Sri Shikshashtakam
Shravan Utsav
280219-Mayapur [1:54:16]

Hare Krsna!! You don’t say? Hare Krsna!! Thank you for saying hare Krsna! I should say thank you for being with us here to hear. You are here to hear, so that Lord would come near. Then there is no fear, oh dear. You are taking keen interest in this sravan utsava. Its utsava for your
ears. This is very important aspect of Mayapur utsava. Srila Prabhupada kindly gave us this

Mayapur utsava. Mayapur utsava ki…jai

What is Mayapur utsava without sravan utsava, you could imagine. You come to Mayapur utsava and there is not hearing and chanting program! We can’t even imagine. Sravan is part of our life. Hearing gives us life.
prananti punanti subhanti Srimad Bhagavatam says,

As you hear,

sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam [SB 7.5.23] or
srnvanti gayanti grnanty abhiksnasah [SB 1.8.36]

When sadhus come together what do they do? srnvanti gayanti grnanty Krsna also says in Bhagavad-gita,

mac-citta mad-gata-prana bodhayantah parasparam  [BG 10.9]

parasparam, nice word- each other bodhayantah they share instructions, remind each other instructions of the Lord, pastimes of the Lord, the holy name of the Lord.

kathayantas ca mam nityam tusyanti ca ramanti ca

This katha has to be about Me, they hear My katha. How long do they hear? Nityam- all the time. Tusyanti- and then they become satisfied.

tusyanti ca ramanti ca

This is their life, ramanti-they wander during the festival, they go there katha there, kirtana there ramanti ca. So this is our lifestyle. Hearing is the central activity. Hearing is of prime importance. You have already realized the importance hence you are with us here.

So we have two topics. One is Kavichandra Maharaja’s topic which is shikshashtak. So Sri Sri shikshashtak ki….jay. It is very serious topic. So Shikshashtakam, Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu He left these 8 prayers behind. Shiksha-ashtak, lots of shiksha, lots of instructions this Shikshashtakam has been included in the Caitanya Caritamrta, at the very end of the Caitanya Caritamrta, antya lila in chapter 20. It’s like an essence, something that comes at the end is usually most essential or essence or the conclusion.

Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu not only complied and said, “Ok, you folks, you read them, you recite them or you memorize them, I have done my part of compiling this instruction or shikshashtak.” That wasn’t the case. Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Jagganath Puri during antya lila pastime, when He was practically in Radha bhavaa,

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

That Lord what He always had or He appeared in Radha bhavaa, Radha’s emotion and Radha’s complexion, complexion was there always. Hari Hari, is that meditation or sleep?

antah krsnam bahir gaura

Caitanya Bhagavat says, he was Krsna inside hiding within Radha or hiding behind Radha, ‘antah krsna bahir gaura’. Outside He is Gaura. He is Gaura Gaura Gauranga Gauranga!! And His bhava was Radha bhava But he did not exhibit that Radha bhava in Navadwip Mayapur which is Adi lila. He did not exhibit this so much during His Madhya lila, travelling on then,

hare krsna nama gaura karila prachar

As He was propagating chanting of the holy name. However when He returned, finally returned, third time He returned to Jagganath Puri. Now He had served the purpose. His personal purpose for His own advent, personal private confidential reason, why Lord appears that we would be talking also in my seminar which is next. So during those days in Jagganath Puri, He was trying to experience Radha bhava, He is acting like Radha, thinking like Radha, sometimes even dressing like Radha and missing Krsna like Radha.

Radhe, Radhe…

he radhe! vraja-devike! ca lalite! he nanda-suno! kuta?

Where are you? Where are you? Krsna, where are you? So that Radha bhava. Then at Gambhira, in Jagganth Puri there is a place called Gambhira. Did you ever you go to Gambhira? I was expecting more hands to go up. So remember that place. Quite a tiny place but very gambhir full of gambhirya. The name gambhira, very serious, grave and deep. So that place, at that place Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu specially during night time, whole world goes to sleep but Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to have sleepless nights with His associates. Very selected few, Svarupa Damodar Goswami, Ramananda Raya on His sides. How would he send his nights? He would take one of His shikshashtak and He would think, contemplate on that shikshashtak or the deeper meaning of shikshashtak, think this way and that way from different angles of visions, approach that shikshashtak and He would spend whole night like that.

So like He compiled His shikshashtak. Then He would give His commentary, ‘bhashya’ and He would share with Ramananda Raya and Svarupa Damodar. Let’s see what this chapter says. This is 20 th chapter of antya lila of Caitanya Caritamrta.

ei-mata mahaprabhu vaise nilacale
rajani-divase krsna-virahe vihvale [CC Antya lila 20.3]

I had only said the day and night. There is day and night in Nilachal. Mahaprabhu would spent day and night in feeling of intense separation from the Lord. Who is feeling separation? Who must be feeling separation? When we say Caitanya Mahaprabhu feeling separation? Radha in Caitanya Mahaprabhu- Radharani is feeling separation.

svarupa, ramananda, — ei duijana-sane
ratri-dine rasa-gita-sloka asvadane [CC Antya lila 20.4]

And He would also recite and relish Srimad Bhagavatam, Krsna Karnamrita and His own poetry or.

nana-bhava uthe prabhura harsa, soka, rosa
dainyodvega-arti utkantha, santosa [CC Antya lila 20.5]

And while He would recite His own shikshashtak and relish it, Raya Ramananda, he is also relishing. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is speaking, He is also hearing and He is relishing.

hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

So Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu is doing and different emotions, sometimes He is full of joy, shok, He is full of lamentations, rosha, sometimes He becomes angry, why you are not coming, where, why you are not appearing before me, dainya-He would become very very humble, full of humility, He would express humility, utkantha, then He becomes very anxious, where is Krsna, where is He? And He would even sometimes go outside Gambhira to the bank of ocean
and becoming very very anxious.

sei sei bhave nija-sloka padiya
slokera artha asvadaye dui-bandhu lana [CC Antya lila 20.6]

So nija-sloka, His own sloka, shikshashtak. Taking these two brothers with Him, Raya Ramananda and Svarupa Damodar He would,

kona dine kona bhave sloka-pathana
sei sloka asvadite ratri-jagarana [CC Antya lila 20.7]

Someday one bhava or one meaning He would contemplate upon. Another day same sloka same shikshashtak another emotion another bhava. And He would spent whole night like this.

If they could do it, the materialistic could spend sleepless nights enjoying and while enjoying they would forget their sleep. How could they sleep? There is so much to enjoy, so likewise or more than that Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu would be spending, ratri jagarana.

harse prabhu kahena, — “suna svarupa-rama-raya

And sometimes He would get attention, “hye Ramananda Raya” he was not very far but trying to get his attention. He knows that he was hearing but Lord wants to make sure he is hearing, you should not miss this one, “Raya Ramananda, listen to this” and then He would say,

nama-sankirtana — kalau parama upaya [CC Antya lila 20.8]

In the age of kali, Raya Ramananda, there is no other solution other than ‘nama sankirtana’.

param vijayate sri krsna sankirtanam ki jay!!
sankirtana-yajne kalau krsna-aradhana
sei ta’ sumedha paya krsnera carana [CC Antya lila 20.9]

Those who are intelligent in the age of kali they would perform sankirtana yajna and this is the way to worship Krsna. You could see, how, what context, what Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu is pointing out nama sankirtana is the way. And then He would quote,

krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah [SB 11.5.32]

And this is Bhagavatam, eleventh canto. Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu recites that verse from
Bhagavatam.

nama-sankirtana haite sarvanartha-nasa
sarva-subhodaya, krsna-premera ullasa [CC Antya lila 20.11]

Then, Mahaprabhu would comment this, nama sankirtana would destroy anartha, sarva anartha nasa. What nasa? What destruction of? Anarthas, anarthas would be destroyed.

Anartha nivriti would take place as one chants the holy name of the Lord and then, He would recite the first verse,

ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam
sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam
anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam
sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam [CC Antya lila 20.12]

And having said that He would give His commentary. You comment upon this verse which is there in, a condensed form commentary is also mentioned.

sankirtana haite papa-samsara-nasana
citta-suddhi, sarva-bhakti-sadhana-udgama [CC Antya lila 20.13]

He is commenting upon the ‘ceto darpana marjanam’ verse. He is giving His commentary ‘ceto darpana marjanam’. He says ‘citta-suddhi’ – Your consciousness is refined.

krsna-premodgama, premamrta-asvadana
krsna-prapti, sevamrta-samudre majjana [CC Antya lila 20.14]

Same thing He has said that in Bangla bhasha and in simplified way He has given the commentary on the first shikshashtak.

And then,
namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis [CC Antya lila 20.16]

He would say this and then He gives His commentary,

aneka-lokera vancha — aneka-prakara [CC Antya lila 20.17]

You understand now, Bangla devotees must be very happy, no need of translation. You need
translation, they don’t need translation.

krpate karila aneka-namera pracara

namnam akari bahudha there are so many names, khaite suite yatha tatha nama laya  [CC Antya lila 20.18]

Very interesting!

Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, khaite suite yatha tatha nama

laya while eating, while sleeping yatha tatha, make sure you are somehow you are managing to chant.

kala-desa-niyama nahi

There is no niyam, no hard and fast rules, He is saying, kala-desa-niyama nahi, sarva siddhi haya.

“sarva-sakti name dila kariya vibhaga
amara durdaiva, — name nahi anuraga!!” [CC Antya lila 20.19]

Lord has invested all His energy in His name, amara durdaiva – I am so unfortunate

‘durdaiva midrsha iha jani naanuragha’
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, name nahi anuraga- This is my durdaiva,

ye-rupe la-ile nama prema upajaya
tahara laksana suna, svarupa-rama-raya [CC Antya lila 20.19]

First of all He says I am so unfortunate I have no attraction for chanting the holy names of the
Lord but then, “ye Raya Ramananda! but I will tell you how one could develop attraction for
chanting the holy name.” You want to know? Yes, Haribol

The He says,

trnad api su-nicena taror iva sahisnuna
amanina mana-dena kirtaniyah sada harih [CC Antya lila 20.21]

Just now He had no attraction for chanting and now what He is doing. ‘kirtaniya sada hari’. See
the difference.
‘durdaivam idrsha iha ajani’,

‘ajani’, not takan birth. By what, ‘anuragaha’, where is my Anurag? Where is my attraction? Attraction is not getting produced. Where is my attraction? Where is my attachment? Oh! I am so unfortunate. Then he says, “you could have attachment and you would always chant you
would end up always chanting”. Then as we translate this verse in English there is one word that gets my attention that is,

“In such a state of mind one could chant the holy name of Lord constantly.” So underline, what, ‘In such a state of mind’, in such a state of mind one could chant the holy name of Lord constantly and what is that state of mind?

‘trnad api su-nicena taror iva sahisnuna amanina mana-dena

The humility, the tolerance and giving respect to others and not to expect respect for oneself and in return not to expect respect. Now He is giving His commentary on this.

gharma-vrsti sahe, anera karaye raksana [CC Antya lila 20.24]
uttama hana vaisnava habe nirabhimana [CC Antya lila 20.25]

sita atapa bata barishana e dina jamini jagi re

This is another song, this song says, sometimes rain sometimes, yesterday there was rain, before there was hot sweating, sometimes this and that. The tree tolerates all this. Hari hari!!

premera svabhava — yahan premera sambandha
sei mane, — ‘krsne mora nahi prema-gandha [CC Antya lila 20.28]

He thinks that He has no attraction so like that Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu would go on reciting shikshashtak after shikshashtak after shikshashtak after another shikshashtak one, two and then He would comment and contemplate and relish and get absorbed and get stunned

and all these.

mahaprabhoh kirtana-nrtya-gita-vaditra-madyan-manaso rasena
romanca-kampasru-taranga-bhajo vande guroh sri-caranaravindam [Guru-astaka Verse 2]

All these symptoms Caitanya Mahaprabhu would exhibit, trembling in the body, all this, the tears they would never leave Him alone. ‘nache kande g.aye’ Caitanya Mahaprabhu always busy ‘keha nache keha kande keha gaye’, He is chanting, He is dancing, He is crying.

His shikshashtak verses, they talk of all the three kind of bhaktis, sadhana bhakti, the first five verses of shikshahshtak, they describe sadhana bhakti. Verse number six and seven, they describe bhava bhakti, the last verse eighth verse talk about prema bhakti.

Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakur also talks in Madhurya Kadambini from shraddha to prema. All those steps are also there. He talks of shraddha and sadhusanga and bhajana kriya, anarthanivrtti.

na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi [CC Antya lila 20.29]

This is anartha-nivrtti. I don’t want- na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam, none of this. Ok what about mukti? He says no no no no mukti… no bhukti no mukti, only bhakti. Forth verse, na dhanam na janam na sundarim -this is bhukti, mam janmani janmanisvare- this is mukti, I don’t want mukti. No bhukti no mukti. What I want, ‘mam janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi’. He is only begging for devotional service, life after life after life. Then comes the humility, trinadapi, that also there.

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram patitam mam visame bhavambudhau
krpaya tava pada-pankaja-sthita-dhuli-sadrsam vicintayahe [CC Antya lila 20.32]

ayi means oh! addressing “ayi nanda-tanuja, o son of Nanda Maharaja, Nanda tanuj akinkaram, I am your kinkar, I am your servant”. ‘

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram patitam mam visame bhavambudhau

Look look look at me, I am fallen I am in the middle of this ocean of material existence bhava ambudhi, so have mercy, o my dear Lord, please pick me up, please pick me up and fix as a dust particle dust of your feet. He doesn’t say, make me crown on your head or make some necklace
around your neck. No, just some dust particle at your lotus feet, on your lotus feet. This is dainya. This is also sambandha jnana. Shikshashtak, is also talking about sambandha, abhidheya prayojana, prem is prayojana, the sambandha- I am yours, I am yours. This sambandha- my
relationship with you is ‘ayi nanda tanuja kinkaram’.

And then He is further praying, begging, o Lord, when that day would be mine?

kabe ha’be bolo se-dina amar
(amar) aparadha ghuci’, suddha name ruci,

Another song, ‘O! When that day would be mine when would I become free from all the offenses? When would I develop ruci, attraction for this chanting? And when will I chant ‘hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama hare hare’ This whole shikshashtak is glories of the holy name, this is glorification of the holy name. I am not going very systematically. So the first very first verse is ‘ceto-adarpan marjanam’ this is greatness or quality or this adjective of what?

‘param vijayate shri krsna sankirtanam’

There are four lines of first shikshashtak and each line has two parts. The final part is ‘param vijayate shri krsna sankirtanam.’

All glories to the holy name!! But then which holy name? What kind of holy name? Ceto-darpana marjanam, that holy name which does, what, cleaning of consciousness.

bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam, we get relief from this davagni. sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam- third, vidya-vadhu-jivanam- forth one, ‘anandambudhi-vardhana?- fifth one, ‘purnamrtasvadanam- sixth one ‘sarvatma-snapanam-this is seventh one ‘sarvatma snapanam, snapanam means snana- taking bath or drowning, abhishek. Whole atma could have abhishek of harinama ‘harinamabhishek’. Abhishek of the harinama, atma, is swimming in the nectar of the holy name, ‘sarvatma snapanam param vijayate sri krsna sankirtanam’

So that sankirtana’s victory, victory of the holy name. What kind of holy name? So all those seven glories or adjectives, mahatmya of the holy name is there in the first verse. So in this one, this is bhavana, the sixth one is bhava. When would, when I chant the holy name I would ‘galadashru dharya’, torrents of rain, like that tears, nayanam galad asru dharaya vadanam gadgada rudhaya gira My voice getting chocked up, I am full of devotion and emotion, my voice getting chocked up.

When would that happen?

nayanam galad asru dharaya vadanam gadgada rudhaya gira
pulakair nicitam vapuh tava nam grahane bhavisyati [CC Antya lila 20.36]

vapu means this body, pulakair- when my body become tremble? As I chant your holy name, so this is bhava stage, bhava and then as there the further evolution or progression or condensation of this bhava, then feeling separation. What is that one?

yugayitam nimesena caksusa pravrsayitam
sunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda-virahena me [CC Antya lila 20.39]

Period of the nimish is this much time [Maharaja snaps his fingers] this much time without Krsna is like a yuga, so many yugas, have…

truti yugayate tvam apasyatam [SB 10.31.15]

Gopis said, Gopigeet, truti yugayate, without seeing my dear Lord, that truti, small fraction of second, yugayate- becomes like a age. I won’t seen Him for ages. They have just seen Him at Radhakunda in noon time and then they go to their villages, Nandagram and they again miss Him. We haven’t seen Him for such a long time, two hours ago they were with Him.

govinda-virahena me

So viraha, virahabhava and that is Gopi-bhava and that is Radhabhava and that is why the next verse. The final verse is, what,

aslisya va pada-ratam pinastu mam adarsanan marma-hatam karotu va
yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah [CC Antya lila 20.47]

Now this statement Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, this in Radhabhava. This is like a Radha in Caitanya is speaking. Now He has full manifestation of Radha in that, Sri Krsna Caitanya radha krsna nahe anya. Radha and Krsna together, so as this final shikshashtak is uttered, this is Radhabhava and then ‘aslisya va’. You have a choice, it’s upto you sometimes you may embrace me, aslisya va pada-ratam pinastu mam Or you may crush me under your feet, yath? tath? v? vidadh?tu lampa?o, you are lampat, you like that, I know, I know you, you are like this, you may treat in the way you like. One thing is for sure. What is that?

mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah

My prana- natha, you are my prana-natha, you alone no one else, no matter how you handle with me deal with me. You may embrace me, you may crush me under your feet, discard me but I am simply yours. I have no other Lord, than you my Lord. Hari hari!! So that’s why before chanting
‘hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare’

We recite this shikshashtak, gets you in the right mood, prepares you with your mental preparations or your hearts condition, right emotion for setting the scene, before we chant. Ok and that is how much we could say. Shikshashtak seminar time is over and the next seminar could begin or would like to begin getting your attention to panchatatva.
[kirtan for some time]

panchatatva ki jay!
Radha Madhav ki jay
Shrila Prabhupada ki jay
Nitai Gaura Haribol!
Nitai Gaura Premanande haribol !

Question 1: Hare Krsna Maharaja the class was very nice, [One Prabhu asking question on behalf of a Mataji] Whenever we chanting the holy name of Krsna then externally we are chanting but mind is vacillating from one point to another. So by subduing the mind how can we chant and be satisfied this is the question.

Answer: Common question, be humble same thing I have no attraction what does that mean? I have so many other attractions. Mind is running hither and thither.

chanchalam hi manah krishna pramathi balavad dridham [BG 6.34]

So trinad api sunicena, in such a state of mind so try to develop that state of mind. Be humble easier said than done. Be humble, be tolerant, be respectful. We also said shikshashtak prayers meditate upon, that should make your mind peaceful settled then you chant. Lot of things have to be done but keep chanting. Some ceto-darpana marjanam will happen each time as we chant.

hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare’ It is a big topic, common topic, it’s a common question answer is not that short lot of things.

You could join sometimes japa retreats, Mahatma Prabhu or Sacinandana Swami Maharaja japa retreats where they spent few days or one week whole day this is a topic, how to chant, how to chant with concentration, how to control mind. All different things we have to do. Be intelligent, over the mind is intelligence. Chanting is a job of intelligent person.

yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah

Su-medhasa-You have to be intelligent. Intelligence could control the mind, the chanchal mind can be subdued with the intelligence. You shut up, you could preach your mind. Intelligence could address that flickering mind intelligence could discriminate. This is my favorite topic.

Lord’s creation is Acintya, beyond our capability to know
DELHI [1:9:36]
youth lecture

varsa-puga-sahasrante
tad andam udake sayam
kala-karma-svabhava-stho
jivo ‘jivam ajivayat [SB 2.5.34]

Translation: – Thus all the universes remained thousands of aeons within the water [the Causal Ocean], and the Lord of living beings, entering in each of them, caused them to be fully animated.

Purport: – The Lord is described here as the jiva because He is the leader of all other jivas (living entities). In the Vedas He is described as the nitya, the leader of all other nityas. The Lord’s relation with the living entities is like that of the father with the sons. The sons and the father are qualitatively equal, but the father is never the son, nor is the son ever the father who begets. So, as described above, the Lord as Garbhodakasayi Visnu or Hiranyagarbha Supersoul enters into each and every universe and causes it to be animated by begetting the living entities within the womb of the material nature, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (14.3).

After each annihilation of the material creation, all the living entities are merged within the body of the Lord, and after creation they are again impregnated within the material energy. In material existence, therefore, the material energy is seemingly the mother of the living entities, and the Lord is the father. When, however, the animation takes place, the living entities revive their own natural activities under the spell of time and energy, and thus the varieties of living beings are manifested. The Lord, therefore, is ultimately the cause of all animation in the material world.

Thus all the universes remained thousands of aeons within the water [the Causal Ocean], and the Lord of living beings, entering in each of them, caused them to be fully animated.

The animations are very popular and that is considered to be very advanced or very intelligent thing to do. Animations in television, they get different dolls to fight with each other or they seem to be talking, running after each other. That’s extent of our abilities to animate things, which then we sit in our sofa and watch our own creation and enjoy or be amazed, ‘Oh! What an animation look, amazing, the Disney world’. You know in America, their most famous animations are by the Disney world in North America.

So we are parts and parcels of the Lord and like father like son, the ability of the Lord is also in us in minute quantity and this is what little minute animation that we become the cause of. Or off course we create, we create little children. Lord has crated all of us and we create few children. Lord begets living entities within the womb of material nature. mama yonir mahat brahma [BG 14.3] Lord makes mahat-tattva, that is the womb and Lord’s glances, He glances upon that total material energy mahat tattva in front of Him. He doesn’t even have to touch it.

Just by looking at it He does the impregnation and how many? Countless living entities, they get animated as per kala, karma, svabhava, their karmas which they had committed during previous creation, and their bhava, inclinations, tendencies.

So we create few living entities or few, we don’t create living entities. They always exist. Give bodies, become cause of giving bodies to few children, but look at the Lord, how much He could create.

tasmin garbham dadhamy aham
sambhavah sarva-bhutanam
tato bhavati bharata

He becomes cause of sarva bhutanam, of all the living entities and giving them bodies also. First of all they are His parts and parcels. So whenever it is difficult to stress the history, when the living entities were created, mama amsa, purna amsa, some parts and parcels were created. We don’t know, difficult to find out.

So that creation of living entities and later on giving them bodies also, to sarva bhutanam, of all living entities.

I never heard this saying, this creation as the lila, sristi lila, Devakinandan Prabhu was explaining, different incarnations have different lilas or even there are lila- avataras. For first time I was thinking ‘Oh!This is also lila of the Lord. Creation is also lila, sristi lila. And the three Purusa-avataras put together, performing this lila. So what we do little bit is not described as lilas. We also have little creation, few children okay, big house okay, housing colony, or that kind of creation. Big bridge we build or little space Apollo 8 or Apollo 11, little Sputnik, there are unlimited ocean. At night time there are so many planets floating like a dust particle float in the air and then we say little sputnik floating. So these are the tiny creations of the tiny living entities. So they are not described as lilas, but when Lord performs the herculean tasks, big big tasks, creation of the universes, not just one but unlimited universes and within each universe so many planets and so much variety. For a tiny tiny living entities as we are, from where we are sitting, or wherever we are existing, from there to take a look at the one universe and so many universes and beyond that there is another kingdom, the spiritual kingdom, and living entities are tiny, and that tiny living entities’ brain is further tiny brain.

Prabhupada used to call ‘tini brain’. He would describe, ‘so that tini brain how much tini living entities, tini tiny how much that could understand? I mean what we know is very very little. There is a planet and there is space, so many planets in that space and there is ocean and there is whole world out there or in there in that ocean, so many varieties in there. I mean of the total creation of the Lord, all that exist, how much does living entity know? How much do living entities know? Just a fraction! Who was that? I think he was Einstein, he said “You admit that how much ignorant you are. If you could admit that I am so much ignorant means you are kind of knowledgeable, but one who thinks oh I know everything that is how the ignorance is described.” One who thinks that I know everything, that means you are ignorant. But if you admit, yes yes I am ignorant; in fact I don’t know so many things. Oh! He is knowledgeable. At least he knows that he doesn’t know. That is one scientist, Einstein was admitting.

You go to the beach and you take one sand particle from that beach, Juhu beach, where Prabhupada used to walk and then you admit that my knowledge is one particle that now I am holding within my pinch, that particle, may be that much or may be even less than that I know, compared to the number of sand particles on the beach. You know there are so many beaches also. So how much could living entity know? Not much!

So when Lord performs His lila, the sristi lila, the creation, then it is just mind boggling. It is just achintya, just beyond the grasp, the capability of living entity to know it. But in order to make the living entity knowledgeable or at least as much as living entity could know to the extent they could know here in, in this part, in this section of Bhagavatam, the creation has been described, not just theory of creation, the facts of creation have been described. I was thinking how Narada Muni, he had gone to the authority in the creation, next to the Lord or Lord’s right hand man. Lord is cause of all causes, that is the chapter here we are dealing with, Lord is cause of all causes, sarva karana karanam. So the popular fact is, Brahma is the creator, but even Brahma had to be created by the Lord before he creates more things. So Lord is cause of all causes, even cause of Brahma who is kind of secondary cause of creation. Lord is sarga and visarga is, we were hearing and understanding in yesterday’s class also. So Brahma certainly has a big role. If anyone has to play role besides the Lord, that is Brahma. He has big big role to play in the creation of brahmanda.

So what Narada muni is doing? He is going all the way to the top authority in this creation, who is responsible for this creation. He goes there, he says okay Brahmaji. He does interview. We heard those ten questions yesterday which are at the beginning of this chapter. Yad rupam, yad adhistanam, and total number of ten questions were raised. So Narada Muni, who also has inferior position, he is going to the superior authority. He is going to father also, Narada muni is son and Brahma is father. ‘Oh! Father, daddy daddy, could you please tell me, explain to me, be kind upon me’.

So keeping in mind, these things human beings should know, or they should know these things even as lila of the Lord. The creation is lila of the Lord and oh my dear father Brahmaji, and he is asking all those questions, all possible questions that human beings would want to know about the creation, those questions were raised by Narada muni. Probably he sat in Badrikasrama and made a list, oh! these questions probably people from Delhi would ask and these questions people from Ney York would ask, and these questions from here and there, and he made up a list and Badrikasrama because that is his headquarter, Badrinarayan he worships in Bharat varsha.

Narayana, Narayana, Narayana, that’s why when you see Narada muni, you remember Narayana or he reminds whole world about Narayana, he gives out Narayana. So Badrikasrama is his place and when he comes back, he probably prepares or he thinks, reflects, he plans. Anyway somewhere he made this list and he approached Brahma, ‘Could you please tell us about this creation, this this this tell us, ten questions.’ And what we are hearing these days in Bhagavatam class including today’s verse is reply, is a response to Narada muni’s questions.

The person who is asking questions, who has made list of these questions is a topnotch authority himself. Pure and he is representative of all the people. And he has to go around and what if someone will ask me about creation? You know I go every where. Then I better know, I better equipped myself with answers to these questions. Otherwise could be very embarrassing position as those Yamadutas were embarrassed.

Prabhupada writes, if you are representing someone, before you go out there to represent, you better be knowledgeable about the representation, about what you have to present. So Narada muni is world preacher and he is going to the topmost authority and wants to know all the things about creation. And the answers given were nothing but the truth. If anybody knows about the creation, of course Lord knows, and there is another person who knows and that is Brahma, because he is directly involved with the creation. So that person had been interviewed by Narada muni and these are the answers to those questions.

And these are facts, this is the truth for all the time to come. And Narada muni and Brahma both of them, they want to go on record and that record is here, in Srimad Bhagavatam, several chapters. Many many chapters dealing with creation, sarga visarga, very in depth or mystical also and so many great details and very interesting details about the creation of the Lord. So this is it. In fact this is, if anyone any where any time is interested in knowing about the creation of the Lord, creation which is out there, this is the place, this is the source. You go into the Bhagavatam, Vedic texts Upanishads and puranas, like that essence of all that is in here in this amal purana, Srimad Bhagavat purana. And you hear this you read this and you become knowledgeable about the creation of Lord……….

The creator mentioned here is jiva, jivo ajivam ajivayat, close very nicely, even sounds very nice. Jivo ajivam ajivayat, one jiva, jiva also means life, jiva. Oh! This is nirjiva, they say, this doesn’t have jiva, this doesn’t have life. So the first person, Prabhupada is describing that person is leader of all the living entities. And he is also jiva because he is full of life. Infact life comes from life. Prabhupada made that bold statement, life comes from life. So that is right here. Jivo, in the beginning there was jiva, the Supreme living entity and he is the cause of all causes and from that jiva from that life rest of the life has come into existence.

hiranyagarbha-antaryami , that jiva has been described as hiranyagarbha that is Garbhodakasayi Vishnu. That jiva also has been described as antaryami, antaryami Krsna, Lord in the heart, or Supersoul.

Samsar vyatirikta paramesvarah, jiva is samsar vyatirikta means someone who is beyond this samsar, this material existence. This jiva doesn’t come from, He is not part of this creation, samsara. Living entities are also samsar vyatirikta. Living entities are also from beyond this material existence but He is not only samsar vyatirikta but He is samsara vyatirikta parameshvarah, He is Supreme Personality of Godhead and He is creator. Yesterday also the word ubhayam, means two had appeared. He creates Brahmanda, anda, egg like shape, anda, egg and brahmanda, brahma mahad yonir. So brahmanda is universe and He is also creator of pinda, another word had been used for the living entities. The brahmanda is universe, and one is anda, one is pinda, brahmanda is material universe and pinda, each one of us is a pinda. Like we hear, pinde pinde matir bhinna or munde munde matir bhinna Mati means intelligence.

Devakinandan Prabhu was also throwing light how each one is different or thoughts are different, everything is different. You could see, he gave a class and I am also giving a class. He said each one of us could give a class, would be talking, talking the truth but differently. This is also amazing creation of the Lord, though two persons look alike, there are hundreds of you are sitting and each one is different looking, except who? Jananivas and Pankajangri! Even after 30 years I cannot figure it out. I have to take few minutes to understand to whom I am
talking with, this is Pankajangri or this is Jananivas. One has bigger shikha, one has small. There is some difference. Difference is there but it’s very subtle. Isn’t this amazing!

And sometimes we could hear, it could be true, that at the beginning of creation till now all the bodies created by the Lord, not two bodies are alike. Not that present batch each one is different, but the previous batch and the previous, each batch, no two bodies were created just alike. At least some slight difference, little scar, something will be different. And this is something amazing, that we could just sit and appreciate and become Krsna Conscious. If we could just sit and be amazed. Instead of going to see Agra, to see the eighth wonder of the world, you could just sit in Vrindavan and hear about the creation of the Lord and be amazed, such a wonderful Lord is. Of course Krsna is wonderful, there is chapter Prabhupada gave title as a wonderful Krsna, but even there is wonderful Maha- Vishnu, wonderful Garbhodakasayi Vishnu, wonderful Kshirodakasayi Vishnu. We don’t have to, yeah I mean only appreciate rasa dance and talk about rasa dance, and how amazing and appreciate and relish. But here this Sristi lila is also such a amazing thing, we could relish and we could really go deeper and understand step by step the creation of the Lord and the subtleties and the details and the flavor, and just amazing thing what Lord does. Amazing, wonderful creation of the Lord!

Brahmanda and that anda and this pinda and all that is in anda is also in pinda, all that is out there is also in this body in minute quantity, different elements out there, bhumir-apo nalo vayuh kham all are out there and in here also. So the whole brahmanda you want to sample, just sample your body, and analyze your body. And by knowing pinda you could know lot about anda, the whole brahmanda.

So what attracted my attention is Prabhupada writes in the purport of the second verse of the same chapter, this is Srila Prabhupada ki jai! ‘Contrary to such mental speculative theories of creation, however, Narada Muni wanted to know all the facts of creation in truth, and not by theories.’ So many theories are floating, many be at the time of Narada muni also, and big bang theory and many other theories are there and Narada muni just wanted to smash those or expose those or establish the facts. Not just go by the theories but he wanted to establish the truth about the creation.

Srila Prabhupada being a representative of all the previous acaryas and Brahma and Narada muni, is really wanting to attract attention of the whole world, ‘are you interested in knowing the truth how the world was created’ and if you say yes, then here, Bhagavatam is the way. You may be studying the theories which are full of mental speculations but the facts are these. This is spoken by the person who was involved with the creation. Right then and there, millions of year ago, when the creation took place, this person Brahma, he was right there. Not
just witnessing but he was involved, making his hands dirty. Look his hands are still dirty. He is holding the microphone and giving interview.

I have not studied Bible in depth but what we hear from our devotees, with the Christian background, is the description of the creation of this world. Of course the great thing is that we appreciate, that they admit. Bible admits that this world was created by the Lord, that is a good thing. This world was created by the Lord, not much detailed. And He took some, six days to create. And by that time He was kind of exhausted and on seventh day He took some rest and that was sunday. And following the footsteps of God, who took rest on sunday, we also. Of course we are fighting for more rest. So beside sunday now we have saturday for half day. We want to work less, more pay, work less more pay.

In the beginning there was sound, shabda. From sound, shabda, then sparsha, rupa, rasa, gandha like that, each of these five elements, earth, water, fire, air, ether, ether has only sound. Ether is most subtle element and it has only sound and the next one has sound and touch, like that. You go to next one, there are three things, fourth one four things, like that. So whatever is written in Bible is also true, giving credit to God, the creation of the God. Of course He creates. He existed before creation. He was there at the time of creation. But the only trouble is, how much you could relish, whatever written in the Bible, although that is also lila, but described in such a summarized way that you can not really relish. And for the fact, cannot appreciate also, unless you get into the details of creation you cannot appreciate it. So what is in the Bible although truth, but not much we could relish because so many missing links are there. And some holes are there, and doesn’t make sense some times. So this is how devotees has explained, this is what Christians has to say or Bible has to say.

Very recently I came across the statement from Kurana about creation. They kind of agree with the description of creation given in the Bible, the Muslims agree with what is written in Bible. Only disagreement they have with the Christian or with the Bible is, they are saying, hey come on, you are making our Lord, Allah kind of ordinary person. You are saying that He was working for six days for creation and then He was exhausted, He was tired. Come on, God cannot be tired. He is never tired. And He created for six days and on seventh day He took rest, they don’t agree with His taking rest. Lord and taking rest, doesn’t go together, they think so. And that’s the only difference Christians and Muslims have to say about creation. Of course both the parties fully agree that Lord has created this world. But because what has been presented in Bible and Kurana is not complete and perfect and in great detail, some places it doesn’t make sense, and that has given rise to the speculation of the scientists.

The scientists or intelligent beings, intellectuals, they always want to keep their brains busy and active and do exercises. Others do exercise with the muscles, the intellectual persons they do exercise for their brain muscles. Their power is in brain muscle and they want to keep it fit and active. So they were referring to this Bible and Kurana theories and that was not convincing and some intelligent theory has to be presented to the world, so they came up with the popular theory of creation which is known as big bang. What is the name of the theory? Big Bang!
What was big? The bang was big. The sound that explosion had made, they kind of talk about some kind of mahat tattva. Or the mass of matter was just sitting there, the mahat tattva. They don’t know, not talking about that, but the matter was there. And then for nothing or suddenly or for no prior cause or notice because there was no person according to them, for the creation, just a big bang, big explosion took place and whole matter started to scatter everywhere. And then came into, beautiful round shaped ball started floating.

But that’s not the experience. When the explosion, when the terrorist came, they also went to the State towers and they exploded those twin towers. Did some beautiful thing came out, that you would go and take photograph, ‘Oh! Wow what a beautiful creation this is.’ Or in Japan, Americans when they got the karma back, in Japan they used their bombs, the most powerful bomb was exploded, and did some housing societies, planets, some beautiful things came out of that explosion? So the experience that we have of the explosions is that nothing beautiful nothing wonderful nothing that you could use that comes into existence as a result of some small or big bang or some explosion.

So with this we reject and I am sure there are so many others arguments, who was, behind every explosion, there is a person, either he is right there lighting the bomb, may be the crude way to light the bomb is you go with candle and you light it. May be that was being done some 50 years ago. But now remote control, but still there is a remote, machine is there and person to push the button is there. So no explosion is automatic, unless some person is involved.

So this is how the big bang theory is down the drain. I also was thinking how, because what was available to the western world, the information or views or news of creation from Bible and Kurana, that did not satisfy the scientists and intellectuals. And then they had to speculate and speculate and they speculated to their heart’s content. There was no one to stop them. Generation after generation, they went on speculating and supporting these imaginary theories, big bang and some other theories. And they did this because the facts were not available to them. The Bhagavatam theory was not made popular. Of course this big bang theory and this is all from last 500 years and few thousand years there was a time when this was a theory. This was a common knowledge. ‘Oh! How was the world created?” Everyone knew. You could stop anyone on the street and ask them how the world was created. And they would refer to the conversation between Narada muni and Brahma or Maitreya muni and Vidura. They knew, that every student, his schooling began with the guru’s asram.

brahmachari gurukule vasandantam guraur hitam

They all went to guru’s asram. The perfect narottamas, thoroughly purified and honest persons as they were, they were only speaking the truth and spreading the truth, travelling extensively. Wherever there is some black spot, some ignorance, wherever, they would go with the torch light of knowledge and dispel the darkness by discussing these topics of creation from Bhagavatam and other scriptures. So one time, 500 years ago, 5000 year ago in satya yuga, in treta yuga, every single human being practically everyone knew how the world was created.

So the present theories are just few hundred years old concoctions or mental speculations which world is buying because there was nothing substantial being presented. But now the task has begun with Srila Prabhupada entering the field of the whole world with the original facts from Narada muni and Brahma which are right there in Bhagavatam which are being distributed far and wide. So this big bang theory doesn’t have much future; not much longer into the future this big bang theory would be accepted as something intelligent. Like so many other
theories are being challenged not only by Hare Krsna’s, but other intelligent beings are challenging theories.

One of such theory, very popular theory, theory of Darwin, theory of evolution being challenged all the time. I had read in the newspaper before about the challenges and rejection of Darwin’s theory of evolution, but something very recently, a week ago, what I, Darwin under attack by US school boards. US that is American school boards are attacking Darwin’s theory, appeared in a front page of Sunday Express on 2 nd January. And the writer, of course the whole news is from America, as it is, and God or Darwin, report says, God or Darwin choice is yours And this is US school boards; they want to go for God. They want to reject this Darwin. All or most of the report says, okay we may could accept this as a theory but not a fact. May be something let it be there before it dissolves, completely dead, but as a theory and not as a fact.

Report also says, I definitely would preferably believe that God created me and I am not the cousin or descendant of the ape, monkey. The Darwin was presenting that the most evolved being was ape, monkey, some 5,6,7 thousand years ago. The human being from the monkey, monkey was using all the four feet, he kind of stood up, started up gradually. Then his four limbs became his hands and the tail went inside from back and this became feet hands, feet became hands and no tail and he stood erect. And this all happened some few thousand years ago and then first edition, first version of human beings, they were such uncivilized, uneducated. They were living in the caves, cave man theory and they used to fight a lot amongst each other, men of one cave with men of another cave. They had no instruments. They just used rocks, throwing rocks at each other.

At the time of your battle of Kurukshetra its described amazing kind of weapons were used in Mahabharat war around that time. Actually human being has just now has come into existence and he was using rocks and some sticks to beat each other and there were no towns and cities. And from time the human being has further evolved and he is becoming more and more intelligent and intelligent and most civilized human being in the present version of human beings. So in brief, and in the beginning was amoeba, when the world was created in the beginning was amoeba, not Brahma but amoeba. So that’s Darwin’s theory of evolution which was being taught in all schools and colleges in all over the planet including India, unfortunately. I am sure, even in Mathura University, vidyapith is teaching evolutionary theory of Darwin. Vaisnavas never taught such theory.

Prabhupada not even spit at such theories, why even spit, waste of spit on such a garbage. He just used his boot to kick. He didn’t want to kick the face but with the boot only.

So one by one, let us maintain some strong faith and some more patience and we would realize that all those things which are presented as some kind of truth all over the world will be exposed. They would be proven wrong when we know what is right. And gradually there is a major change.

I was talking with Bhakti Svarupa Damodar Maharaja, on the phone just few days ago. He conducted his world conference, scientific conference in Rome, in Italy just few months ago to celebrate Prabhupada’s 108 th birth anniversary. And he said there were so many scientists, but 32 of them, he had a list of then, but 32 scientists talking in favor of God or God’s existence. There was a time when scientist would say, prove it, can you show me God? Yes yes? Okay then I can accept. But now same scientists are coming to the senses and gradually there is global revolution in consciousness. And certainly the chanting of, Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare And study of the scriptures and the air is getting filled with truth which is defeating the myth and that truth is inspiring so many individuals all over the planet now.

There is a study first time, Rasaraj was mentioning to me, ‘For the first time you would be amazed to know,’ I was amazed, ‘first time the research on consciousness is being done.’ The scientists are doing research into consciousness, consciousness means conscientious. You go beyond, it’s not just matter, something living, something conscious. They want to study consciousness, because they may have different, whatever idea they may have, what the consciousness is. But at least they are coming to the conclusion that this world is not just the dead matter, as Darwin was also trying to prove, this is bunch of chemicals and interaction of this chemical, life come to existence.

No! this verse is talking that original jiva that samsara vyatirikta parameshvarah, the Supreme Personality of Godhead was full of life, He gave life, He put life into everything was there around, the living entities and got them working as per their karma and svabhava. Ajivayat, He becomes cause of giving life to others, life comes from life. So life is being studied as a consciousness for the first time and this is happening.

Of course you know when Prabhupada, in easy journey to other planets, Prabhupada writes, the scientists are coming to the conclusion, if there is a matter, oh possibly there must be antimatter also. If there is material then there must be anti-material, something anti-material. What is anti-material? That is a spirit. Matter is matter and anti-matter is spirit. Some scientists are waking up to the reality. It is their good fortune and good fortune of so many others, because in this day and age, the scientists have become the gurus of the masses. The guru’s or acarya’s position has been taken over by the scientist. If scientist says something, everyone, Prabhupada says, double standard, double standard here.

When sadhu is talking, acarya is talking then you challenge him, show me, could you prove it? But when scientist says something, lot of things which are not proven, people don’t ask those questions any more, even, oh could you prove it. Their speculation, they are just blindly accepting it. And Prabhupada said, this is double standard. You are asking us to prove, show me, but you are not asking similar questions to the scientist to prove it.

So it is very important for the spread of this Hare Krsna movement all over the planet, the scientists are big stumbling block, because they are taken as the authority and they are presenting so many theories, bogus theories, they don’t know they begin with, their source and anybody’s source to become scientist you don’t have to be man of any kind of character, no. you could be a woman hunter, you could be meat eater, you could be speculator and what else, what did I miss? Drunkard, yeah, you can have a wine bottle in one hand and you are punching your keys and theories you are typing on the screen and it’s fine. It’s fine. They may be murderer, they may be terrorist, they could be anything. No questions are raised. Only their theories are accepted, because with those theories you could

exploit this material world and that is when you could be ishvaro aham, and you could declare, not only declare but practically be that Ishvar, the controller, the enjoyer. So it’s a good team, right? Good team, the scientists are making job easy, facilitating the demoniac nature and giving them how to be enjoyer, ishvaro aham. So from that isvaro aham status, human being want to achieve, they want kingdom of God without God. Srila Prabhupada ki Jai!

Wonderful Prabhupada, kind of statements Prabhupada has made, he was the first one to speak this kind of language. It was most relevant statement, Prabhupada has made. So from that position human beings are taking, isvaro aham, we have to bring them down to daso aham, dasosmi, not bossosmi, boss asmi. So these theories and the scientists and they are just eager for the exploitation of the world, this is how they are helping and people are getting distracted and as a result, in fact suffering. They want to enjoy, but they are suffering.

So the last lecture series Prabhupada gave on the planet in Mumbai was, the present day, modern civilization is a total failure. Only alternative is Krsna consciousness, this was his topic. From Mayapur he went straight to Mumbai and everyday he was roaring like a lion, although we have to lift him, literally lift him and put him on a vyasasan, but once he was on a microphone, he was getting the audience trembling. He was very bold and outspoken and this civilization is total failure, only solution is Krsna Consciousness.

So many myths are being spread, but now the Prabhupada’s books are everywhere. Do you know, I am sure this is, another place also this hold true, that Delhi distributed 86000 Bhagavad Gitas in marathon. Devotees of Delhi and Panjabi Bagh, 86,000 Bhagavad-gitas out there. And like that, this is just one city’s score and wait till you hear about what Bombay did and other temples did and to distribute books and to spread this knowledge. This is Prabhupada’s program, so that truth is established this way.

dharma samsthapanarthaya and then sarve sukhina bhavantu, people could be happy and in real sense will be prosperous and that’s life. That’s real life. So let us push on Prabhupada’s program, Prabhupada’s movement, spreading the Holy name and Bhagavatam, the knowledge based on Bhagavatam. This way spread the truth. World will be benefited and this is the topmost welfare work, Prabhupada used to say.

Krsna exists, God exists and He is the one behind this Base program that we have here, the get together with some of His devotees, some of the devotees of God. Those who do not know much more about God, they just say God God, but we call Him Krsna, because we know that God has name, many names. The principle name is Krsna. And that Krsna is cause of all causes.

sarvakaranakaranam

Including this morning’s program, this happening here, the event certainly. How could God not be the cause of this program, this get together also?

Krsna exists thenyou also exist. Again He is the cause of your, our existence. He must be, who else? And then you exist in the form, in the shape which is kind of mysterious. Your form is very mystical, confidential, the secret that even you don’t know your own IDs, identities. And that ID is you are spirit souls. You are atma.

mamaivamsojivalokejivabhutahsanatanah[BG 15.7]

That is your real identification and that ID has a form. If you had a spiritual camera, you could take photographs of atma and that ID that personality, that form is very closely connected with Supreme Personality of Godhead. You are very dear to Him, Krsna. That is Krsna, you are very dear to Him or to Him all the living entities are very dear. All the living entities are very dear to Him. And because He is very kind, He has arranged this program, series of programs. This is one of those series of get togethers and encounters with some other devotees of Krsna, ‘Hare Krsna’s, Krsna devotees.

Lord is kind and He knows that you are not and cannot be happy. You are not happy and you cannot be happy in this existence. Krsna knows that, because He is the creator of this existence. Then He is the cause of this existence and He has already declared that this existence is dukhalayamasasvatam. This existence is dukhalaya and very much temporary. God knows everything, including the nature of His creation. And He knows that we all are not happy. We cannot be happy in this existence which is full of sufferings. So He comes, He also comes here, in this material world. And He doesn’t become material. He doesn’t become mundane. He remains what He is. He remains transcendental to this world. In this world but not of this world! Lord comes and He comes in this world, but He is not of this world, you understand this? He belongs to another world. He comes in here, but He always belongs to another world. Although this world belongs to Him, but He doesn’t take much interest in matter of making His residence here in this world. He always remains eternally in His own abode.

And then He sends Nidradevi [Laughter] forget Him, ignore Him. When we ignore. He is such an ignorant person. Ultimately ignorant of what? Ignorant of Krsna, ignorant of God! He is ignoring. Sometimes we say ‘I was right there but he just ignored me. He just ignores me everytime I am around. I was in that party. I was right there but he just ignored me’. Trying to make you understand the meaning of ignorance, he is ignorant. He ignores me. So what are we ignorant of in this world is, ignorance of the Lord. And we are ignoring Him all the time. All the times He is around, He visits, He is around. Although His own abode is eternally in the spiritual kingdom, He also stations Himself in this world. But the purpose was basically to reclaim, reclamation the souls His parts and parcels, His devotees. The sole purpose of God’s coming into this world, God’s residing in this world, or God’s residing in our hearts or God’s residing in different forms in this world, the sole purpose is to rectify our mentality. The sole purpose is to, He like to expose Himself to those who are ignoring Him. Or He is around here to remind us, ‘Oh! I exist, I exist do you remember Me? I am your very dear friend. Don’t you remember Me?’ So to remind us that He exists, to remind us that we all belong to Him, to remind us that we are spirit souls, parts and parcels of Him, to remind that you cannot be happy here.

He comes to give lessons. Happy happy we shall be when we learn our ABC! So sometimes the teachings of Krsna in the form of Bhagavad-gita, this is like a foundational knowledge. This ABC’s of the spiritual subject matters. So ABC doesn’t mean not very important. ABC is always important, whether it is a student doing just his KG. Before there was no KG.Now there is KG and this and that, all this going on. During our days, at least, I was part of village, there was not KG and LKG and this and that and so many things. In my village the parents would bring their children to the school and the teacher would ask, ‘how old is he?’‘He is six years old’. ‘No, too early![Laughter] Come next year’. At the age of seven they would admit children into the school. But now they are starting this education, so called education that teaches you the ways and means to ignore God, forget God. We don’t care for Him. You are God. Not exactly in those terms, we are the controllers of the environment. They don’t say we are God, but we are controller, that’s God. We are the enjoyers, that’s God. We are the exploiters, we are God. We are knowledgeable, we are God. This is God, controller, knowledgeable this and that. So this education, forget the God, compete with God. So this is ignorance.

So in this way on the name of knowledge what is taught is ignorance. Ignorance is cultivated. Everyday, we go to school, higher school and then overseas education also and layer upon layer upon layer, you are being distant from God, away from God. Closer to Maya that is away from God. Every step taken closer to Maya, that is another step away from God. Going in the midst of Maya so that Krsna cannot even access you. You are so absorbed and captured and bound by Maya that you don’t remember Krsna. You think you don’t need Krsna. ‘Oh who has seen Krsna, God?’
So this is education which is described in the Upanisada as ‘atmah’, the killer of the soul. The present education is killer of the soul. It kills soul, the spirit soul. The soul cannot be cut and killed, that is also our understanding. But atleast they try to cover, put cover on the soul, another layer, another package, another package with all the glitter of this existence, all the dazzling nature of the creation, and they want to be get attracted to that, like a moth, moth you know? Little creature called moth, he is attracted by the fire. And what happens? Svaha! He kills himself, commits suicide that way, his existence, the end of his existence as he is attracted by that glitter, dazzling. ‘The kingdom of God, without God’, this is Prabhupada’s statement, very famous statement. Everybody is busy creating kingdom of God without God. Why do we need God, what for? I am God. So kingdom of God without God!

So Krsna is kind. And He comes and He returns. He also stays here in the form of the Deities. Radha Govindadevaki Jai! Comes in the form of Radha Govindadeva, takes avatar, comes to stay in Noida. Lord makes His residence in Noida. Resident of Noida! He comes to Vrindavan, He is always there. That is another something to understand that in Vrindavan Lord resides eternally, even now. And that Vrindavan is not different from GolokaVrindavan. So He is residing and He comes and speaks, opens His heart, confidentially He speaks to Arjuna. But that speech was meant for everyone in this material world. He is addressing one person, but infactLord is thinking, every single, at least He is thinking of human, the souls in the human bodies, embodied. The soul is embodied by 8 million and four hundred thousandvarieties of bodies, embodied. Then the human body, embodied. Lord is thinking, at least, the humans are only party that is capable of understanding Krsna, understanding His message. So He spoke to Arjuna, but He meant to speak to each one of us. So then that speech is also made available to read everyday by newer and newer generation after generation after generation, they could read and hear and understand the message of the Lord.
So that kind Lord makes all these arrangements. Kind Lord also appears in the form of His Holy name. This is incarnation of the Lord.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna KrsnaKrsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama RamaRama Hare Hare!

This is Lord’s incarnation, avatar. He descends in this existence especially in this age of Kali in the form of Holy Name. What for? To communicate with us, to contact with us, to touch us, Lord wants to touch us. We could touch Him through the medium of this Holy name of the Lord. The soul could touch the Supreme soul. Supreme soul is Holy name. Supreme Soul, Supreme Personality of Godhead is- the Holy Name is Supreme Personality of Godhead. This Holy name is Bhagavan and the living entity isbhakta. Living entity, the spirit soul within this body is a bhakta and then bhakta and Bhagavan are connected. There is communication through bhakti, through devotion. As one chant with attention and with devotion, chants and hears, that is communication. That is yoga that is link, established.
So we are not behind the cause of this program. Don’t blame us. The parents were blaming, this Hare Krsna’s are the cause of distracting our children. No, this is Gods, Krsna’s. This is His arrangement amongst all those different arrangements we mentioned. He is advent to this world, and He is speaking Bhagavad Gita or He is appearing in the form of Deities, in the form of Holy Name. He also sends His devotes or He revives Krsna consciousness of spirit souls and they become devotees. When they become devotees, they understand, they further empowered by the Lord to convert others also to take this path, to others also become Krsna Conscious. Lord gives this inspiration. This is Lord’s arrangement. This is Lord’s mission. Not accident, but arrangement! This get together here is not accident. This is whole arrangement. Krsna is behind this. So Krsna is making the arrangements. He has also founded this Hare Krsna movement, International Society for Krsna Consciousness. It’s foundation, it’sexistence, it’s propagation which is taking place all over the world, this is all Krsna’s, Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s kind arrangement. Hare Krsna!
So we should not be held responsible. It is Krsna who is responsible. It is His arrangement.

Sankirtanaikpitarau

He is the founding father of the Hare Krsna movement, inspiring empowering, directing the devotees, the leaders of Hare Krsna movement to contact or directing them to other souls. For especially to those souls whose time has come. This Hare Krsna idea’s time has come. The Hare Krsna movement in this from or other form always existent and it is existing now. Not that everybody could come this way or towards Hare Krsna way. Only some are going to come.

manusyanamsahasresukascidyatatisiddhaye[BG 7.3]

Out of thousands and thousands only handful are going to come in the direction of this Hare Krsna’s or Radha Krsna’s.

The reason being why only those, because their time has come or they have gone through.

bahunamjanmanam ante gyanavan mam prapadyate
vasudevamsarvamitisa mahatma sudurlabhah [BG 7.19]

Krsna says. So those who are coming to Krsna now, they had been coming from previous many lives, they had been coming and coming closer closercloser and now closest, right there. So there are the paths. This is revolution of consciousness. This is revolution, elevation in Krsna Consciousness also. So those who are elevated their time has come and they are going to take this Krsna Consciousness.

So Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupadaki jai! He started this, Founder Acarya of International Society for Krsna Consciousness, does preaching in India also. And he was appealing to the parents, ‘Oh how many children you have?’‘I have five children’. ‘Give me one’ [Laughter]. Those days five or even dozens they were allowed. Having dozens children, normal thing! Now ‘ham do hamareeak (one)’, Oh!Not even do(two)! They used to write behind the scooter ‘ham do hamare do’. But there was time ‘astaputrasaubhagyavati’, may you have eight children. So during Prabhupada time, there 100 or 150 years ago, there was no limit and there was no need of limit. There was lot of supply. Krsna or Krsna’s earth, Bhumi was providing, Vasundhara, means the holder or bearer of the wealth, vasu means wealth, Vasundhara. Earth is still holding but not releasing that wealth in different forms. She is not happy with her offspring’s. We are children of earth, Dharati Mata, mother earth is not happy with us, so she is not releasing or hiding the wealth, holding on.

Like cow, sometimes there is milk in the udder of the cow, but specially there is no calf. Calf is taken away. They don’t let calf to drink the milk, enjoy the milk. The human beings instead of feeding the calf, the calf not getting the due share, quota, they banned the calf from drinking. They want to drink, they want to exploit. Cow is not very happy with this strategy, so that time although there is milk, she doesn’t let it go. She holds on to the milk. This is example. Likewise the earth has all the riches, all the wealth, but not happy with the quality of her children or their consciousness, their attitude is not very good. They are trying to exploit her. Anyways that is another topic, I don’t want to open up.

Cutting the forest, as like making the earth naked.This forests are like, sometimes poet describes, it is like a sari, mother earth is wearing sari. Look at the embroidery, nice beautiful, varieties of flowers, and this that. This cutting trees, deforestation, this is very similar to attempt of Dushasan to disrobe Draupadi. And the outcome off course was Dushasan lost his life for that attempt trying to disrobeDraupadi, intention of enjoying, exploiting. So that is also happening with mother earth, because our attitude towards mother earth is not right. Trying to exploit, enjoy, spoil, and as a result earth is developing some temperature, global warming. 4 degrees increased. So she has developed fever and not happy with her children, that’s why she is not supplying. Otherwise there is no shortage. She has all the riches in the stock.

So Srila Prabhupada, the founder of this Hare Krsna movement, he was approaching parents, oh! you have five children. Give me one! But no one even gave one son in India. He approached so many ladies and gentlemen. No one responded. Then He was also advertising when he was in Jhansi, the advertisement in newspapers, ‘Students wanted! Young man wanted! I will train them. I will make them brahmanas, the men of better qualities.’

[Coughing sound] You cannot do anything about what I am going through. Just bare with me.So he wanted some youngsters to step forward, join him and he also wanted them to send all over the world to propagate the truth, preach the culture of Bharat varsa and Krsna consciousness, Bhagavat dharma, you could give different names. He wanted to propagate this Holy name, but there was no response. And then of course he was asked or ordered by his spiritual master, go to the west and preach Krsna consciousness in English language there. That is what he ultimately did. He was preparing, lifetime in preparation. Almost 80%of his life he prepared and then he went to the west and he propagated Krsna consciousness there. And there was very good response there. There was no need to approach the parents, please give me your son or give me your daughter. Because so many sons and daughters of American soil, they had abandoned their parents. They had left their parents [laughter]. They were wandering aimlessly, looking for alternative. They had everything at their disposal to enjoy. They had the kingdom of God, residential palaces. They were residing in palaces, gardens, cars and what not. You could dream and that was there. But none of it satisfied them. Matter cannot satisfy the soul, the spirit. Spirit cannot be satisfied with the matter. You cannot feed the matter to the soul. The souls were starving. Souls are souls, whether the souls are in Indian body or American body or whoever body. Souls are souls. You could only feed spirit to the spirit. You cannot feed matter to the spirit.

So they were looking out. ‘Is there any way out? Is this the way life is?’ And they were all frustrated,looking beyond that kingdom of God. ‘Is there any other kingdom? Is this the only kingdom? Is there something beyond, something better, some alternative?’ and then around the time, when they were looking, the time had come for so many souls. Souls in American bodies, their time had come to find the Supreme Spirit, to find the God, meet God, to get connected with the God. Their time had come. Nothing mundane was making them happy. Srila Prabhupada presented Krsna consciousness. And then as a result they all became happy. Even hippies became happies. Some of you don’t know what is hippy. Which I will not explain, but the other day, on morning walk, one of you, I don’t know who, when I mentioned,‘These hippies became happies’. The bhakta said, ‘what is hippy? What do you mean by hippy?’ Travelling, that is from another generation. Good that you don’t know. You don’t have to know. Not of good thing to know, what is hippy. But hippies became happies, and that much you could know.

Then so many American boys and girls were joining Srila Prabhupada, thentheir parents were not happy with what was happening to their children. And there was a court case in New York, big case against Hare Krsna movement, against this Swami, Indian Swami. He has brainwashed our children. Brain washing charges against Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada! He has brain washed. Anyway Prabhupada’s one response was, ‘well you made their brains dirty, and I did the washing. What is a charge? Why are you penalizing me? You should be rewarding me for this brain washing that I did. I did cleansing job.’

Of course those parents were not the first ones to accuse Mahatma or a devotee. Daksha had done the same thing, long long time ago. When Narada Muni had done the preaching, NaradA Muni preached to ten thousand sons of Daksha. Daksha means expert and he was expert in producing children. He was Prajapati. That was his duty to produce lots of children. So when Narada Muni did the talking preaching program and Narada Muni also was accused by Daksha. He was calling all ill names, bad names. This is in Bhagavatam, description you can read. And ultimately Daksha also cursed Narada Muni, ‘I curse you.’ And what is the curse? Daksha said, ‘I curse you, so that you cannot stay at one place more than three days.’ And when Narada Muni heard this, he said, ‘this is not a curse. This is blessing. I am very happy. Thank you! Thank You! Now I could go to more places. From place to place to place I could go chanting the glories of the Lord. I thank you for such a curse.’

So Srila Prabhupada also used to say that, everytime Srila Prabhupada went to stay in temples, there were nice arrangement for Prabhupada’s stay, nice quarters for Prabhupada. And then he used to say, ‘because your parents have cursed me I also cannot stay in one place more than few days, although nice arrangements. I could have stayed longer but your parents have cursed me like Daksha had cursed, ‘only three days’’. And then Srila Prabhupada wanted to stay in one place and write his books but he used to say to his disciples or senior disciples, ‘now I want to transfer that curse unto you. That curse you may also travel more and more so that I could stay. I transfer the curse so that I could stay at one place and can write books’. This was his vision.

Anyway this, I was rememberinganother gentleman, one time Prabhupada was travelling on a train and one gentleman he was traveling with his son and he was approaching Srila Prabhupada, ‘Swamiji, please bless my son?’ Every now and then he would come with the son, ‘please bless my son, please bless my son’. And Prabhupada decided to bless his son. He said ‘give your son to me’. Then this gentleman took his son away, to some other compartment or at the end of train, in the last coach. And he never again approached Srila Prabhupada, otherwise he was just bothering, please bless my son. Please bless my son.

So parents also don’t know what is a blessing? Anyway it is good to know that the alternative is there. The whole world is busy, the government is busy, the education system is busy just presenting one alternative, mundane, materialistic approach, mundane kind of kingdom of God. So one should know that there are some other alternative? Something else also exists. Does another kingdom exist? This is only life style or there is alternative? Are there only cinema songs or there other kind of, Hare Krsna songs, some other kind songs also exists? Does only illusion exists or does truth also exists? So good to know preferably at the beginning of our life to know this. Then there is alternative, this alternative. Then you take a pick. Then you have a choice. Right now, the material world is not offering you any, materialistic leaders or parents and educational ministers, they are not offering any alternative. ‘This is it. This is it’.

But then Krsna very kindly is making offer of this other alternative. ‘Hey I exist. Not only Maya exists, I exist. I am here. Haribol! Look at me’. Not at me, look at Krsna! Sleeping souls wake up. Is sleeping only is alternative? Waking up! Alternative is there. So on the behalf of Krsna, there are some other parties also, but Hare Krsna party, Hare Krsna movement is adding this dimension, making this other alternative available. You should be very much exposed to this. You are made aware of this alternative, the reality, the truth, spiritual life, the Supreme spirit or the connection with Him. So that is what basically this Hare Krsna movement is doing with all the age groups. Especially our ISKCON youth forum is catering to the young generation. So the other party, the government or parents all of them together are making one presentation, one offer, one alternative. And here is another alternative on behalf of Krsna, God, devotees, acaryas, Bhagavad-gita is also there. Vrindavanis also there. There is also Krsna Prasad, not just muttonamchickenam. You try this out. Try this food, food for soul. Here is a food for soul. Your soul is starving. Your soul is thirsty. Your soul is hungry and then angry also when frustration comes. And then Hare Krsna’s come, Krsna Prasad, try this out. This satisfies the soul. Person becomes satisfied, person becomes peaceful by Krsna Prasad and chanting Hare Krsna. You should also feel Krsna Consciousness.
So once you have both alternatives, both options then you could choose. Take a pick, as they say. Then you could make decision. You are well informed. Not kept in darkness about other alternative. And you could take decision. Chose and it is not again about joining full time. That’s if they are willing, welcome. Krsna welcomes them. But the others could live whole life, but Krsna conscious life, which is good for them, good for their wife, good for their children, good for the family, the society, the country, humanity at large, that kind of life style. You continue your job. Get married, become family man. So that is also there. You know what is what. Keeping Krsna in the center, Krsna in or on the mind, you live life. Brahmachariasram is there, also there is Grihasthaasram.

Brahmacariasram is in the temple. We also have grihasthas in temple. They are full time, married men, but they are full time, or they continue their jobs, continue their family life near the temple, but lead a Krsna conscious family life and support or participate Krsna consciousness or propagate Krsna consciousness with their own capacity.

So is there any question or comment, otherwise we are happy. So far we had only one Base. Someone was calling it student hostel, ‘Hare Krsna student hostel’. We had one of them for all these years and expansion is signed of progress. So we are multiplying from one to two student hostels, bases or voices. There are different names. We had NityanandaKutir and now we have Caitanya Kutir, Haribol! So more the merry! We are happy that things are expanding, progressing. Numbers are multiplying. So we welcome this Base, called Caitanya kutir. Who is going to stay here? Only four, or they are busy else where? One has gone to office already. Okay, so you have enough numbers, eight! So you have lot of space here. Anything upstairs? Just this floor! Lot of space here and no one around [laughter]But they are not very far. They are behind you, in front of you. Don’t create kind of agitation or disturbance to neighbors. Bible says, ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself.’ Don’t hate them.

Any question, comment, any reporting, anything else?

Question:-Is the number of souls constant?
Answer: Number of souls, should be. Parts and parcels of the Lord are sanatan means eternal. They existed in the past. They are existing now and they will continue to exist. From this word meaning we could assume that number is constant. They come from spiritual sky, from spiritual world to material world some come, they get lost. They get illusioned, they come here. And some of the souls from here, they are going back to Krsna, Krsnaloka. So that two way traffic is there. Then from one universe they could also go to the next universe, near by neighboring universe. There are innumerable universes. There suppose to be 4,00,000 varieties of human species. Where are they? Some we are. They could also be in higher planets in same universe, some Yakshas and gandharvas, different devatas and vanaras. Vanara, is this nara, is he human, that is vanara meaning. Kimpurusa, there is kimpurusa, are they purusas? So other universes, so it seems the numbers are fluctuating, changing.

Question – How can we enter in Vrindavan as we know that we cannot enter in GolokaVrindavan in spiritual body?
Answer:- Krsna is kind. Krsna appears in the form of Deity. Otherwise we could not see, with our eyes we do not see the form of the Lord. What to do? Lord appears in the form of archavigraha that we could see. So likewise Krsna allows us to enter in this Vrindavan. But again just physically bringing your body to Vrindavan,is not the way to enter in Vrindavan. May be you not enter in Vrindavan, you think you have entered in Vrindavan. But there is a big question, whether you have reached Vrindavan, entered in Vrindavan. Prabhupada used to say, ‘we cannot travel to or enter into Vrindavan by car or by train or by plane. You should enter Vrindavan in the way, who was it?- the way Akrura entered Vrindavan’. Of course he was in Mathura. From Mathura he went to Vrindavan. The kind of consciousness he had, the way he was thinking of Krsna, of Vrindavan, his devotion, he was very very eager to meet Krsna. This is whole attitude, this whole consciousness, so that’s the way to enter in Vrindavan.

There are ten offenses against Holy Dham, as there are ten offenses against Holy Name, ‘dasanamaaparadha, dasadhamaaparadha’. So there is a list. So if you are offending dhama then you cannot enter, so avoid dhamaaparadha then you can enter. The first dhamaaparadha- those who reveal dhama unto you, those who introduce dhamaunto you, if you offend them then you have offended dhama also. Like that, although you may be thinking that you are in there, but you are out of there. You are not in there. So like that, different things to do and not to do, to become adhikari to become eligible, eligibility to enter Vrindavan.

Question:-Earlier you were saying that Krsna is the cause of all causes. Means that everything is done by Krsna only. Should we blame Krsna for the thing happened in our life? Should we blame Krsna as Krsna is the cause of all causes?

Answer: – Those things that happened, those things are reminder that Krsna exists, but this is not the place for us to be. This is not the place to be enjoyed. To get those reminders, when some people say why do the bad things happen to good person like me? Why bad things happen? But sometimes, or lot of time, those bad things are good. If bad things would not happen, if everything good would happen to you in this world, you will never think of going, leaving this world.

KuntiMaharani she prays, Kunti, mother of Pandavas

vipadahsantutahsasvattatratatrajagad-guro
bhavatodarsanamyatsyadapunarbhava-darsanam [SB 1.8.25]

Please send me calamities, send me bad things. As if they had not enough, Pandavas were already, so many happenings to them, so many troubles. Send more, send more! Send more difficulties, more troubles, because then we will remember You. We will come to You, please help, help, protect, protect, Krsna protect. And the result of this is apunarbhavadarsanam, then we do not have to take darsana of this world again, we don’t have to enter in this world again. Send difficulties; send difficulties and when there are difficulties, we run to You. We will come to You. We will have Your darsana, then we will not have to take darsana of this world again. This is the strategy of Kunti Maharani. Krsna is all good. He never does anything bad to us. He is our well wisher. He is loving father and friend.

One king while he was doing hunting, he lost his finger and he was blaming, why God did this to me? He was blaming God for losing the forest. And then in the same forest, the Kali temple, and they were looking for human to be sacrificed, slaughtered for the pleasure of this Durga. So they were going around, searching and they found this king. And they dragged him to this Kali temple, and the priests before making offering to Kali, they were checking up the body of this person. Is he wholesome or some defects, something missing? And while searching, they found one finger is missing. He said, ‘No,this is not fit offering, send him away’. You get the point? So first time when he lost the finger, he did not understand, why did the God did this to me? But then he realized, ‘Thank you God, thank you. I just lost my finger. They would have cut my throat. Thank you’. So like that also those connections are there.

Explanation of Sri Damodara Ashtakam

181118-Vrindavan [1.21.54]

Hare Krsna, you don’t say? [Hare Krsna] I like it atleast to say Hare Krsna at the beginning of the class. I also like that you are here in the courtyard of Krishna Balarama mandir and underneath the Tamal tree. This morning you could see there is no Bhagavatam verse written on the board. So there is no Bhagavatam, we have Damodaraashtakam verses.

Damodaraashtak ki….. jai

Yes, I just thought of staying in the mood of this month. Damodaraashtak certainly connects us with that mood or revives the mood of the most auspicious month- Damodaraa month. As I decided to do that, I don’t know whether you are happy or not that I decided to do this. But you know this garland (in his neck) is from Radha Damodara temple. I don’t ever remember receiving any garland from Radha Damodaraa. Today, in the morning, when one mataji said “Maharaja, Radha Damodaraa garland for you”, then I thought Damodaraa is happy with me so I selected this topic- some indication. It (garland) did not fall from His neck around my neck but someone brought it over and now it is here.

Radha Damodara ki……Jai
Yashoda Damodara ki… jai

Radha Damodara were the first deities of Vrindavan that I had taken darsana of, all the way in 1972.We used to sit there for listening Srimad Bhagavatam and Nectar of Devotion classes from Srila Prabhupada under the Tamal tree there also. Now it is the same month, same deities garland and same Vrindavan.
Vrindavan dham ki jai

Many, many things –not things, festivals and past times keep happening throughout this month every day, every other day and every night. Radha kunda appeared in the middle of the night and so day and night, things or past times keep happening throughout this month. However, I think of all those happenings, the past time between Yashoda and Damodara is most significant and highlight of this month. Something that happened – just one day.

ekada g?ha-dasisu yasoda nanda-gehini  [SB 10.9.1]

Wife of Nanda Maharaja, she asks her maid “Do something else today. You do this sweeping, you do cleaning etc. Today I am going (swayam) to do the churning up of butter.”

Ekda- Sukdev Goswami is not putting any date, he is making a general statement by saying ekda-once upon a time. That time was the month of Kartik (pointing to the audience) Some of you already started sleeping, Krishna just woke up. It was early morning hour and there was no Yashoda around. Yashoda did not come to wake Him up. Uthi uthi gopala-she did not do that, that day. uthi uthi-Please get up. As soon as he would get up, the first thing that he would do or the first pastime of Krishna was to drink the breast milk every morning.

yasoda ca maha-bhaga
papau yasyah stanam harih  [SB 10.8.46]

The most fortunate lady, yasoda cha mahabhaga papau-someone is drinking, who is that? Hari. Hari is drinking the breast milk of Yasoda. What a good great fortune of Yasoda? Sukdev Goswami says that Yasoda is mahabhaga. Krishna would do that, drinking breast milk every morning. But that morning-ekda-once upon a time or one morning that did not happen. Anyway, I am getting into narration of the past time which I did not want to get into because I wanted to go through these eight prayers of Damodarashtak. But what I meant to say was that, this past time took place just one day and it did not take place the whole day only part of the day. Basically and ultimately what happened was that Yasoda bound Krishna and the mortar with the rope. That was the final act of the episode and from that day onwards Balagopal Krishna became known as Damodara.

Dam and uddar put together becomes Damodara. Dam is rope and uddar is belly-Krishna’s stomach. Lord bound up with the rope that is Damodara. So that happening, that past time has become eternal past time, a topic of deep meditation and topic of discussion. And Lord has become famous of becoming Makhanchor. He is stealing and still He became popular. So Krishna is known as Damodara. It is confirmed that He steals butter. He is butter stealer. So many complaints were coming from the ladies. But Yasoda always denied. “No, no, how this is possible? My sweet little boy is stealing. Is there any shortage of butter at home? We have 9 hundred thousand of cows, tons of butter. Why He would go next door to steal butter”? Like that Yasoda would always deny. But ekda once upon a time that day was Diwali. On the day of Deepawali, Sri Ram arrived in Ayodhya, after the victory on Lanka. It was the same day but another age. Difference of one age, that was Treta Yuga but this is Dwapara Yug. That day, on Deepawali , Krishna who was supposed to be good, well behaved boy, was caught white handed by Yasoda. I knowingly said this what kind of Krishna’s hand was it, what colour? White hand. Usually thieves, robbers and thieves are caught red handed. Their hands become blood red but Krishna’s hands were bright white because of the butter. And He was caught then He had to be punished and not only He should be punished but also one who helped Him to steal the butter, should be punished. So who helped Him? The mortar helped Him. If there was no mortar around, there was no way Krishna could have reached the butter hanging from the ceiling. He found the mortar, placed it right underneath the pot full of butter. He climbed up and then he had fun that morning, good morning. Hari hari time is running out (to the audience) we better get to our business, actually we haven’t even started yet.

namamisvaram sac-cid-ananda-rupam
lasat-kundalam gokule bhrajamanam
yasoda-bhiyolukhalad dhavamanam
paramrstam atyantato drutya gopya

Satyavrat Muni is the compiler of Damodarashtakam. It is supposed to be dialogue between Narada and Shaunak Muni. These are beautiful eight prayers. So namami. These prayers are worship. This way we worship the Lord. We offer our obeisances unto the Lord. We glorify the Lord. Different things we do as we recite this Damodarashtakam. So the compiler of Damodarashtakam , begins the ashtak with namami. What is namami? I offer namami-namaskar. I offer my obeisances. Satyavrat Muni would do this from time to time. He would do that in the beginning, in the middle and in the end. He would do that again and again like.

aise sri bhagavan ko barambar pranam hai

Krishna is like this. Because He is like this, I would like to offer Him my obeisances. Because He is like this, I love to offer my obeisances unto such Krishna. So namami I offer my obeisance unto whom? Namami Ishwaram-I offer my obeisance unto Ishwar. Namami Ishwaram- this is one thing. I offer my obeisances to Ishwaram, Parmeshwaram, Krishnam, Sacchidanand rupam. I offer my obeisances so -vande has to be said every time. It is not said, not written –every time. It won’t fit into the meter like that. But vande goes with lots of items in this first verse also.

Sacchidananda rupam namami and who is offering namaskar? Aham namami –aham Ishwaram namami- aham sacchidanand rupam namami. There are small statements in the poetry but you could make that in the prose form-for understanding. You understand better when it is put in the prose form.

lasat-kundalam gokule bhrajamanam

The brilliant effulgent earrings unto such Damodara, I offer my obeisance. yasoda-bhiyolukhalad dhavamanam offer my obeisance unto him the Damodara- dhavmanam-who ran. Now – dhavamanam-one who was running, why was He running? Yasoda-bhi Because of the fear of Yasoda, He was running and ulukhalad –from where to where? He was on the ukhal-the mortar and He jumped down and started running away. Unto that Damodara, I offer my obeisance. paramrstam atyantato drutya gopya and Yasoda followed Him. He was running very fast- atyantato drutya gopya. He is running fast and she is trying to run faster but not able to manage because of her size and Krishna is little young boy. Okay, so he is trying to stay away, not allowing Yashoda to catch him up not as yet. It will happen later and as He tried and tried, I think it could be, while He is still running, He is afraid.

rudantam muhur netra-yugmam m?jantam
karambhoja-yugmena satanka-netram

He is still running or He has been caught and as that happened, what is He doing? – rudanta? He starts crying, crying again and again. In fact He is crying constantly, not that He is stopping and then crying and then stops and again cries.

muhuh svasa-kampa-trirekhanka-kantha-
sthita-graivam damodaram bhakti-baddham

First of all as He is crying, tears are coming out from both His eyes. He is using His both fists to rub His eyes. As He is crying, He is fearful, cannot even look at His mother or His eyes into mother’s eyes. That could also be the reason why He is trying to close His eyes “No no Yasoda, I can’t.”

karambhoja-lotus hands, yugmena – two hands, satanka-netram – atanka means fearful, very much afraid of-satanka. Atanka- atankwad –like a terrorism, you know Krishna is terrorised because of mother Yasoda. He is afraid of Yasoda.

muhuh svasa-kampa

I am sure you cried like this. Each one of you at some point of time, cried like that. Is there any exception? No exceptions. Because Krishna cried, we cried also. Krishna has set the standard.

mama vartmanuvartante manusyah partha sarvasah [BG 4.11]

Lord says in Bhagavad-gita, the path which I follow, the acts I perform, they are followed by the whole world. So the way, He cried as a baby, all the babies keep crying. It cannot be the other way because the babies around the world, the way they cry, Krishna looked and understood, they cry like this so let me also cry like that. No, it is the other way around. Krishna cried as a baby, the genuine, original eternal baby. He has set the standard. Of course the perverted reflection of that but whatever reflection we see, where it is coming? It has origin in Krishna.

trirekhanka-kantha

And there are three lines on the neck of Sri Krishna, they are always there. This way you get to know the details of the form of the Lord. When you go, next time, go back to Krishna standing face to face then you will remember, we were told, it’s exactly like that it is confirmed . Anyway you don’t have to really go and see and then confirm because this is in the sastra. This is praman, sastras see and show. Or those who have seen they have compiled the sastras-scriptures and the form. So it is confirmed. Because the scriptures say so, because Damodarashtakam says so, it has to be like that and it is like this.

sthita-graivam damodaram bhakti-baddham

And there is a locket- graiva is neck .And something hanging from his neck. Griva becomes graiva. There is a locket or pendant and that is also moving as His whole body is shaking. Whatever He is wearing, is also shaking.

itidrk sva-lilabhir ananda-kunde
sva-ghosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam

Satyavrata Muni further says- itidrk sva-lilabhir- lila like this-iti- means whatever has been only briefly explained. Certainly He is clearly stating, which lila- itid?k-like this-sva-lila by His own lila- by His past times. ananda-kunde- Damodara Krishna fills the kind the pool, lake or even ocean with ananda. There is so much bliss-ocean of bliss. This lila becomes the cause of ananda-so much ananda- ananda-kunde. Who is taking the advantage of this kunda? –sva-ghosam-the residents of Vrindavan, His associates. And what do they do?-nimajjante. They jump right into that lake, they swim, dive deeper into it. This is what we could say,

sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate- sri-krishna-sankirtanam

Sankirtana andolan, movement of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu sankirtana

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Ram, Hare Ram, Ram Ram Hare Hare

When we chant this, we are also supposed to be creating kunda, lake of ananda. Here it is referred about this lila -itidrk sva-lilabhir. But when we chant Hare Krishna as already stated,

anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam

What is the chanter supposed to be doing- sarvatma-snapanam. He drowns, he dives deeper into that ananda. Nimajyanti nimajyanti te maha anarth sagre-Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Prabodhanand Saraswati Thakur also said this. Anyway, if we keep talking like this, we will never see the end of this ashtakam. Okay we’ll just carry on, so nimajjantam-merging, entering into, becoming part of nimagna..

sva-ghosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam
tadiyesita-jnesu bhaktair jitatvam
punah prematas tam satavrtti vande

Again vande has come here. I offer vande –vandana. I worship-again namami-I offer my obeisances unto the Lord-how many times-satavriti. Avrtti means repetition. How many times- hundreds and hundreds of times-satavrtti vande and how do I do this? prematas- full of devotion-love for my Lord. I offer vandana-namaskar unto the Lord. One thing that is also mentioned –why I offer my vandana unto this Lord- bhaktair jitatvam.

Damodara becomes conquered-jitatvam. He becomes conquered. He is conquered by whom? bhaktair- by the bhaktas. Devotees conquer Him, otherwise He is unconquerable-Ajita Krisna even Ayodhya -unconquerable. No matter what kind of yudha- battle you come up with-Ayodhya the capital of Sri Ram is never conquered- unconquerable. Lord is like that but He becomes conquered by bhaktair jitatvam. Then akhyapayantam -He has become famous like this-famous for being conquered by his devotees- by His devotees’ devotion Lord is conquered. This is a statement, this Damodara Lila is making this statement. He could be conquered, He could be conquered-see how Yasoda conquered Him, arrested Him, bound Him up.

varam deva moksam na moksavadhim va
na canyam vrne ‘ham varesad apiha

No, no, I do not want, don’t give me varam, don’t give me benediction- Dev-O’ lord, do not give me benediction. moksam na moksavadhim va -anything all the way upto moksha and whatever is in between- bhuktikami, siddhi kami and this kami and that kami all the way upto mukti. There are so many kamnas all the way upto mukti. Even mukti I don’t want-moksavdhim-upto mukti. Anything from bottom all the way upto moksha, I don’t want.

na canyam -cha anyam and other similar var. Varesad-I know you are Var –ish, you are varada the giver of benediction or I know you are Varadraj- the king amongst the benedictors.

Varesad-Var-ish. But for me, I have no interest.

idam te vapur natha gopala-balam
sada me manasy avirastam kim anyaih

Oh! Gopal, Gopal-Gopalabalam-Bal Gopal- all that I want is sada-always-manasya virastam. Please stay in my mind, in my heart. Enter my mind. Let me always think of you-manmana. Let me do this,

manasy avirastam kim anyaih
All other things, I don’t care- kim anyai?-all other items I don’t care. I only want that-may Krishna be with you, may God be with you-like that we always say-so you be always with me and you be always in my mind. Let me always think of you.

idam te mukhambhojam atyanta-nilair
vrtam kuntalaih snigdha-raktais’ ca gopya

Now it is the turn of mukhambhojam – lotus face like karambhojam-lotus hand as said earlier. Now lotus face- mukhambhojam. You are mukh ambuj-you are lotus faced. Krishna is not ever trying to look for any lotus face here but maybe some of you may resemble. But your atma your spirit has. If I could see the spirit, the spirit’s face is like lotus-like father like son or like father like daughter. Why not, so many daughters are sitting here. We are all children of Krishna. So if our father is beautiful then it is also seen that if parents have beautiful features then children are also beautiful. If Krishna is beautiful then here also we must be, we are beautiful.

So Lord’s face is mukhambhojam but then he says atyanta-nilair. Well okay Krishna’s form is like that-deep bluish-Ghanshyam-ghan eva shyam. Krishna’s complexion is ghan eva- ghan is the clouds and they have to be not the clouds of the month of Kartik but of the month of rainy season. Like fresh monsoon clouds. Srila Prabhupada says –fresh monsoon clouds are loaded with lots of water drops and their density is very high then that complexion resembles Krishna’s complexion-ghan eva shyam.

atyanta-nilair vrtam kuntalaih

And that bluish face is covered, is hidden by the curly hair of you O’Bala Gopal.

snigdha-raktais’ ca gopya
muhus cumbitam bimba-raktadharam me
snigdha-raktais’ ca gopya
muhus cumbitam bimba-raktadharam me
manasy avirastam alam laksa-labhaih

So, similar earlier statements have been repeated here, that you please enter my mind. Please let me think of you O’ Lord. Now what kind of Lord- muhus cumbitam bimba-raktadharam me -something reddish. Two reddish things have been pointed here. First, the lips of the Lord which are reddish like the bimb fruit or the pomegranate seeds inside. So the Lords lips are red. Seven parts of the Lord’s body are reddish. One of them is the lips. The reddish bimb- raktadharam me and the cheeks are also reddish. There are red marks because of muhus cumbitam. Yasoda is always, doing chumban, kissing Him every now and then. She kisses her darling little boy Bala Gopal and His cheeks are very tender-not like the elderly faces. The skin on His face is not like the buffalo skin. No matter what you do with the buffalo’s skin, you bite it, it is not going to leave any impression. But the face of the Bala Gopal is so tender that even if Yasoda touches His cheeks, it seems as if will eat Him up. He is so sweet, we like to put Him in the heart. So as she kisses, His face becomes reddish-reddish cheeks and reddish lips-that is nice beauty. Beauty is enhanced. He is already beautiful but then His beauty is enhanced specially because of reddish lips. Lips get your attention. When you look at a person, first you see the eyes and lips of the person. You may see the nose, ears, hair later on. But first thing you see is the eyes and then the lips. So He wants,

manasy avirastam alam laksa-labhaih

He wants to keep the image, wants to store, preserve this. And He says, I do not care for millions of other kinds of benefits and benedictions. No, no I am not interested. Now moving along if we are allowed.

namo deva damodarananta visno
prasida prabho duhkha-jalabdhi-magnam
krpa-drsti-vrstyati-dinam batanu-
grhanesa mam ajnam edhy aksi-drsyah

So here we quickly point out that Satyavrata Muni is addressing the Lord in various ways. There are many addresses. You understand addresses like-O, aho, ye etc. are addresses to get attention. Namo is there again-I offer my obeisances, this is going on. This mood is always there. While he is saying all other things, he wants to offer obeisances constantly. He is offering obeisance to whom again.

Deva is one address-Adi Deva, Govind deva, Hari deva. O! Deva-that is one address. Damodara is another address. O! Damodara, O! Anant means unlimited. Ananta Vishno- O! Vishno- like hey Krishna karuna sindho. This is also a type of address. He is karuna sindhu but when you address, it becomes Karuna Sindho. He is dina bandhu but when you address, it becomes Dina Bandho. He is Vishnu but when you address, you say Vishno like she is Radha but when you want to address, she becomes Radhey. Radha is addressed as Radhey. Hare Krishna is also an address. Krishna Krishna-8 times and each each one is an address. There are 16 names in the maha-mantra. There each one is address. That is why it is Krishna not Krishnah. Two dots in front then it is Krishnah- the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You take away the 2 dots (visarga)-you remove them immediately-becomes O’ Krishna. So there is difference. So Hare Krishna means Hey Krishna, Hey Radhey.

prasida prabho -Prabhu here becomes Prabho- O! Prabho and another address grhanesa –esa is also an address. So these are addresses. esa is an address, Prabhu is address, Dev is address, Damodara is address, Anant is address, Vishnu is address. About by half a dozen of addresses, he is addressing. But each address has a reason- why he is saying Vishno, Damodara Anant? There are whole emotions and feelings and so there are reasons why is he addressig Lord with that particular address.
Now kripa drishti-and you are this, you are that, you are Prabhu, you are Vishnu, you are Ananta or you are Damodara. These are you, okay and what about me, look at poor me-and what kind of me.

Dukhjalabdhimagnam

Here I am drowning in the ocean of dukha- -abdhi means ocean. I am not drowning in a drop of suffering, a little lota full of suffering or a pool but in the whole of ocean. Where ever I go, I suffer. I cannot get rid of this. Where ever I go, everywhere- dukhjalabdhimagnam. I am absorbed in it and now-dinam- poor I am. But alas oh I am ajnam- on the top of all this, I am ignorant, fool. I am ignorant, fool. I am agyam, I am dinam, dukhdjalabdhimagnam. As I already said who you are, so what do I expect from such you and such kind of me-Kripadristi. Only krpa-drsti-vrstyati- -shower kripa (mercy) with your dristi-with your glance. Shower merciful glance on this wretched. edhy aksi-drsyah – let me with my eyes see such you-Ananta, Damodara, Vishnu ,Prabhu, Ish. Let me have darsana of you. Now 2 more paragraphs to go if you could tolerate.

kuveratmajau baddha-murtyaiva yadvat
tvaya mocitau bhakti-bhajau krtau ca
tatha prema-bhaktim svakam me prayaccha
na mokse graho me ‘sti damodareha

This past time also took place the same day- the day Krishna was caught white handed and He became known as Damodara because He was tied with the rope to the mortar. kuveratmajau the two sons of Kuvera.

kuveratmajau baddha-murtyaiva yadvat

You are bound up and inspite of being bound up-what you did? tvaya mocitau. You were bound up but you freed those two sons of Kuvera -Manigriva and Nalakuvara and not only you freed them but also liberated them.

bhakti-bhajau krtau ca

ou loaded them with so much bhakti bhava ,endowed them with so much devotion- so much prem for you. Yadvat-the way you dealt with those two sons of Kuvera-Satyavrata Muni says-tatha-like that- I like the way you dealt with those two sons. You liberated them but that is not big deal. You gave them so much bhakti bhava. You made them eligible-kripa patra, qualified, deserving candidate for having bhakti tatha-like that,

tatha prema-bhaktim svakam me prayaccha

Give me your bhakti, give me that kind of bhakti. Again repeating-no moksha, do not insist na mokse graho. I do not insist, not at all on this moksha business.

na mokse graho me ‘sti damodareha

O’’ Damodara-he is addressing-O’’ Damodara only give me bhakti and finally-

namas te ‘stu damne sphurad-dipti-dhamne
tvadiyodarayatha visvasya dhamne
namo radhikayai tvadiya-priyayai
namo ‘nanta-lilaya devaya tubhyam

Now namah, again you see namah is there-I offer my obeisances. So finally, he offers obeisances to 2 parties or 2 items, there are more also but in first half of this last ashtak, he offers obeisances to 2 parties. One part is- namas te ‘stu damne -let my obeisance be unto damne. What is damne?-Dam is rope and damne is unto rope. I offer my obeisance unto damne. I offer my obeisance unto damne the rope – sphurad-dipti-dhamne

Who is the abode or source of dipti-the effulgence. The rope is the abode of the effulgence-the brilliant effulgent rope. So one is dam and another is dhama. Dam is dhama, dhama of what? The rope is dhama-abode, refuge-take the shelter of, the protector etc. So to this brilliant effulgent rope, I offer my obeisance unto. This one obeisance is to the rope and other is to,

tvadiyodarayatha visvasya dhamne

I also offer my obeisance unto your uddar your belly. I want to offer my obeisance unto your belly which is uddar. I just offered my obeisance to dam-rope- Damodara, now I offer my obeisance unto uddar. One obeisance is to dam another obeisance unto uddar the belly. As rope was dhama of the effulgence, your belly is dhama- abode of visva- visvasya dhamne . Your little belly is abode of entire visva. The whole universe is within you-brahmanda like brahmanda ghat. When Yasoda says open your mouth-as Krishna opens His mouth, what was inside, the whole brahmanda. Whether that brahmand was right in the mouth or in His form or it was in the belly. Here it is said, your whole belly is the abode of the visva- the universe. And my obeisance unto uddar and that is the reason why Yashoda was finding difficulty in tying Krishna. No matter what length of the rope, she managed to get, Krishna’s belly was swelling, growing in size. Was He taking viratrupa- universal form? No the form remained the, same- maybe one foot or half meter or less big but the trouble was inside because there is the whole universe. So the rope has to be long enough to go around the universe. That is why too short-every time too short.

Okay, now 2 more obeisances are there in the last verse. It begins with obeisances and obeisances are going on and on. Now- namo radhikayai- my obeisance unto Radhika also. What kind of Radhika? tvadiya-priyayai- who was very very dear to you- tvadiya-priyayai.

namo radhikayai tvadiya-priyayai

He had to say this- Radhikayai, Vrindayai. If you have to offer obeisance to Radhika, don’t say Radhikah namah, it is incorrect. We end up saying Vrindai,Tulsidevai-all wrong. Most of the world is pronouncing it wrong. If Brahmins of south India hear us here- Vrindai, Tulsidevai-they will have no clue-what we are talking about or what we are singing. They will only think these are ignorant people or fools. They don’t know even simple things. If you have to offer obeisance unto Vrinda, then you have to say Vrindayai tulsidevyai priyayai… Why make so much effort, it is easy Vrindai, Tulsidevai. But Vrindayai tulsidevyai-takes a lot of effort and that is what the sanskrit language. The language wants you to make effort. It is not for lazy bums. Yes, like effort be conscious also. So Radhayai namah,Vrindayai namah,

vrndayai tulasi-devyai
priyayai kesavasya ca
krsna-bhakti-prade devi
satyavatyai namo namah

Devi is also an address but Devi doesn’t change. So, next time when you sing tomorrow morning sing it correctly. It is not difficult if you think you can do it, you could do. I know you can do only thing you never thought of doing it. My obeisance unto Radhe who is very dear to you.

namo ‘nanta-lilaya devaya tubhyam

My obeisance unto Devayai unto Dev who is Ananta- nanta-lilaya-performer of unlimited past times, so many past times and each past time becomes eternal. In that sense it is also ananta. There is no end and so is unlimited and that’s why this class is not coming to end. It is unlimited-no limit.

namo ‘nanta-lilaya devaya tubhyam

Okay, let us stop somewhere, so stop here and see you singing Yasoda Damodarastakam.
Damodarastakam ki ……jai.