinates global kirtana festival as a prayer to the Lord of course so that Bhakti Caru Maharajaa recovers fast. so get well soon. with these thoughts you can take part in the kirtana festival. and otherwise also keep praying that what we can do rest is the will of the Lord. we can at least appeal to the Lord we can pray to Him. So let us continue our prayers.
His holiness Bhakti Caru Maharaja ki ..jai

Srila Prabhupada ki..Jai
Narsingh Bhagwan ki..jai