Instilling spiritual values in the Indians
Dated: 14 October 2018
Venue: Delhi
Occasion: UDGAAR Youth festival

om ajnana timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah

This is a festival of goodness and joy! I was thinking about the mantra, which Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada gave to the entire world. Prabhupada would  say, ‘Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!’ I want all of you to repeat after me the names of the Lord. Everyone will say! Relax and say out loud, ‘Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!’ Thank you!

Well, India’s youth, the NCR’s youth have assembled here in big numbers. I am very pleased to see this. Today Srila Prabhupada must be so happy to see you all here! Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila  Prabhupada ki Jai!

As far as values are concerned, this Hare Krishna maha-mantra is the most   valuable. It is not only a thing, but it is a Personality. Hare Krishna maha-mantra is the Lord.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada also called himself an exporter and     importer. Srila Prabhupada exported India’s export quality product or Personality. At one time when Srila Prabhupada was in London, reporters asked him, ‘Swamiji, why have you come to our country?’ Prabhupada said, ‘Well, you also came to our country. Now it’s my turn, so I have come. But your viceroys came and they robbed our country’s valuable objects and took it all to their country. The Kohinoor Diamond or silk or this and that! But your viceroys left behind the most valuable assets of our country.’ When it was asked which valuable    object or personality their viceroys could not recognise, Prabhupada had said, ‘I have brought with me the values of India for which India is famous all around the world. I have brought that culture of India. I have brought the message of the Bhagavad-Gita and Bhagavatam. And I have come to make a hand delivery.’

You are youths, so I will say that when Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada was exporting the most valuable items of our country, the very first to be      benefitted were the youths all around the world. I was also one of those youths. At one time I was also a college student and today I am standing in front of you.

This is by the grace of Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada has spread the values, culture of India to every nook and corner of the world.      Unfortunately today’s education is not man making, but a money making,     machine making system. While dealing and working with machines, we are becoming machines. This is very unfortunate! We have to become humans, but we are becoming demons as we are not realizing the values.

One day I was going to Noida from Delhi. There was one huge billboard which read: ‘Live life king size.’ What should you do to live life king size? Smoke     cigarettes of our brand. (Please excuse me. I am not advertising.) When you use cigarettes of our brand, then you will have a ‘life king size’. After this advertisement, we went a little ahead and there was another sign board which read : ‘Cancer Hospital! This way’

We are becoming demons. Today’s education system emphasises  technology and science. I agree that we need this technology and science, but it is making us blind. If we want to gain eyes then we need to turn towards the Lord. We need to see and evaluate the world with ‘sastra-caksusa’, get spectacles to see the message given by the Lord.

Srila Prabhupada always said that technology and science is fine, but it is blind. Our spirituality of  India, of the East is a little lame. Prabhupada would say, ‘andha pangu nyaya’; one is andha (blind) and the other is pangu (lame). Science is blind and spirituality can be a little lame. They can both help each other. When the blind and the lame come together, they can help each other. What will the blind do? The blind will walk and the lame will sit on his shoulders. They can both reach their destination by helping each other.

By looking at the presentation here, I am feeling some pride of ‘Bharatiyata’ (Indian). So let’s be Bharatiyas. There was one person who would introduce himself by saying, ‘I am not Indian. Mai Bharatiya hun! I am not Indian. I am Bharatiya.’ So become Bharatiya, remain Bharatiya with its values. Don’t copy the Western countries.

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

Thank you!

Be absorbed in chanting the holy names
Venue: Bhakti Vedanta Manor
Dated: May 3, 2016
Brahmacari class

nama cintamanih krishnas caitanya-rasa-vigrahah
purnah suddho nitya-mukto abhinnatvan nama-naminoh

Have you heard that before? Nama is cintamani like dham cintamani. Nama cintamani meaning sat-cit-ananda and caitanya, full of chetana, full of, consciousness full, filled that’s called caitanya. Name Caitanya has origin in cit, chetana, consciousness; you have heard ‘ceto darpana marjanam’ that same chetana. Caitanya, the Holy name is full of caitanya, it is living force and rasa vigraha, it is full of rasa. Vigraha means form. When rasa becomes personified and that is of course Krsna.

Nitya, suddha, mukta, these are all adjectives or descriptions of the name, beginning with caitanya also and nama cintamani that is also the description of the name. Nama cintamani that is Holy name is full of caitanya, chetana. Rasa vigraha, Holy name is also rasa-vigraha. And Holy name is nitya-eternal; mukta- fully liberated; suddha-pure, pavitra.

Nitya, suddha, mukta and the end part is or even more significant is abhinnatvan nama namino. Abhinna, a means no, bhinna means different, not different. Nama and Nami are not different. Name of the Lord and name are not different. Name is, whose name is Krsna? Krsna’s name is Krsna or God’s name is Krsna. So name and person are same. These are some of the glories of the holy name. When you said kirtanaa I am saying holy name. Kirtanaa means glorification.

kirtaniya sada hari

So when there is kirtanaa or chanting of the holy names, soul is the chanter or soul should become the chanter of the holy name. And the holy name is,

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

This is Supreme Personality of Godhead. The holy name is Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and of course Radha is also Supreme Personality of Godhead or part of God. Krsna and Radha together are Supreme Personality of Godhead. That’s why we chant Hare Krsna. We chant Radha’s names and Krsna’s names. Rest of the mantra is we keep chanting Radha Krsna Radha Krsna’s names. Even Rama is Krsna. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. That is also Krsna.

ramati ramayati ca iti ramah

One who does raman that is Krsna. Radharaman, one who gives joy, rama, joy to others and derives joy for Himself also from that dealing or some particular activity, dealing with some devotee, that is Rama and that Rama is Krsna. So the 16 names which are basically eight names of Krsna and eight names of Radharani.

Iti sodasakam namnam kali kalmasa nasanam (Kalisantaran upanisad)

So holy name is, it’s not only Krsna but its Radha and Krsna. So together, the holy name is Bhagavan and the chanter, the soul is bhakta. And when the soul chants with devotion then he is performing bhakti. In this way the bhakta that is soul and Bhagavan that is Radha Krsna, through bhakti, devotion they are linked. Bhakta bhakti Bhagavan these are eternal interrelated, not only principals but personalities also. Soul is person and Supreme souls Radha Krsna are personalities, person. And there is yoga, the link through bhakti, devotion.
So when we say,

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

We are saying the names but we are saying everything in fact; all the glories of the Lord, wherever you find them in Gita, Bhagavat, Caitanya Caritamrita and other sources. We all utter, we say all those glories or we indicate all those glories just by saying Hare Krsna. When we say Krsna, nothing more in fact remains to be said. Although it sounds like oh you just said Krsna, but Krsna is everything. That Krsna has connection, relationship with all that is there in Gita and Bhagavatam.

So by chanting just this one mantra, we chant all the mantras in existence. By chanting these 16 names Maha Maha mantra, you have chanted all the mantras. Or essence of all the mantras, condensed in, packed in one mantra the Hare Krsna Maha mantra.

natah parataro upaya sarva vedesu drsyate

Brahma said, I do not see anything better. I have studied all the Vedas. Sarva vedesu drsyate, drsya means see, I don’t see anything more better to have than this sodasakam namnam, sixteen names or he was referring to OM.

hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

iti sodasakam namnam kali-kalmasa-nasanam
natah parataropayah sarva-vedesu drsyate

So this becomes kirtana, just by chanting of Hare Krsna you are glorifying. Kirtana means kirti. Kirti means glory. And as we do kirtana we glorify the Lord and understanding is that the holy name includes, or from the name comes the form. From name comes the form. By chanting the Holy names, as one attains perfection in chanting the holy names, then the Holy name reveal the form of the Lord, meaning own form. And the qualities of the Lord are included in the Holy name, they are revealed, the pastimes are revealed unto the chanter of the Holy name. So within holy name everything, nama, rupa, guna, lila, dhama, within the Holy name.

So the soul chanting, soul hearing; not body chanting or throat chanting or tongue chanting. They seem to be involved, acting during chanting but soul is using, as we have this body, this existence. Soul is moving force behind the body. Body appears living because of the presence of the soul in the body. Get the soul out of the body, Prabhuada used to say, what is difference between living body and dead body? Soul! Body minus soul is the dead body. Body plus soul is living body.

When doing chanting or kirtana, soul should be chanting and soul should be praying and soul should be crying. Soul is making the goal. Soul’s goal is Krsna, he wants Krsna. Body doesn’t want Krsna, the throat doesn’t or tongue doesn’t want Krsna. The tongue doesn’t think, body does not think. Body even does not know Krsna exists. Body doesn’t even know that soul exists. Body knows nothing. So get the body out, separate the body and I am not this body, what remains is the soul. So the soul is chanting, get the soul to chant and soul to hear and soul to remember. Who is going to remember? Not the brain tissues are remembering or our fertile body is remembering. It appears that body’s different parts are doing different functions, but it is soul. For the sake of soul or because of the soul is all this chanting, hearing, remembrance. So we should be hearing, or soul has to hear.

When you sleep, then there is short circuit! Hearing stops, we are disconnected from the Lord. Mind comes in the middle or ignorance takes over.

So chanting or kirtana is a prayer, its meditation, mantra meditation. Yeah the process was meditation in Satya yuga. In kali yuga with Hare Krsna maha-mantra we meditate, mantra meditation. And Prabhupada says, before you go for meditation, you need to decide the object of the meditation, what is the object of meditation before you begin meditation, object of meditation. Otherwise you cannot meditate. It’s not impersonal meditation. There is nothing to meditate upon, just the light. There is nothing much to meditate, how could you meditate on the light? There is nothing to think about or meditate, contemplate, reflect, you can’t do these faculties, not possible. So meditate, chanting of Hare Krsna is also meditation. So meditate on Krsna.

Anyway I will quickly try to say that one of our acarya, we could say Acarya Gopal Guru Goswami, I was talking this one day, trying to repeat this quickly. So Gopal Guru Goswami was disciple of Vakresvar Pandit. Do you know Vakresvar Pandit? The great dancer, he could dance for 72 hours nonstop. So his disciple Gopal Guru Goswami, contemporary of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very fond of him. ‘Call him guru!’ Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, ‘call him guru, not just Gopal Goswami’. So they started calling him Gopal Guru Goswami.

So he wrote a commentary, there is ‘Bhajana paddhati’, book by him. Part of that or part of his writing, there is commentary on the holy name, Hare Krsna maha-mantra commentary, bhasya, Gita commentary, Bhagavat commentary, this commentary, that commentary, maha-mantra commentary. Jiva Goswami another acarya has also written commentary on Hare Krsna maha-mantra. So Gopal Guru Goswami wrote his commentary.

So in the essence he said that when you chant the sixteen names and chanting is prayer, that when you say Hare then you Krsna then you say Hare, Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, each time you utter these names one after the other, we pray to that name because the name is the person. So who is offering prayer? We! Who are we? Soul, so soul offers, no body, no tongue, no tongue is offering, they have no business. They know nothing of this prayer, they are just dead matter, so is the tongue, so is the throat. So while chanting the soul is offering a prayer. And then as we say Hare, the name Hare is non-different from the personality Hare.
Hara, Radha also called as Hara because of Her nature,

harer harati ya manah

One who steals, even steals the mind of the Lord, attracts the attention of the Lord, Madan Mohan Mohini. Krsna is Madan Mohan and She is Madan Mohan Mohini so Hara. So when we chant Hare Krsna Hare Krsna, we don’t say Hara Krsna Hara Krsna; ‘Hare’, this is address. All sixteen names are address. Do you know address? I am addressing you, ‘Oh Brahmacaries’, I am addressing you, I am trying to get someone’s attention. Prabhu sit properly or addressing, sambodhana. So all these sixteen names are address. You dress before you address, you dress properly before you get on the mike and address. So the soul is addressing the sixteen names.

So Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna is also address. What is spelling of Krsna in the folio? Krsna, only that much? Also the ‘h’ h with dot, then you also get Krsnah, have you have seen like that? Yes, do you remember? You can see this outside maha-mantra, when Krsna is mentioned in sanskrit mantras. Where they address, the Hare Krsna maha-mantra is address form, therefore the ‘h’ is dropped. This is little grammar, vyakaran part. So it’s called nominative, Krsna goes to the forest, Krsnah vanam gacchati. So there you find ‘h’.

So Gopal Guru Goswami, going back to that commentary, he says, that when we say Hare, we are saying or we are supposed to be saying, we may not be saying but we should with understanding. This is one guideline he is giving, what you should be thinking about, how you should address the Lord, when you are chanting, meditating, addressing. He says,

mat-cittam hrtva bhava-bandhanan mocaya

You only said Hare but you are saying Oh Radhe! Mat-cittam hrtva, steal my mind, attract my mind and bhava-bandhanan mocaya, make me free from the bonds of material existence. This is a thought, food for thought. While chanting, you said, Hare, you thought, Oh Radhe, Oh Hare, please make me free from all the strings attached.

So after Hare we say Krsna. We always say Hare Krsna. So we said Krsna with love and devotion and Krsna has appeared because He is non-different from His name. We said His name and He appeared, ok what you want? Then we offer prayer to that Krsna, saying mam cittam akarsaya, please You are known for akarsan,

ya karsati sa Krsna

In Sanskrit Krsna is defined as ya karsati sa krsna, the person who attracts all the living entities towards Him, that Personality is Krsna. So mat cittam akarsaya, citta means chetana, consciousness, as Krsna in 10th chapter of Bhagavad Gita says, mat cittah remember that?

mat cittah matgat pranah bodhayantah parasparam (BG 10.9)

mat cittah, My devotee is that person mat cittah, his consciousness is glued down to My feet, glued down to Me. mat cittah mat gat pranah. So when we say Hare Krsna, the prayer the thought should be according to Gopal Guru Goswami, mat cittam akarsaya, please attract also me to You.

And then we go to next, Hare Krsna, then Hare third name, and the thought is,

sva-madhuryena mac-cittah hara

Oh Radha You are full of madhurya, madhur, You are sweet, let Your sweetness attract me to You. And then Hare Krsna Hare Krsna, so the fourth name which is Krsna, when you say that then the guideline is you pray to that Krsna,

sva-bhakta-dvara bhajana-jnana-danena mac-cittam sodhaya

Please let me have devotee association, sadhu-sanga, or let my diksa guru, siksa guru, acarya, founder acarya, please give me association, bhakta dvara, with the help of bhakta, devotee, sadhu association, let him give me bhajan jnana dana. Bhajan you understand jnana you understand? The knowledge, knowledge of bhajan, how to perform bhajan, bhajan jnana dan, let them give me some charity, dana of how to perform bhajan. Let me have sadhu-sanga, association of devotees, so that they will explain how to perform bhajan, how to perform kirtana. Inquiry was made, Maharaja could you possibly tell us about kirtana, bhajan?

So bhajan jnana dana, you could become familiar with these terms, so that you could understand, no need to translate. Bhajan you understand, jnana you understand, dana you understand, sastra dana, during marathon you do sastra dana, giving sponsorship, giving 100 Gitas or Gita dana. So when I will have association and then that devotee gives me bhajan jnana dana, then mam cittam sodhaya, let my consciousness be purified.

So these are only four, out of sixteen four names we explained according to Gopal Guru Goswami, what should be the thought associated with those names, Hare Krsna Hare Krsna. Should we do the rest or next time we will do rest? Ok I will try to go faster.

Then there is Krsna Krsna Hare Hare part. So when we say Krsna which is fifth name in the series, the soul is praying that,

ruchir bhavatu me

Let me have liking for Your name, ruchi you understand? Sraddha to prema as you go on that ladder higher you go, there is ruchi.

Name ruchi, jiva daya, vaisnava seva, this is desired goal. Name ruchi I will like to taste and get some nectar as I chant. So we are praying to that name Krsna, ruchir bhavatu me, let me have some ruchi towards You, towards Your Holy name.

Then as we say next Krsna, which is sixth name in that order, the prayer is,

nama-rupa-guna-liladisu man-nistham kuru

From the name comes rupa, comes quality, so let me have nistha or let me be fixed or steady in my understanding of nama, rupa, guna, lila of You Oh Lord.

nityam bhagavata-sevaya
bhagavaty uttama-sloke
bhaktir bhavati naisthiki

As one regularly recites Bhagavatam, then outcome is we come to the level of bhakti called nistha. Bhaktir bhavati, let my bhakti, bhavati become, which kind of bhakti? Naisthiki, nistha. ado sraddha sadhu sang bhajan kriya anartha nivrtti then nistha ruchi asakti bhava prem. So we are praying to that Holy name, that name Krsna that let me have nistha for not only for Your name, but for Your form, Deity form of the Lord, Your qualities, Your pastimes.

And now the half of the mantra,

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, now seventh and eighth name and then half mantra is completed. So that last Hare Hare, the soul is praying, the chanter is praying, crying Hare Hare, we say Hare Hare! Ok what do you want? I am here; I appear as you have been calling. So the prayer, appeal to the Holy name or appeal to Hare Hare is,

nija-seva-yogyam mam kuru

Please make me eligible to serve You, serve Krsna, seva yogyam mam kuru.

Srila Prabhupada would briefly, he would talk of, same thing we are talking, little expanded version, Gopal Guru Goswami’s commentary, Prabhupada would stress this, when we chant, he would stress this, we are praying, chanting is a prayer, Oh Lord, Oh energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your service. I am Your servant. Please engage me. So that’s the prayer.

And the eighth name which is Hare and the prayer should be,

sva-sevam adisaya

Please reveal that service unto me. First we are begging for the service, please engage me, no no, please make me eligible to serve. Ok now I am eligible for the service, eligibility is there, so which service I should do? Please reveal that service unto me.

And then moving on, this is half. Then going to Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare part.
As we say Hare, then the prayer is that, Hey Hare Hey Radhe,

sva-presthena saha svabhista-lilam sravaya

Oh Radhe Your most cherished pastimes with Krsna, please share that with me. And then Hare Rama, Rama this is Krsna, and the prayer to Him is,

presthaya saha svabhista-lilam mam sravaya

Your most cherished pastime with Radha, sravaya, please make me hear, let someone read that to me or say that to me. Let me have opportunity to read such pastimes, Your pastimes with, Oh Radhe Your pastimes with Krsna, Oh Krsna Your pastimes with Radha, sravaya.

And then Hare Rama and then Hare, first was sravaya, please let me hear, let me read Your most cherished pastimes. And the next prayer is darsaya,

sva-presthena saha svabhista-lilam darsaya

Please show me. I want to take darsana of those lilas. I want to see those lilas. Soul can see, without body soul can see. Eyes are closed and still soul is seeing. There is no need, eyes are not required for seeing. Soul has eyes, so when soul is chanting, chanting purifies, his eyes are spiritualized, open up and then the prayer darsaya, please could I have Your darshan.

So this is going even higher and higher and coming to the level of the darsana of the Lord and even level of svarupa siddhi, perfection stage and evolution in Krsna consciousness and ultimately, eventually going back to Lord’s abode, entering in Lord’s pastime. So what would be my service in eternal pastimes of the Lord? That is also part of the prayer.

So Hare Rama Hare Rama, and then Rama Rama, so there the prayer is that,

nama-rupa-guna-lila-smaranadisu mam yojaya

Please engage me in remembering Your nama rupa guna lila. I would like to remember, please engage me in remembrance. Remembering the form, remembering the pastimes, remembering Your qualities. So this is Rama.
Next Rama ,

tatra mam nija-seva-yogyam kuru

O Rama! As I enter into those pastimes by the path of meditation, make me worthy to engage in your service.
Final two Hare Hare,

mam svangikrtya ramasva

Please make me part of You, part of Your entourage, part of Your team, deal with me, don’t discard me, accept me, engage me in Your service or engage me in service of Your Lord, Sri Krsna.
And the final one is again same appeal,

maya saha ramasva

Please considering me of Your own, please engage me in the service of the Lord. seva adhikara diye kara nije dasi
As we everyday pray to Tulasi Maharani, seva adhikara diye kara nija dasi, please make me eligible, give me seva adhikara, make me eligible to serve. Similar, that’s Tulasi Maharani and this is Radharani, we pray that please engage me in service of the Lord.

Anyway this is food for thought for you. The performance of kirtana and performance of chanting the holy names of the Lord. This gives us guideline to what to think of as we say ‘Hare Krsna Hare Krsna’ like that. That way we could meditate on this prayer. Prayer is meditation and be absorbed in chanting Holy names.

Question 1- When one finally comes to prema, what happens to one’s sexual desire? Are they still there? Sometimes you heard quotes by great acaryas saying, Oh you know make sure that doesn’t come… So what happens, are they still there or they disappear?

Answer- yeah they are gone long back, way behind, when you are climbing up that ladder, half way through you have done with it. Anartha nivrtti, unless anartha nivrtti is there, there isn’t nistha. Nistha means fixed up for, no more u-turns, no irreversible, that nistha. So becoming free from anarthas which includes all these desires.

(Question- even if forced for?) No, there is no time. No way, the prema replaces kama. Lust and love don’t go hand in hand. The brahmacaries, this is their program, trying to become free from all sorts of desires, especially they focus is on lust related with lust, opposite sex. This is sole focus of brahmacaries. So yeah as you substitute all these lusty thoughts, lusty desires, there are eight of them, eight ways one could exhibit the lust. Have you gone through this? Which is even darsana, stri darshan, stri sparsa, all the way to sambhoga, which is eighth and most gross way of expression of that lust.

So they don’t go hand in hand. To the degree that you are free from lust to that degree you are full of prema. I was just hearing of Prabhupada’s talk and he was saying, unless you give up sex desire, you don’t get the Krsna prema.

Sanatana Goswami, long story, but touch stone, he had a touchstone. (One person gets that touchstone from Sanatana Goswami and goes to his wife.) Where did you find it? Oh it was in dustbin. Oh you fool, you are cheated. Go back and ask for something more valuable. So this gentleman went with the touchstone back to Sanatana Goswami and then, you must have something more valuable, which you must have hidden in the treasury house. Otherwise why would you, this can’t be most valuable. This was thrown in dust bin where I found it. You must have something more valuable. No no I don’t have more valuable than this touchstone. No no there must be, you have you have. Then Sanatana Goswami said, ok first throw this away and then I will give you more valuable. And then this gentleman was thinking if I will give up this and if I would not get more valuable than I would be really cheated, more cheated. Anyway he was finally prepared to give up that touch stone and that touchstone which was going to be source of everything into gold then all gratification and happiness. So when he threw that Sanatana Goswami said, yes,

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, this is the most valuable.

So there was some meaning of remembering, gopis are, they only remember Krsna. They don’t know anything more than that.

satatam smartavyah krsnah vismartavya na jatucit

They never forget Krsna. So where is the time, is there time in between- always remembering and never forgetting? Where is the time for nonsense, where is the time for gratification? And same thing, six Goswamis of Vrndavan and pure devotees, they are constantly absorbed in the nectar.

So Yamunacarya was spitting at, when he just remembered some past, then his tongue curled and oh, tuccam, this is so insignificant. Once Srila Prabhupada in Kolkata was giving Bhagavatam class,

yan maithunadi grhamedhi sukham hi tuccham

That statement of Prahlad Maharaja from 7th Canto, Prabhupada was commenting on that, the grhamedhi, yan maithun, the intercourse, man woman illicit intercourse, that pleasure is called tuccham, thu thu. When you spit at something, such insignificant, thu, thu. So Prabhupada he was spitting at it, he literally spat. So thought is there, but you could see that how the thought is. There is no liking anymore, disgust, if there is any thought, disgust, or I am happy, I am done with this. I don’t have to.. Just be absorbed in Radha Krsna. Otherwise there is no going back, going back to Godhead also.

Question 2-Can you explain how to be fully engaged in Krsna’s service and not get in mode of passion and do only that which is beneficial for Krishna consciousness. Is there any line, how do we know that we are fully engaged or we are in mode of passion?

Answer- When we want to fully engage, what we would like to see? Who is engaged? Who is fully engaged? Soul! The soul is fully engaged, that’s our goal. And then these three modes of material nature are there, ignorance is there, passion is there, goodness is there.

mam ca yo avyabhicarena bhaktiyogen sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan brahma bhuyaya kalpate

By transcending these three modes of material nature, devotees absorb themselves in Krsna consciousness, brahma bhuyaya kalpate. So we have to watch out, see the soul always engaged but the mind is governed by ignorance or mind is governed by passion, and from that passion come fashion or mind is controlled, governed by goodness then there is interruption, between you and the Lord, these three modes of material nature are acting. And three modes of material nature are making mind work this way, that way, they influence your mind and then ignorant mind is, passionate mind is in goodness and the link between you and Lord, soul and Supreme soul, you are separated, or your service is diluted. It is alloyed and not unalloyed. Unalloyed means there is no mixture.

So that’s why Prabhupada said, boiling down the milk, not watering down the milk, but boiling down the milk. May be one time devotees were so much active, too much active, trying to preach and expand the movement, passion for that. Prabhupada had to, this was way back in 72, Prabhupada wrote letter to Rupanuga, that’s where this, our leader’s first priority is to preach to our own devotees those who are already being made devotees, preach to them. We are trying to expand or passion, expansion another name competition; but then if we are neglecting our already made devotes or may be you are neglecting your own nourishment, feeding yourself or chanting with attention or your hearing and chanting is minimized on the name of preaching or expansion, so that could become passionate activity and then less remembrance, less spiritual content in that activity. So we have to see where our soul is engaged or mind is engaged or soul is not engaged, soul is separated or intelligence is working too much. So there should be reviews from time to time, you have some istagosti to see how you as individual, you as group are performing, this is pure devotional service or passionate devotional service. Are you just working hard or working smart also, smart in Krsna consciousness.

Question 3– Maharaja your experience of seeing brahmacaries from so many years; give me specific advice or guidance on how to remain strong in brahmacari asrama?

Answer- One thought just came to my mind, realize that you are not this body but you are spirit soul. Work on this project, work on this program. I am not this body, I am spirit soul, I am not this body. Chant this mantra. I am not this body, I am spirit soul, I am spirit soul. And for that we have whole process. Chanting of Hare Krsna is there, chanting properly, hearing, chanting or services. So by realizing I am a spirit soul, and not this body; the spirit soul’s need is another spirit, specially the Supreme spirit. Vice versa, your body’s need is another material body, specially the body of opposite sex. So emphasis is on I am the soul, I am a servant soul of the Supreme master or could be friend. And then reciprocation is on and we cultivate that and we make advancement in Krsna consciousness. But if we maintain or remain on bodily concept then, man’s body needs woman body, woman’s body needs, this is so called natural in this world. So we want to go against that nature and so called natural, so more natural is spirit soul’s nature, and going for the Supreme soul. And of course if you don’t fully succeed then change of asrama and then there are also lots of rules and guidelines to follow. And get rid of this idea and thought and desire; get rid of this all together within this very lifetime, or within some span, certain period or phase of your life. Again coming out clean and proceeding the remaining part of this life, just dedicate fully in the service of the Supreme soul and no bodies.

Question 4- If we feel that we need to go through grhastha asrama to purify our desires, because we have experienced so many times in previous lives most probably, is it possible that Krsna we reveal this as a realization?

Answer- certainly this is not that this is first life, first time we are in this body, but we had been practicing this from some time, life after life after life and getting purified enough and that is how, some persons are ready for life of naishthiki brahmacari. There are two types of Brahmachari: Naishthika and Upakurvana.

Upakurvana means at the age 25 or certain time of his brahmacari life he thinks he has to change asrama to grhastha asrama. Other one carries forward same asrama for rest of his life. He may stay as brahmacari, naishthiki brahmacari or he may accept sannyasa, not much difference in their consciousness. So those who are able to manage that come to level to stay single, but if that is not the case, if there is still desires, then there is way out, other asrama is there. Did I say enough, was that your question? I was not very focused.

Question – I have question about bhajan, importance of bhajans, whether we should sing them or when and where we should sing them and importance of Maha-mantra?

Answer- Jagannath Dasa Babaji Maharaja he asked his audience, are you interested in self-realization? Not you audience, his audience. Then if he said, yes I am. Then he said, you purchase or it won’t cost much, something like that he had said, just eight paisa or something, you could buy Narottam Dasa Thakur’s, one particular song book he mentioned, just buy Narottam Dasa Thakur’s this bhajan sangraha, song book and you study and sing and read and you could be self-realized. Yeah the bhajans are very powerful, pure. They are considered as good as Vedas, songs of Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Narottam Dasa Thakur. So the Vedic essence of Vedas and Vedas are in Sanskrit, and in this age of kali Sanskrit language is considered difficult, difficult by some, not easy. So Acaryas compiled songs in regional languages. But the potency vice Vedas and these songs are of same values. So the bhajans are the talk of the name of Krsna or qualities of Krsna or pastimes of Krsna.

yasomati nandan brajajan ranjan
gokul ranjan kanha…

Like that whole song is like each name is like each pastime,

amal harinam amiya vilasa
vipin purandar navin nagarvar

Each word, each name is so much reminder, so much has been said about the beauty of Krsna, the qualities of Krsna, pastimes of Krsna. So is there, maha-mantra includes all these bhajans as we say, we could chant maha-mantra only. Harer namaiv kevalam, that way we also chant Hare Krsna maha-mantra as well as we chant the bhajans, greeting of the Deity and there is Brahma’s song, Brahma samhita which we chant,

Govindam adipurusam tamaham bhajami,

Srila Prabhupada liked that when Jamuna came up with that song. Was Harrison involved which is part of Jai Radha Madhava , is he playing some music? All right! So Prabhupada chose that Jai radha madhava kunjabihari in the beginning of the bhajan. There is noon time and rajabhoga, when rajabhoga is offered to the Lord, and while Lord is relishing His lunch, there is bhoga arati song composed by Bhaktivinoda Thakur.

So many details of different preparations have been cooked and offered to the Lord. And how Lord is with His side glances looking at Radharani while eating. Now Their eating is over and They are drinking different drinks and ok now Their hands are washed and now They go to take rest, then Dhanista gopi comes, takes all maha-prasad and is distributing.

There is whole pastime, devotees sing every day in Mayapur and some other places also bhoga arati song. And sandhya arati, kibo jai jai gauracandera, and for protection of, protecting our movement and protecting our spiritual leaders, gurus, Namaste narasimhaya, we chant that. And like that there are so many different folks different slokas, as they say, so different songs are for different occasions. And Janmastami, Ramanavami we have some Krsna bhajans, and then Gaura purnimna and Gauranga Mahaprabhu’s bhajans.

The centre of Sankirtan Movement is Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

Dated: May 26^th 2018

Venue: Radhadesh (Belgium)

Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakur has compiled the Gaura arati glorifying Gauranga Mahaprabhu, Gauranga Gauranga.

bhakti vinoda dekhe gorara sampada

He ends this arati, prarthana saying ‘bhakti vinoda dekhe gorara sampada’

Bhakti Vinoda Thakur he sees, he realises and is writing talking about the gaurara sampada-the opulences of Gauranga, glories of Gauranga and arati.

kiba jaya jaya goracander aratiko sobha

I remember those old days, good old days fight to lead the sandhya arati in Radha Rasa Bihari temple in Juhu Mumbai. There we grew up as brahmacaries. As soon as the curtain opened, several of us would begin singing. The humbler ones would drop and one of them would take over and carry forward singing- kiba jaya jaya.

I used to be one of those fighters getting in there. Such a beautiful arati. As Bhakti Vinoda Thakur sings, there is performance of Gaura arati on the banks of Jahnavi. Mayapur is on the banks of Ganga, Ganga Maiya ki jai. I was also on the banks of Ganga just a few days ago, elsewhere not in Mayapur.

Then he describes who else is there,

kiba dakhine nitaicand

 Here dakhine means right and in the middle is Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and to His right Nityananda Prabhu is standing and to His left is Gadadhara.

 kiba dakhine nitaicand bame gadadhara

Now lot of time we always sing but we do not fully grasp or understand what we are singing. Then he says,

bosiyache goracand ratna-simhasane

Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is seated on ratna simhasan, throne made of ratna bedecked with jewels .

arati koren brahma-adi deva-gane

Of course we see head pujari performing arati of deities of Gauranga, Radha Gopinath but Bhakti Vinoda Thakur says –look here is Brahma, Lord Brahma is performing arati and in attendance Adi deva-gane. There are so many others Devis and Devtas assembled and on their behalf Brahma is performing arati.

“yam brahma varunendra–rudra–marutah stunvanti divyaih stavair” in Bhagavatam .

This is how Brahma,Chandra, Indra you know some of these names out of 330 million Demigods. They all glorify Gauranga, they glorify Sri Krishna Chaitanya, they glorify let us say Chaitanya Chandra, they glorify Krishna Chandra, they glorify Ram Chandra-the personality of God head. The Demigods glorify Him. So Bhakti Vinoda Thakur writes, Brahma has come and all the Demigods are there. Gaurara Sampada, this is the opulence and status of Gauranga .This is Gauranga and Brahma glorifies and worships Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Gauranga, Gauranga.

narahari-adi kori camara dhulaya

While he is being worshipped, his associate Narahari is fanning, whisking camara.

basu-ghos-adi gaya

There are very special devotees, there are three Ghoshs, they are singing.  Basu Ghosh out of the three was a leading singer.

 “Jai Jai Jagannath” you have heard this song. He has compiled many songs also including this “Jai Jai Jagannath”. There towards the end of that song we sing,

vasudeva ghosa bole kori joda hat

Vasudev with his folded hands, with all humility at his command, he wants to boldly declare, what is the declaration?

“jei gaura sei krsna sei jagannath”

He says jei Gaura, Gauranga, Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki jai.  Jagannath and Gaura are Shri Krishna. In other words there is no difference between Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Jagannath and Sri Krishna. So in this song Vasudev Ghosh is singing with folded hands, so that Vasu Ghosh is singing. So all devotees present are rendering service unto the Lord in different ways. Now what is happening, mridangas are being played and also hand cymbals are being played. These are two instruments sets and then another one sankha Brahma is blowing conch shell in the beginning and in the end and many others are blowing conch shells. Blowing conch shell means broadcasting the glories of the Lord. Lord is glorious. Glories of the Lord, glories of the Lord. Lord is coming, that is what blowing of sankha signifies.

kiba bahu-ko?i candra jinni vadana ujjvala

Bhakti Vinoda Thakur continues to sing, writes in that arati  that from His body, the Personality of Gauranga,

kiba bahu-ko?i candra jinni vadana ujjvala

Lord is brilliant and now how much brilliance? “bahu koti candra jinni”, millions of moons rays emanating from the Personality of Godhead. Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki Jai. That is what some realizes only those rays, also known as Braham jyoti. Brahma  jyoti, there are some who say, I have realized, I have realized God. What have you seen? I saw the light

 “aham brahmasmi”

Some unfortunate think, the light coming from the form of the Lord is all in all, that is everything. That is just the effulgence.

“brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate”

Brahma is just one feature of the Personality of Godhead. Origin of that Brahmajyoti is the Personality of Godhead-beautiful person that He is! Gaura Sundar. That is why we say Shyam Sundar and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is said Gaura Sundar. Sundar means beautiful. Gaura Sundar is Sarvanga Sundar. His all parts, everything is sundara.

gala-dese bana-mala kore jhalamala

Then the Lord is wearing garland, the long garland hanging from the neck of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.Meditation of all these elements, information, knowledge help us to systematically meditate on the Personality of Godhead. Then towards the end of that arati, Bhakti Vinoda Thakur says,

  “siva-suka-narada preme gada-gada”.There in attendance are Shiva, Brahma and Narada Muni and thus

 “siva-suka-narada preme gada-gada”

Shiva is playing his damroo -dum dum and He is doing nritya. Shiva is also known as Natraja .The best dancer is Shiva. There are different types of dances. At the time of annihilation the dance is called tandava Nritya. He also dances in kirtana and Narada muni is playing on his Veena. They are singing and dancing and their voices are getting choked, preme gada-gada.

bhakti vinoda dekhe gorara sampada

Bhakti Vinoda Thakur says, these are the glories of Gauranga Mahaprabhu which he sings right in the form of Gaura arati song. The centre of this Hare Krishna Movement is Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. World had been worshipping Sri Ram, glorifying Sri Ram Chandra and Sri Krishna Chandra. Very recently Lord appeared as Chaitanya Chandra only 528 years ago in Mayapur. Srila Prabhupada founded this International Society of Krishna Consciousness to glorify Gauranga and execute the will of Gauranga Mahaprabhu.

“sankirtanai kapitarau kamalai takashau

vishwambharau dwijbharau yugdharampaalau

 vande jagat priya karau karunavatarau”

This is how Chaitanya- bhagavat begins. Now one is Srimad-Bhagavatam, there is another Bhagavata called Chaitanya- bhagavata that glorifies Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Vyasdeva who compiled Bhagavatam appeared again as Vrindavan Das Thakur and he compiled Chaitanya-bhagavata now. Beginning of Chaitanya-bhagavata is,

ajanu-lambita-bhujau

 That Lord who has long arms. kanakavadatau” that Lord with golden complexion. He was Shyam Sundar and now He has become Gaura Sundar.

“sankirtanaika-pitarau kamalayataksau visvambharau ”

 He is the founding father of Sankirtana movement. ISKCON was founded by Lord  Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself.

“kamalayataksau” means blooming lotus eyes which reach “karnaparyanta.” Lords eyes are compared to fully bloomed lotus and they reach His ears. Ours do not reach but we stretch by applying something. We try to imitate Lord’s beauty.

This mantra of Chaitanya-bhagavata is talking of two Lords and that is why it is said,

 sankirtanaika-pitarau kamalayataksau visvambharau.

‘Au’ means there are two Lords, one is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and another one is Nityananda. Gaura Nityananda bol, haribol  but you should say one time, two times, you say this then it is ok. One time means saying haribol haribol. Prabhupada stopped me saying many times in1976 during Radhastami time in New Delhi kirtana, not just me but others also. In ISKCON we were doing  haribol haribol Guara Nityananda bol haribol ,Jai Advait bol haribol, Shri Gadadhar bol haribol haribol. Gaudiya matha was doing sankirtan like that. When we went to Mayapur festival we used to pick up some new, so stop it. So Gauranga and Nityananda.

Gauranga is “brajendra-nandana jei, saci-suta hoilo sei”

The son of Nanda Maharaja has now become son of  Saci and Jagannath Mishra.

“balarama hoile nitai” Balarama has appeared as Nityananda. In Dwapara yuga Krishna and Balarama. In Kaliyuga they are Gaura and Nitai. In Treta yuga they were Rama and Laxman. This is how it works. Ram Lakshman of Treta yuga become Krishna and Balarama in Dwapara yuga and Gauranga and Nityananda.

So “vishvambharau” they are maintainers, maintainers of this world. When Gauranga appeared His official name was Vishvambhara. Nilambara Chakravarati the father of Saci Mata was a big pandit,jyotishi and he did the Namakaran samskara of the Lord as Garga Muni had named Krishna and Balarama. Nilambara Chakravarati said “your name is Vishvambara”.So “vishvambharau dvijabharau” the best among dvija’s, the brahmanas. Nityananda was son of another brahman from Ekchakra Grama, Hadai Pandit. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is son of Jagganath Mishra.

“visvambharau dvija-varau yuga-dharma palau” and together they doing yuga-dharma palan or sthapana.

“paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge”

You know in the battle field of Kurukshetra, Krishna informed Arjuna. He appeared to protect His devotees and annihilate demons and that way established dharma. So Krishna appeared as Sri Krishna Chaitanya now. When Mahaprabhu was given sannyasa Keshava Bharati gave Him this name. Your name is Sri Krishna Chaitanya. Chaitanya gives chetana the consciousness, ecstasies and excitement to the dull life. Life is boring, routine and troublesome. Then Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared and then He put back life. The souls were revived and empowered and stirred up. Keshava Bharati said “that is what you would do”. Hence your name is Sri Krishna Chaitanya. So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu made the lives of devotees lively-lively life. Spiritual life Krishna conscious life is like that and that is due to Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

“sankirtanaika-pitarau kamalayataksau
visvambharau dvija-varau yuga-dharma-palau
vande jagat priya-karau karunavatarau”

We offer our obeisances unto Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu the karunavatarau. He is karuna avatar, merciful, magnanimous incarnation of the Lord.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Ram Hare Ram, Ram Ram Hare Hare

King Nimi asked Karbhajan Muni, one of the nine Yogendras some questions. The questions raised were, “please tell me in which age,  with what kind of complexion the Lord appears? What is the main activity or past times and how is He worshipped in different ages?

So the answer to these questions is in Bhagavatam. Karbhajan Muni said in 11 Canto a very famous statement

“krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadam yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah”

So the answer was which I already said. It is enough? When Sukdeva Swami spoke to King Parikshit, he would just say only that much.

“krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadam yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah”

Then the next mantra, the next mantra, the next mantra. As they heard, they would really understand. What does it mean? They could understand what that mantra has to say. They would realize the purport of the mantra. King Parikshit was realizing “krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam”.So  the answer is, to say in our language. We are souls, soul’s language is Sanskrit .We have to learn it so that you do not face difficulty when you get back home as you are foreigner here. Sanskrit is very refined and well defined language. It is pure and potent language. This language is spoken by Gods. Gods speak this language, Hari Hari. So Krishnavarnam.The answer was “krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam’’. The Lord will appear.  He is Lord.

 krsna krsna krsna krsna hey krsna krsna krsna pahi mam

Now what would Lord do? He would say Krsna Krsna-glorify Krishna. So krsnavarnam. And here Lord will be busy chanting and singing. Hari Hari. This is the answer to the question. How would God be worshipped? This is the age of Kali or kaliyuga in which the world is very ignorant. There was Satyuga,Treta yuga, Dwapara and then Kaliyuga.

Who knows Mr.Darwin? He came up with his theory not long ago about the most evolved entities. He was an  English man some 200 years ago. His birth ceremony, anniversary or something was celebrated recently. He said that apes are the most evolved entity.Everything started with amoeba-ba means father-baap. Our baap is of amoeba. We are descendants of ape/vanar/monkey. So this version of human being is some 5 or 10 thousand years old. Full-fledged human beings came into being some 1000 years ago. You forgot your Mahabharat. This is all bogus .We say this in the presence of the Lord. Even Arjuna said –“all that you are saying My Lord is nothing but the truth”. In the 10 chapter of Bhagvad-gita Arjun said,

“sarvam etat ritam manye yanmam vadsi keshav” 

“All that you are speaking is nothing but the truth My dear Lord”

It is already said, sahastrayugam paryantam. The Brahma that we talked about a little while ago. Brahma’s one day is equal to sahastrayugam paryantam, thousand cycles of 4 yugas(4 ages-Satyuga,Treta, Dwapara and Kaliyug-one cycle)Thousand cycles like this is one day of Brahma. You can further calculate, multiplied by 7 is one week of Brahma, multiply that by 4 is one month of Brahma, multiply that by 12 is one  year of Brahma, multiply by 100 is one span of Brahma which is equal to one breath of the Lord.

 How many times Lord takes the breath? It is always eternal. Is God great yes or not ? This is greatness of God. Srila Prabhupada used to say, whole world says God is great. Even in Christianity its said, God is great. Then you have to refer to Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavatam, Mahabharata,Vedas and Puranas. That is where you find complete glory, unlimited glories of Gauranga and Sri Krishna. Why did I say all this? In the age of Kali, Lord appears. So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would be worshipped or Lord will be worshipped by chanting. Let us continue worshipping Lord by chanting.

Hare Krishna

Distribute Bhagavatam sets on the occasion of Bhadra purnima
Venue: Airport, Nagpur
Dated: September 25th 2018
Occasion: Srila Prabhupada’s Sannyasa Day Anniversary

Where did Prabhupada take sannyasa? In Keshav Gaudiya Math in Mathura. He had the title of Bhaktivendanta before and later on Swami was added. He was Bhaktivedanta before sannyasa. He was Abhya Carana and on today’s occasion he was called Bhaktivedanta Swami. Srila Bhakti Pragyan Keshav Goswami Maharaja gave him sannyasa who was also Srila
Prabhupada’s the god brother and spiritual master of Narayana Maharaja. It was the year 1959.

Before that Prabhupada was preaching in Jhansi. He took vanaprastha and started living in Jhansi. He had plans of establishing Sarvabhaum sabha in Jhansi. He was also thinking of youth preaching. He as planing to advertise “Youth wanted” in the newspaper to train them. Jhansi devotees say, “ISKCON was conceived in Jhansi and delivered in New York.” Before that Prabhupada was in Allahabad and running De Pharmacy and sometimes Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru would visit his shop to buy medicines. Many Kumbha melas also took place when Prabhupada was in Prayag. Prabhupada has spoken about his experiences. In 1932 Prabhupada did Vraja-mandala parikrama with his Guru Maharaja, Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. After that he received initiation in Allahabad in 1933.

During initiation some of the disciples informed Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur that Prabhupada was Abhay Babu. Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur had responded “Yes, yes I know him. He hears Hari katha with full attention.” Abhay Babu was hearing Bhagavat katha with rapt attention. Such were the memories Prabhupada’s spiritual master had of him. Prabhupada’s wife sold his Bhagavat Grantha, not with the intension that people will read it, but she bought biscuits to have with the tea. When Prabhupada came to know of her actions, he was very upset.

Then again in Allahabad Prabhupada asked his wife, “You want tea or me.” Her answer was tea. Prabhupada took it very seriously so he said, “You be happy with your Tea. I am going,” and left home. He would come and go since he was a pharmaceutical agent, but this was the last time. He moved forward and never looked back and never came back home. This was in the early 50’s. In  ’51- ’52 he went to Jhansi and started preaching there. He had some difference with the landlord of the place where he was living in Noida so he move to Mathura.

Prabhupada had a deity of Caitanya Mahaprabhu which he took with him to Mathura Gaudiya Math. Those Deities are still there today in Keshav Gaudiya Math. It was there on this day that Prabhupada got sannyasa. Today is Purnima. That was in 1959 and now it is 2018. So exactly 60 years ago Prabhupada got sannyasa.

This purnima is Bhadrapada masa Purnima. Today  was the last day of the recitation of the Srimad-Bhagavatam by Sukadeva Goswami. Sukadeva Goswami recited Bhagavata katha to Pariksit Maharaja for 7 days and that katha ended today. It must have been in the evening of the 7th day that the 11th and 12th canto was recited. Exactly today is also the anniversary of that katha. Do you all remember, especially those who had all had come to Shukratal? Today Sukadeva Goswami was winding up the katha recitation. Sukadeva Goswami’s last sentences to Parikshit were, “Don’t think that you will die. Animals think like this. So give up this kind of intelligence. Saying these words the katha ended. Sukadeva Goswami left that place because the snake was waiting for the katha to end. over. Sukadeva Goswami knew this had to happen. He knew that Parikshit would go back to kingdom of God. Whatever happens to the body let it happen but Parikshit Maharaja will go back home. Just by hearing Bhagavad- gita on Mokshada Ekadasi, Arjuna achieved liberation on the day Mokshada Ekadasi, Gita jayanti.

nasto mohah smrtir labdha (BG 18.73)

Now I am free of all illusion. So on Gita Jayanti – Gita influenced Arjuna and Arjuna was free of all doubts. Like that today Parikshit maharaja went back to Godhead. Today is the great day. It is written in the Bhagavatam that those who place the Bhagavat on a golden throne and distribute it will return to the kingdom of God .  This is the result of distribution of Srimad Bhagavatam, and that is why I am here to do some distribution. Upon Bhima Prabhu’s request I had made the video on behalf of the BBT Campaign which is promoting the distribution of Bhagavat Bhagavatam today. Have you distributed any books? In Noida 20 sets of Bhagavatam have been distributed. I told Bhima Prabhu, director of BBT, “In my zone we will distribute 108 Bhagavatam sets. We have 10 temples, so we will distribute 108 sets in 10 temples. How many for Nagpur – 11 sets. Do we have 11 Bhagavatam sets to distribute in the next week? The price is Rs 4000 per set.

Distribute them to devotees or katha premis. Keeping Bhagavatam at home is like keeping the Lord at home. Bhagavat is Lord Himself. So distribute 1 or 2 sets.  Is there anyone here to give or receive? Partha Prabhu has 2 of them. Then you should donate 1 to someone. Remember someone who might take it or if you remember someone’s birthday,
anniversary. Like that it is easy to distribute 11 sets.

Grantharaj Srimad Bhagwatam ki Jai

Prabhupada had started translating some books like Easy journey to other planets, Isopanisad etc. before his sannyasa. From Mathura Prabhupada then went to Vrndavana and started living in Radha Damodar mandir. There he started translating Bhagavatam into English. That was his instruction from his Guru to preach in English. Prabhupada was thinking that there should be some books in English, so he translated the 1st canto of Bhagavatam with word to word meaning translation and purport. Prabhupada did this in Radha Damodar temple. He wrote , he typed, he edited. He was doing everything himself. He would go to Delhi by train, travelling in 3rd class. Not by plane. Nowadays there is no 3rd class train, but I have seen it.  There are two parts of Delhi – one part of Delhi is across Yamuna, on the Eastern bank of Yamuna. He found one printer there, so that’s where he went. After sannyasa he started translating Bhagavatam. There is a connection here between Prabhupada sannyasa and the completion of the recitation of Bhagavatam. Prabhupada took sannyasa and translated the Bhagavatam.Prabhupada took  200 set of Bhagavatam  to America. Sukadeva Goswami katha is world renowned.

Bhagavatam is being distributed in many languages, In our mission ‘Books are the Basis.’ Bhagavatam is praman. Every day in the temple we have Bhagavatam class and every year we have Bhagavat saptah. Like this Prabhupada become the representative of Vyasa Dev. Vyasa means wide spread, expansion. Bhagavat was composed by Vyasa Dev and he taught it to his son Sukadeva Goswami. Just like Valmiki taught Ramayana to Luv and Kush and they further preached. Valmiki was thinking, “I have composed Ramyana, but who will preach.” He was thinking like this and at same time the bell rang. “May we come in, Sir?” 2 small boys came inside. Valmiki understood  that these are the ones who will preach. So Valmiki taught them the full Ramayana. In the same way Bhagavat was also taught by Vyasa Dev to Sukadeva Goswami.  So Sukadeva Goswami became the 1st speaker of Bhagavatam. Kaliyuga was only 30 years when Lord Krsna went back to His abode, same day Kaliyuga started. After 30 years Sukadeva Goswami recited to Parikshit Maharaja. Parikshit was king for 30 years. As soon as the Pandava’s heard that Lord Krsna left they took sannyasa and they enthroned King Parikshit.

So Krsna’s departure, Pandava’s taking sannyasa and Parikshit becomes King of the world. He was cursed by Shringi and the 7 days the katha happened . That time Kaliyuga was 30 years as described in Padma Purana. That was the first official Bhagavad katha Same katha Suta Goswami was also hearing, even Vyasa Dev was hearing the katha from his son and disciple. He himself became the srota. Narada Muni was also there. Next katha was in Naimisharanya where Suta Goswami spoke . He spoke to the sages in Naimisharanya.

So when you read Bhagavatam, which I am sure you all do do you read in between comes Suta uvaca. What we are reading is recited by Suta Goswami. Suta Goswami is reciting exactly the same one which he heard from Sukadeva Goswami. After Suta uvaca comes Sukha uvaca.  If someone asks Suta Goswami a question he would say that Sukadeva Goswami would answer like this . So Granth Raj Srimad Bhagwatam is the topmost scripture, brilliant as the sun. Kaliyuga came and we started sleeping in katha . Due to mode of ignorance we can’t see anything. Our vision is destroyed. When the Lord departed, but at the same time He was staying back in the form of katha. Krsna told Uddhava this. When Uddhava came to know that Lord Krsna is going, he also wanted to go with Him. Krsna rejected that idea. Krsna said, “I will exist in the form of katha.” When we hear katha we will see the form of the Lord. Caitanya Mahaprabhu also used to hear Bhagavatam katha from Gadadhar Pandit.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare

Kirtana meditation
Venue: Birmingham, UK
Dated: 29 th April 2016
Occasion: 24 hour kirtana mela

Why to chant from the heart? Reason is that is where we reside; our residence or base is in the heart. That is why Madhava prabhu and Maharaja was reminding us, chant from the heart, chant from the heart. Hari Hari!
Chandramauli maharaja was talking of hearing every name. There are sixteen names, iti sodasakam namnam kali-kalmasa-nasanam  ( Kalisantarana Upanishad) sodasakam namnam, there are sixteen names and hear each of those names.

As someone chants and you hear or you chant and also you hear. I was told that we have to speak about the, the topic or theme is kirtana meditation. Kirtana what? Kirtana meditations! So then I was thinking and I remembered Gopal Guru Goswami, he has given explanation of Hare Krsna mantra or commentary, Hare Krsna maha-mantra bhasya if you want to call it. Mahabhashya, maharaja is saying, because maha-mantra so mahabhashya. This Gopal Guru Goswami was Shri Vakreshwara Pandit’s disciple. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very fond of this Gopal Guru Goswami. And affectionately and jokingly, Mahaprabhu would also say, call him guru, call him guru. He was so learned; call him guru, so he became Gopal Guru Goswami.

So that Goswami, Gopal Guru Goswami has presented commentary and I thought of just running through it quickly, talks about each name. When we say each name, Hare, say Hare, then say Krsna, Hare Krsna, like that Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

As we say each of these names, sixteen names, what we do or what the chanter does? He is addressing those names. It is called sambodhan. Well how do you address the name?

abhinnatvat nama namino

nama and nami, Lord’s name and Lord they are non different. So when we say, Hare Krsna then Hare makes appearance and Krsna makes appearance and immediately from the heart you address that Lord.

So this Gopal Guru Goswami, he is giving a guideline. What you should be addressing, when you are saying Hare, what are you suppose to be saying? So he says that we should say to that Hare, O! Hare, hare – he hare,

mac-cittam hrtva bhava-bandhanan mocaya

What did he say? He said in Sanskrit. So he said, O! Hare, please steal my mind, steal my consciousness and make me

bhava bandhanan mocaya, make me free

from bhava bandhan, the bonds of this material existence. Please make me free, please make me free by stealing capturing, attracting my mind to You. Then after Hare comes Krsna then he says what we should say to that Krsna, he Krsna, krsna – he krsna, mac-cittam akarsaya

O! Krsna-You are known for, You are all attractive.
“karshati iti krishna”

Krsna is that person who karsati, who attracts. So my dear Krsna, mat cittam akarsaya, please attract me to You, my mind, my whole existence, my consciousness to you. Then comes the turn of Hare again. O! Hare, Radha again.

hare – he hare, sva-madhuryena mac-cittah hara

O! Radhe You are known for Your madhurya, Your sweetness. So please attract me by Your sweetness, O! Radhe.
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna, now next Krsna, so when you say that Krsna, you are saying, you are addressing that Krsna, taking advantage of His presence and immediately you are address Him saying, krsna – he krsna, sva-bhakta-dvara bhajana-jnana-danena mac-cittam sodhaya This whole thing, the first four names as we address or address Lord in the form of these four names, this refers to all ceto darpana marjanam, cetana related.

Please by Your own devotee, sva bhakta dvara, by Your devotee. Shiksha guru, diksha guru, acarya, sadhu sanga, give me sadhu sanga, give me association of devotee so that bhajan jnana danen, bhajan jnana dana. How to perform this
bhajan? jnana knowledge of this bhajan, bhajan kriya, there are so many details.

Let Your devotee give me charity, dana of that jnana. Let that knowledge be given to me as a charity. So that mat cittam sodhaya, so that my consciousness IS purified.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna then next Krsna. krsna – he krsna, rucir bhavatu me

Let that ruchi, name ruchi, let me develop ruchi that taste in Your name, taste in You. This is also like from shraddha to prema and up there is ruchi. So when would that day be mine, when I will have ruchi.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna, then there is another Krsna. krsna – he krsna, nama-rupa-guna-liladisu man-nistham kuru Let me be fixed in recitation of Your nama or glories of nama rupa guna lila; let me be steady in the aspects of Your personality, Your name, You are non different from Your name, You are non different from Your qualities, You are non different from Your pastimes. So let me be fixed, steady. Prabhupada used to ask sometimes, Are you convinced? So let me be convinced.

Next is that last Hare Hare. hare – he hare, nija-seva-yogyam mam kuru

O! Hare please make me eligible to serve You. Srila Prabhupada used to always emphasize on this, O! Krsna, O! Radhe, please engage me. I am Yours, I am Your servant, please engage me, seva yogyam kuru.

Last Hare of the first set of half of the mantra is adisaya. hare – he hare, sva-sevam adisaya
Please reveal that service unto me. First You make me eligible and reveal what is that service. Of course this could go beyond our service, beyond this existence, part of our svarupa, as parts and parcels, going back home. So what would be that service, please reveal that service unto me. Order me personally in the service you wish me to perform.

And then Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, I should go faster. That Hare, hare – he hare, sva-presthena saha svabhista-lilam sravaya O! Radha please let me hear or You share Your most cherished pastimes, Your pastime with Krsna; could I hear that pastime? Sravaya, could you make me hear that pastime? And then that similar prayer or address is also upto that Rama, Hare Rama.

rama – he rama, presthaya saha svabhista-lilam mam sravaya O! Krsna You also, Your most cherished pastime with Radharani, could I hear? Make me hear, let there be opportunity for me to hear those pastimes.

Hare Rama and then Hare Rama, so after sravaya comes darshaya.
hare – he hare, sva-presthena saha svabhista-lilam darsaya

Please show me, could Your pastimes be revealed unto me? Let’s say together, O! Krsna O! Radhe, first sravaya and the darshaya, could I have darsana. So darsana is two way track. Unless darsana is given to you, you can not take. There is giver and there is the taker. We are there to take darsana but unless it is given you can’t take it. So there is humble appeal and address to that divine couple, Hare Rama please reveal those pastimes and Your darsana you reveal unto me.

rama – he rama, presthaya saha svabhista-lilam mam darsaya |

Rama! O Rama! Give me the opportunity to see your intimate pastimes.
And then last Rama Rama Hare Hare. Again nama rupa guna lila.
rama – he rama, nama-rupa-guna-lila-smaranadisu mam yojaya

Please when would I become fixed up in nama,, rupa guna, lila of Yours? And the next is,
rama – he rama, tatra mam nija-seva-yogyam kuru

Please make me fit to fit into those pastimes. Make me fit, make me eligible to be
part of those pastimes. And final Hare Hare, that was Rama Rama, and then Hare
Hare ends with saying, all this is Gopal Guru Goswami says.

When we says that final Hare Hare we address.
hare – he hare, mam svangikrtya ramasva
hare – he hare, maya saha ramasva

O! Hare, that is Radharani, sva-angi krtya, please accept me as Your servant and maya sama ramasva, please deal with me, please reciprocate with me. You are Radharaman, You are this raman, and You do raman with so many others, but let there be me and You, You and me. Maya saha ramasva, so this meditation or address ends with maya saha ramasva, please consider me as Your own and make me part of Your existence or Your pastimes and deal with me. So this is food for thought as we say these names,

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

We could think like this, the address of the names from the heart.
And Nitai Gaur premanande Hari Hari Bol! I wish organizers to run successful
kirtana mela festival, here in Birmingham ki Jai!
Jagannath Baladeva Subhadra ki Jai!

Kirtana mela mahotsav ki Jai!
Nitai Gaur premanande Hari Hari Bol!
Was that loud enough? Not loud! Sacinandan maharaja is not happy. Let’s be
louder! Nitai Gaur premanande Hari Hari bol! Getting better? Better but not best!
Nitai Gaur Premanande Hari Hari bol!
Thank you!

Lord Jagannath is the Lord of the universe
Venue: Holland
Dated: 26 th May 2018

This festival called ratha yatra festival, ratha means chariot so festival of chariots. But we have only one, so we could say festival of chariot. Sometime there are three chariots. One for Jagannath, one for Baladev, one for Subhadra. If you go, in New York also ratha yatra we have three chariots. In Los Angeles with three chariots. Next week there is rathayatra in London with three chariots and of course in Jagannath puri dham ki jay! We have three chariots. God is kind.

He must be very very kind that he has come to your town. He has come to you. He has been waiting for you to go to Him. He had been waiting and waiting and you did not come. So kindly Lord has come here in the form of Jagannath Swami ki jay!!! This is one of the oldest, most ancient festival in India in Jagannath Puri. For thousands of years ratha yatra is being held in Jagannath Puri. Five hundred years ago Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, while He spent eighteen years, in every year Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki jay!!! Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He became a devotee of Lord. He is a Lord Himself but He became a devotee of Lord, devotee of Jagannath and every year Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to take part in rathayatra. And dancing in front of Jagannath and chanting,

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

So by participating in this ratha yatra festival Caitanya Mahaprabhu has established the significance of this festival, rathayatra festival. Jagannath a name of the Lord. Lord also has name, He has a form He has qualities, He has pastimes. So Jagannath is called Jagannath, say Jagannath, everybody say Jagannath. Jagannath, jagat ke nath means He is a Lord of the universe. He is not Lord of Jagannath Puri. He is not just Lord of India, not just Lord even of this planet but He is Lord of the universe. Jagannath Swami ki jay!!! He is everybody’s Lord wherever you are from. Where are you from? From Holland or Belgium or Luxemburg? A small country. Wherever you are from, yeah, He is your Lord, He is my Lord, He is everybody’s Lord.

There are not so many Lord. They are not two or three or many Lords. There is but one Lord. Everybody’s Lord is one Lord. Some of us may not know His name. We may call Him just as Lord Lord or God God. But some of us also know His name. One name is Jagannath, another name is Krsna and another name is Rama. He has so many many names also and he is everybody’s Lord.

Srila Prabhupada gave us this festival. Srila Prabhupada ki jay!!! Is Prabhupada’s deity on this chariot? A small deity is there, we call him Prabhupada, founder acarya of Hare Krsna movement . He is the one who started this festival. 51 years ago first festival was held in 1967 in San Francisco where Jagannath had appeared. One of Prabhupada’s disciple called Malati. She was also Malati. Prabhupada’s disciple Malati, Another Malati here. There are many Malatis but that original Malati, Prabhupada’s disciple, she had gone to do shopping. While shopping she found what she called doll, one doll and she returned to the temple she offered that doll to Srila Prabhupada. When Prabhupada looked at that doll he said, “where did you find this?” “In a shop I found, in a mall I found, super bazar I found it.” Prabhupada said, “go back, there must be two more dolls.” And she went and she was surprised to find as she was looking around two more dolls. She grabbed them and ran back to the temple and offered them to Prabhupada. Now there were three dolls. Prabhupada placed them on his table. On the desk, Prabhupada was watching and taking darsana and offering prayers. And he was absorbed in and the disciples around, they have no clue what, why is Prabhupada exhibiting so much devotion while looking at these dolls. But for him, for Prabhupada those dolls were God, Jagannath and Baladev and Subhadra. He knew who they were. Others did not know. But soon Prabhupada revealed who they were and Prabhupada had idea that we should organize ratha yatra festival, festival of chariots in San Francisco and that is what happened. Then Prabhupada asked Shyamsundar, Any Shyamsundar also here? He was Malati’s husband and he was a carpenter.

Prabhupada said, “take these three dolls place them in front of you and while looking at them you could make bigger, three bigger dolls, you make Jagannath, Baladev Subhadra,” that is what he did. When these three doll, deities now they were. They were deities; They were God, form of God. And Prabhupada said, “Let’s have ratha yatra festival.” And then first ever ratha yatra festival was held. In Golden Gate park in San Francisco in 1967 and was a huge success.

Prabhupada was just there in America for a year and half or so and that became the first public festival of ISKCON which was attended by 10000 ladies and gentlemen from America [clap] Haribol!!! We have few hundred here. But on the way actually were hundreds and hundreds. I was surprised how many, hari hari!!! And the festival was very successful. Prabhupada said we want to call this town San Francisco as New Jagannath Puri and for us San Francisco is no more San Francisco it is. What is it? New Jagannath Puri dham ki jay!! Full town was named after Jagannath Puri.

Prabhupada said, “There was New York and New Delhi so many new, this new, that new, why not new Jagannath Puri. So that was the first festival of chariot in the western world and then next one in Montreal, I think next one in New York, next one here, next one there and by now this International Society for Krsna Consciousness is organizing ratha yatra festival, festival of chariot all over the planet. There is no country where ratha yatra is not held and in recent survey we found out 470 listen to this 470 cities on this planet where ratha yatra festival is held. You are not surprised? I am surprised [clap] and this one must be 471 st . Small town, good size town.

Jagannath also has come here. Hari Hari!! Is this first one here? No, How many times we have done here, 3,4,5, 10? You forgot? 12 ok more than 10. Yes I am amazed. I liked the festival. I was very much, I did not know what to expect but, Malati said some name of the town. What?

Which town? Timbactoo? They said timbactoo [laugh]. Finally as I have gone through the experience of ratha yatra today. I loved ratha yatra today. Was very well received by the residents. They are very receptive. They were accepting prasadam. They were taking selfies and from roof tops and from their verandas, they were taking photographs and they were clapping. They were getting into the mood of singing. That doesn’t happen everywhere like that, not in New York or some places. So this was very receptive and how is Prasad? How is it? Yeah? First class!! And there is a big big response for prasadam here.

In Jagannath puri, Jagannath is known for prasadam. Everyday hundreds and thousands of people take Jagannath prasad. Hari hari!!! And of course this Jagannath is non different from Krsna. He is Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Jei gaur sei krsna sei Jagannath

We were singing jei gaur, say, jei gaur sei krsna sei Jagannath. Sei gaur Gauranga, Krsna and Jagannath are not different. They are one and the same. So that Lord Jagannath is Sri Krsna. We have Bhagvad-gita? We have books here? Lord who spoke Bhagavad-gita, same Lord is Jagannath Swami ki jay!!! So Lord has come to give us darsana, to meet us. Please take darsana of Lord, offer your prayers and obeisances. Thank you, thank you Jagannath say thank you Jagannath . Thank god we say, thank God thank God. He has come all the way to our town to meet us. We are just nobody, insignificant creatures, tiny and He is big Lord of the universe. When Lord has gone out of His way. Now He has come to see us. So you could hear, Hear him, speak. We are speaking on His behalf. You could also hear Him speak directly. That is Bhagavad gita. You have read Bhagavad-gita? How many of you have Bhagavad-gita? Quite a few. Others, we have books here. Take one copy or many copies. This is also very special month in fact.

Purusottam maas, adhik maas, mal maas. And ratha yatra is being held in the middle of this purusottam maas. It is very very auspicious. Auspicious for holding festivals. Auspicious for chanting and dancing and hearing and studying and meditating on the Lord. So I think in this town they gather once a month. I don’t know the address. Please find out. But we are everywhere. Hare krsna’s are everywhere. On the streets of so many towns.

So please chant, that is so special. Hari hari!! Say everybody “hare krsna hare krsna”, ok you could raise your hands also, that meant we surrender unto the Lord.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

So keep chanting these names of Lord. We are known as Hare Krsna, we are Hare Krsna people. Reason why we are called Hare Krsna people because we always chant Hare Krsna. We chant Krsna’s name everywhere and always all over the world. And we are good people, I think [laugh]. You are judge you could tell us. This festival is open for everybody. No caste, no nationality boundaries. This is for one and all. So these Hare Krsna people, Hare Krsna movement is uniting people everywhere. Prabhupada once or many times said, “This is united nation of the spiritual world.” We are all united otherwise the world is. In New York there is UNO building, Prabhupada used to pass by that building and he used to notice every time he passed by that building there was yet another flag. After few months another flag, another flag. Then he said what kind of united nation is this? This is disunited, so many flags. Why not one flag? Flag of God. We have come here with God. And He is everybody’s God. This sun is, is this Belgium’s sun? And after few hours it becomes American sun and then Japanese sun. Sun is sun.

Everybody’s sun. Likewise everybody’s God is, we are all children of one God. And that God, He has a form. He has kindly come here or we have brought Him here. Riding on the chariot. Big chariot, does anyone have a chariot or cart like this? Not a president, not a prime minister, this must be God’s chariot, God’s cart. Huge big, this one is not that, medium size we have, big big size chariots.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

This mantra we call maha-mantra. Our spiritual master used to call this as the phone number of God. If you are in trouble call God. Ok so I will not take more of your time. Thank you for joining us this beautiful little warm afternoon.

Jagannath Swami ki jay!!!
Srila Prabhupada ki jay!!!
Gaur premanade hari haribol!!!

Wakeup sleeping soul
Dated: June 10 th 2018
Venue: Heidelberg Germany

jiv jago, jiv jago, gauracanda bole
kota nidra jao maya-pisacira kole

bhajibo boliya ese samsara-bhitare
bhuliya rohile tumi avidyara bhare

tomare loite ami hoinu avatara
ami bina bandhu ara ke ache tomara

enechi aushadhi maya nasibaro lagi
hari-nama maha-mantra lao tumi magi’

bhakativinoda prabhu-carane pariya
sei hari-nama-mantra loilo magiya

This is song by one of our great acaryas, Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakur ki jai! I just assume that you know Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakur. But even if you do not know that’s ok, he is father of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur.

It begins with jiva jago, it’s said twice, jiva jago jiva jago. What is jiva? Soul! And where is the soul? Yeah it is in the heart. Everybody’s heart or only in Indian’s hearts? Everybody’s heart! So this is address to jiva, the living entity. Jiva is also called as atma, spirit soul. Jago means wake up. Wake up spirit soul.

Jiva jago jiva jago gauracanda bole, bole means speaking. Who is speaking or addressing jiva or living entity? Gauracanda bole! That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Gauracanda or Gauracandra like Krsnacandra, Ramacandra, you heard these names right? So Gauracanda is calling out or addressing and inspiring. Oh jiva please wake up. Please wake up.

So when body sleeps at night, some people sleep day and night. Today is Sunday, we were going through villages and there were no people. And we were informed that they are sleeping. When they are hungry they get up. So body wakes up after eight hours, six hours or ten hours. But soul had been sleeping from long time. There is not even calculation of how much time, can’t say. For long long long, could be for ages, soul had been sleeping.

And Bhakti Vinoda Thakur says, kota nidra jao maya pisacira kole, kole means the lap. Like children sleep on the lap of the mother. So the souls here in this world are sleeping on the lap of witch called Maya. Maya is addressed as a witch. Do you know witch? So Maya’s lap or in illusion, as conditioned they are, they had been sleeping, sleeping souls! All over the world they are sleeping. Soul is sleeping during the night, through out the night, through out the day, next day, next night next day, always sleeping. He had been sleeping from long long time.

Bhakti Vinoda Thakur is saying Gauranga, Gauranga! Gauranga! Gauranga! Now Gauranga has come, Gauracandra has come, so oh sleeping soul please get up. Wherever they are, oh American sleeping souls, German sleeping souls or Indian
sleeping souls! Of course soul is a soul. Soul cannot be Indian or German or Japanese or African, right?
You are studying Bhagavad Gita from quite some time, some of you are very advanced students sitting here; they have quite of mixed group here. They have some new friends, new guests, very recently introduced to Krsna consciousness
and some of you are around from long. They have woken up from quite some time. And some are just now waking up. Lot many are still sleeping there. They haven’t yet come here. Souls are sleeping. As soon as they wake up, they run to
Hare Krsna temple. They have not come that means they are still sleeping. So Gauracanda bole, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is calling, please get up, please wake up. Please wake up sleeping soul, wake up! Wake up call!

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

This is alarm, wake up call. Your alarm clock wakes you up, some kind of morning tune or some tune that wakes you up. So for sleeping souls, to wake them up, this is the mantra that is waking souls up. Gauranga is calling. This song is of course interesting. But there is deep philosophy and understanding behind or as a foundation of the song. So going through the song, the next stanza is,

bhajibo baliya ese samsara bhitare
bhuliya rohile tumi avidyara bhare

So what did Bhakti Vinoda Thakur say next, bhajibo, ami bhajibo baliya ese samsara bhitare. Do you not remember oh soul, do you not remember when you were in the womb of your mother and you were getting tortured, inconvenience
and what not. In the womb situation is not very comfortable. We can’t even speak or stretch, no air conditioner there, all dark, can’t move, you are bitten; so in that condition, soul calls, help help help, get me out of here. And then soul says, my dear Lord just one more time get me out of here. I promise, bhajibo, this is what this song is saying, bhajibo, I will worship You, I will surrender unto You, I will serve You.

By saying so and then the child or baby is born. This is described in Bhagavatam also by Lord Kapila deva. What living entity goes through, the torture. It is called suffering, four kinds of sufferings, birth, death, old age and disease. We can imagine or we even get to see the sufferings, old person’s sufferings, old age suffering, disease suffering, death, oh it’s terrifying. But we lot of time do not have idea how birth is suffering? May be the mother or pregnant lady or child labor, she is giving birth to the child, may be she is also suffering and child is also.

We probably could think limited, suffering is only limited when child is taking birth. But for all the time the child is in the womb there is worse than hell. So Kaplila Deva has explained all that in the third canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. So Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakur is basing his song on those statements of Lord Kapila Deva or descriptions of Kapila Deva and Bhagavatam. So living entity promised, bhajibo, I promise, I will worship You, bhajibo baliya ese samsara bhitare. Samsara, this world, you come into the world after promising that you
will worship, but scene changes.

Bhuliya rohile tumi avidyara bhare, as soon as you are born, and then surrounded by mummy and daddy and other relatives, they pamper you or they even brain wash you through such education system. Like Hiranyakashipu had sent Prahlad to gurukul school and who were the teachers? Shanda and Amarka, they were graduate in demonism, post graduates, they had master’s degree in all the demoniac principles and nature. And they were appointed teachers of Prahlad maharaj and other students also. Something similar, that goes on in present education system world wide, everywhere. And people are covered with illusion and ignorance. Hari Hari! Darwin’s theory of what? Evolution? This theory and that theory and what not!

There is so much to say. These are the thoughts on Bhakti Vinoda Thakur’s mind while he is composing this song, avidyara bhare. More educated you are, there are less chances of you taking Krsna consciousness. This is in India, experienced. Less educated villagers, simple people, innocent people they have no difficulty, chant Hare Krsna, they say Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, immediately. So they have that faith, faith is there. And all the people from Bombay, Pune their lips are little bit open and if someone is asking them to say Hare Krsna,
immediately they close their lips tight. Make sure Hare Krsna does not come out of the mouth. Suppose we tell them to raise arms and say Hare Krsna (Maharaja showing how these people fold their arms and tight their lips) they fold their arms and close their lips tight. So this is the practical experience, we are experiencing this, avidyara bhare, full of ignorance. So you promised in the womb that you will worship Lord but something else happened. You took birth and your up bringing and brain washing, and you forgot your promise.

tomare loite ami hoinu avatara ami bina bandhu ara ke ache tomara

The Lord who is asking the living entities to wake up, jiva jago, Gauracanda bole, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is calling, speaking, talking, addressing living entities, please get up. Now Lord says to those living entities, tomara loite ami hoinu avatara, just for your sake I have taken birth. I appeared just for you, Oh dear soul, My dear child. Of course jiva the living entity is child of the Lord. And Lord, the Supreme father is addressing the living entity, just for your sake, I know how much you are going through.

avatirne gauracandre vistirne prema sagare

I have come to give some prema, love, affection because you had been going through a lot in this world, birth death old age. For your sake I have appeared hoinu avatara, I have descended, all away leaving My abode behind I have
descended to this world. I have come to Mayapur. Lord came, He came to the same earth and He did not come for the sake of Indians or Hindus. He appeared for everybody, because everybody is also suffering. Do they suffer in Germany? Yeah? We don’t think so! In India we don’t think. Germany is like a heaven and everyone wants to be like that Germans, imitates Germans or Americans. Well that doesn’t seem to be the case. Suffering is everywhere.

I am supposed to be giving talk on Bhagavad Gita, so this is Bhagavad Gita talk also. Lord said birth, death, old age and disease are cause of suffering. So do people in Germany die? Because the law is if you have taken birth, you must die. And this is law that is mentioned in Bhagavad Gita. By reading or hearing that, people of Germany shouldn’t say, oh come on, this is not for us. This is for Indians. Hindu God has spoken this. We have different country or different God, we have Jehovah. Well that doesn’t matter. Birth, death, old age and disease are
for every single living entity. Not just humans, but even animals, birds, trees, they all go through this cycle.
So Lord’s point here is you know I have appeared, knowing that you are suffering from long long long time. I have come, hoinu avatara, I have descended. Of course Lord appeared in India, which is not true. To think Lord has appeared in India is offence, ignorance. Lord appears in Navadvipa, ok. Lord appears in Vrnadavan, fine. But Vrndavan and Navadvipa are not in India. They are not part of India, not part of this planet, because one day there will be no earth. But Mayapur will continue to exist. Vrndavan will not be touched, by the fire of devastation, annihilation, mahapralaya takes place. Siva takes his damaru, dim dim dim and begins dance, tandav nrtya, activates mode of ignorance which is cause of destruction. So everything else will be destroyed, India, Germany, America, sure. But Vrndavan Mayapur remain untouched, as it is, untouched. So do not think, why does your Lord appears in India every time? Why every time He appears there? You could tell, He doesn’t appear in India. He appears in
Vrndavan. Vrndavan is not in India.

One time when, also in Bhagavatam, that whole earthly planet fell down from its position, location, in lower regions of the universe; then Lord appears as a boar, Varaha incarnation.

kesava dhrta sukara rupa jay jagadisa hare, jai jagadisa hare

So Lord purposely, with purpose, who could go in dirty filthy place? Only sukara, a hog, a pig! So Lord took form looking like that, but He is not a pig like Indian pigs. He is beautiful and His body is fragrant and you could take a photograph, sweet Lord. So what He did? Lord went all the way down looking and He found the earth, Lord lifted earth, put it on the tusks, like elephant has tusks, the jungaly (wild) boar they have these tusks. So Lord held earth on His tusks and Lord comes up.

And He takes little rest. Do you know where He was rested? He was sitting in Mathura, at the banks of Yamuna, at the place called Visrama ghat, visrama is rest, resting place, Varaha rested. So Varaha was resting in Mathura, at the banks of Yamuna and where was the earth? Earth was still on the tusks. Get the idea? So Vrndavan Mathura Mayapur had not fallen, it was in tact wherever it is. It remained there and Varaha is sitting in Mathura. So this is one illustration you might want to call. It explains how Vrndavan and Mayapur are not in India. Hari
Hari!

So Lord says, ami bina bandhu ara ke ache tumara, I have appeared and who else is your friend other than Myself oh jiva, oh child, oh son, oh my boy or girl. Your friend is here. Who else is your friend other than Myself? And who is friend? How is friend known? Friend in need is friend in deed. So everyone is in need of something. All the living entities are in need of something, help help help! Other than the Supreme Lord, Supreme father, Supreme friend, Krsna and now Krsna Caitanya, who else could help you? suhrdam sarva bhutanam, this is not in the song book. Lord said, He spoke to Arjuna, suhrdam sarva bhutanam, I am the friend of all the living entities.
jnatva mam santim rcchati (BG 5.29) If you know this then you will be peaceful and blissful eventually, Lord says that. It is peace formula, shanti sutra.

bhoktarama yajna tapasam sarva loka mahesvaram and also suhrdam sarva bhutanam jnatva mam santimrcchati, by knowing these three items, one of these is Lord is, Krsna is your best friend, suhrdam sarva bhutanam.
So Lord is saying or Caitanya Mahaprabhu is addressing or reminding living entities.

ami bina bandhu ara ke ache tomara
enechi ausadhi maya nasibaro lagi
hari nama maha mantra lao tumi magi

Then Lord says, I am your friend, your need or help, and I have solution, I have some prescription for you and what is that? Enechi aushadhi maya, aushadhi, aushadha, some of you know aushadha? (asking in Marathi to someone-) Mahiti ahe ka aushada manaje kaya? Medicine! I have come with the medicine, you are in need of help and I have come with medicine, enechi ausadhi maya, nasibaro lagi. And what is that ausadhi? Hari nama maha mantra lao tumi magi, Hari nama is that medicine.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

Just please ask for the medicine. You should feel, Oh I need it, I want it. I will give it to you, but you ask for it, Lord says, ask for it. And then Bhakti Vinoda Thakur says, Bhakti Vinoda prabhu carane padiya sei hari nama mantra loilo magiya, and as soon as Bhakti Vinoda thakur, he found out as Lord says, please ask for this
medicine, ask for the cure and Bhakti Vinoda Thakur rushed before, Hey I want it, I want it, Lord I want it! I am throwing myself at Your feet my dear Lord, carane padiya, I fall at Your feet and I am begging, please give that medicine to me, give me the maha mantra. Bhakti Vinoda Thakur is our acharya. He is taking the leadership and setting the example. Bhakti Vinoda Thakur says, please give that medicine of Mahamantra.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

Capture the real you
Venue: Amsterdam
Dated: May 31, 2018
na jayate mriyate va kadacin (BG 2.20)

Something that is within us, that never dies never takes birth something that is always there and that is, which Krsna says also,

mamaivamso jiva-lokejiva-bhutah sanatanah (BG 15.7)

Sanatana, Lord has used the word sanatana. Have you heard this word? Sanatana means eternal. So that soul, soul is eternal and that soul is part of Krsna, part of the Lord. We are Krsna’s people Haribol Hari Hari. We are children of Krsna. Our father is same father, common father of all of us. Hindi Chini bhai bhai. I have heard this when I was a boy. We were shouting this slogan, `Hindi Chini bhai bhai’, ‘Hindi Chini bhai bhai’, `Hindi Chini bhai bhai’, brothers, bhai means brothers. Hindi is a bhasha a language and Chini is something that you eat, sugar. They supposed to be brothers [laughs]. And I was thinking that how could the language, the bhasha hindi and the sugar that you eat, how could they be brothers? [laughs] So, then I grew little bigger then I understood. Hindi refers to people of Hindustan, Indians and Chini refers to people of China. So, that was making some sense. People, all people of China, all people of India are brothers. But how could two persons be brothers or when? When could two persons be called brothers? Same father, common father. So, when I came to Krsna consciousness this was way back in 1972, 71 and then I read Bhagavad-gita as it is, I heard Prabhupada’s talks on Bhagavad-gita, you are also reading? Then I found Krishna’s statement.

aham bija-pradah pita (BG 14.4)
mata dhata pitamahah (BG 9.17)

I am the seed giving father of all the living entities. Then there was complete understanding. People of China, all people of China all people of India; they are brothers because Krishna says He is a father of all living entities. President, he is not father, president of China, our prime minister of India, Modi, is he father of all of us? Certainly not. So then not just people of India and China but people of all the countries, Netherland, lowland , nomans land[laughter], so many lands and people, everywhere their father is the same. Some know him some don’t know him. The fact is, fact cannot be changed. So by chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare 
Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare” We become realized. You heard God realization, self-realization, which is the goal of life to realize the self. Eat, sleep, meat repeat [laughs]. As I was coming here, the big sign board, I think there is hotel nearby. You eat, sleep, meat repeat and life goes on like this. Eat, sleep, mate also, eating, mating, defending and repeat. By chanting Hare Krishna and by reading Bhagavad-gita , hearing the Lord we come to the senses, would know lot of things which we do not know right now . What we are studying is just Biology and Botany and Physics and Chemistry and Cosmology, Information Technology and this and that. Basically we are studying the matter, dead matter. The subject of our study is not a spirit, we are not studying spirit. No one is teaching no one is learning. We know about everything else but ourselves. We know everything else. We know bhugol, we know khagol but ultimately is a big gol, a big circle. ceto darpana marjanam You know that mantra also? Ceto darpana marjanam? You are quite advanced students. I am just talking of abc to you but you have undergone some higher education.

Hari Hari, Vaiyasaki prabhu ki jay!! (Talks to Vaiyasaki Prabhu) I have just arrived also [laughs]. Saying just few words to assembled friends here. You may take seat here. He is Vaiyasaki prabhu. Big haribol, big haribol to Vaiyasaki prabhu ki jay! We are good old friends. We are more than friends we are brothers also, god brothers. We were in Bombay together, Juhu Bombay. Prabhuji spent many years in Bangladesh. He is fluent in Bengali. Prabhuji sings, he is one of the leading topnotch singer, musician for the Lord. Bengali bhajans, when you hear him singing Bengali bhajans you can’t tell whether Bengali is singing or American is on microphone. Even I cannot manage singing Bengali bhajans like him. And, of course, Hare Krsna he sings all the time, that is what he does. Also he is a writer, author, five books to his credit. So you are very lucky, very fortunate to have Vaiyasaki prabhu amongst us, amongst you [Haribol] Kishori is on the back there? So, like this we are, we are a big family. In fact there is but one family in the world with Krsna in the center or Krsna as a father or Krsna as a mother.

tvameva mata tvameva pita tvameva bandhu tvameva sakha

Like that, understand ? No need to translate this. And Vedic hymns also says, vasudhaiva kutumbakam kutumba means family our kutumba our family how big is our family? Vasudha, vasudha means planet, earthly planet. Vasudhaiva, it is as big as earthly planet. All people on the planet are part of our family. There is just but one family. So when you become Krsna conscious, this is International Society for Krsna consciousness. So when you become Krsna conscious then you understand this truth. I was thinking then that we establish this truth I was saying but then we don’t establish the truth. Truth exists, exists ‘satya meva jayte’. It is `satya meva jayte’ only truth prevails. But we are full of ignorance and Krsna kindly, He is making us knowledgeable. He is speaking to us as He spoke to Arjuna. He meant to speak to all of us but He spoke to just one person and that was good enough. That’s like talking to each one of us for all the time. Generation after generation, word is like that, the speech is like that. So, such a wonderful thing. World will be better world. Krsna consciousness spread all over and people would accept Krsna as our eternal father. Krsna, I mean He is giving intelligence like that we don’t accept. He says, “I am sitting in everyone’s heart”

sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto (BG 15.15)

When He spoke this He did not say, “In the hearts of Hindus only, Ok!” There is no foot note that it is for Indians only, Indians heart only. He resides in the heart of all the living entities. Saint Francis of Italy, have you heard of this? Even he was that kind of broad minded. He has this understanding. We are all children of God. He would address as sister tree and brother moon. All the trees and animals are “oh! You are my brothers and sisters, my brothers and sisters”. So, Lord is sitting in our heart. And He says,

mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca

From me comes knowledge, remembrance and forgetfulness. Knowledge comes from Him. If somebody is ignorant God is the one who make him ignorant. He is giving lots of ignorance, supplying lots of ignorance. So that he would remain, this is his wish to remain ignorant. So knowledge, ignorance, forgetfulness comes from Him. Those who say God doesn’t exist. But He is the one. God is sitting in the heart, go and say, `I don’t exist’. And this is something like, if you want to meet your friend, you go to his house, the entrance, you knock the door or ring the bell. Lot of time children are the first ones to come to the door. They are very anxious or curious, others remain busy, children are the first one to run. So child had come, and this gentlemen, may be he is was Patil and inquired ,”Is Patelji here? I would like to see him.” So little boy goes around. So big house, Patel’s house. big house. So he is finding, looking for his daddy. Finally found him, and he said, “Daddy daddy, Mr Patil, he would like to see you.” And Daddy is not interested in seeing him. “Oh! That Patil.” Again he says, “Tell him I am not here.” So the child is back at the door and what does child say? “My father said, I am not here.” [laughs]. My father said, I am not here. It’s just like that.

There are but only two parties in this world. One is called astik other one is nastik. Asti means, there is. Who is there? God is there, God is there. Those who say admit or realize or worship Him take to that path of God conscious ness, Krsna consciousness. They are astik. The other party is nastik. Oh! He is not there. He doesn’t exist. So, source is the same. If someone says, God exists-that also has the source in God. And one who says, He doesn’t exist, He is not there, who has seen God. So that also.

Those who are Krsna conscious, they are broad minded people. They could accommodate whole world in their heart, accept everybody, as part of their family. Those who think, ayam nijah, These are my people.

ayam nijah parovetti, ganana laghu chetasam

So, those who make this type of condition, these are my people, oh! no no, these are outsiders. This is ganana laghu chetasam, laghu means narrow or light or shallow or hollow. There is a word in marathi, halkat. Guru means bhari, vajandar, heavy. So, these are the two laghu and guru. So this laghu party, small minded party, narrow minded party, low minded, low thinkers think

ayam nijah paroveti ganana laghuchetasam
udaracharitanantu vasudhaiva kutumbakam

Those are udar, or those are gurus or connected with gurus in parampara, their thought is vasudhaiva kutumbakam. Everybody is part of my family. You know how much hatred that goes on, the hate speech. That’s not only speech but deeds. So killing happened few days ago, you heard of it? It is everyday affair nothing new. So, the wars are happening, the battles are happening, fighting is everywhere. Because of hate, “I can’t stand it get out from here, I don’t want to see your face.”

So like this the world is getting fragmented and as a result this world is becoming unlivable. Condition is like that and we are the doers of that situation. Hari Hari. So this international society for Krsna consciousness whose founder Acarya is “Srila Prabhupad ki Jay”!! Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. On behalf of the Lord and on behalf of all the saintly devotees of the Lord he inaugurated this propagation of Krsna consciousness and this Krsna consciousness movement is uniting people. Yes he is from big country America and I am just one time third world country, now becoming super power of India [laughs]. But we are brothers, we are friends, we are part of one family. So what unites?

Krsna is uniting us. Otherwise, so much division and the attempt is being made global level to unite the people in the world under the banner of UNO, United Nations of the spiritual world [laughs]. United Nation Organization, its head quarter in New York. Whenever Prabhupada passed by that building, used to take note `oh! Another flag.’ After few months, 4, 5 months, `another flag’, `Oh! Another flag’. And he says what kind of united nation is this? This is disunited nation, splitting, splitting, splitting. In fact only very recently just 5000 years ago, the whole planet was one country. `Bharatvarsha’. Last week I was in a place called Hastinapur.

You heard that name `Hastinapur’? Not New Delhi. It’s Indraprastha. Hastinapur is another town. It is between Haridwar and Delhi. Not right on the way but it is little interior. There just at the outskirts of the Hastinapur, Srila Sukdev Goswami spoke Bhagavatam to king Parikshit. So, we are some 1000 ISCKON devotees. We travelled there and we recited Srimad Bhagavatam in the same spot where Sukdev Goswami sat and spoke. I was made to sit and speak on the same spot. Some 1000 devotees, so that was next door, just outskirt of Hastinapur. Hastinapur was the capital of the world. It is history. Mahabharat is a history, mahabharat. So the emperor ruled entire planet. So with advent of this age of kali, kali you heard of kali? Kaliyuga and people are so ignorant, know kaliyuga, what to speak of treta yuga and sat yuga and dwapara yuga.

Kaliyuga, they are laghu chetasa, narrow minded, low minded, ignorant. Like a frog in the well. How much frog would know? His knowledge is limited in the well. And another frog from the ocean comes and he says, so the frog in the well is asking, “How big is your ocean?” “My ocean is where I reside is very very huge.” “Is it twice big as my well as to twice as big ? Four times?” No, no, no, like that. So he is going to be thinking only in terms of his well. His experience is, his knowledge is well, not very well but well limited. So the generation that is being produced all over the planet is limited knowledge.

So we were talking about 5000 years old Hastinapur and like that so many places in India. Ayodhya is there for 1 million years. I was in Los Angeles. They were celebrating the anniversary of the town. Once upon a time, they thought long long time ago this Los Angeles was established, settlement and gradually grew in size. So they were celebrating anniversary of the city. So I asked one gentleman who was there. “How old is this Los Angeles?” He said, “very ooooold!!” By saying this he wanted to make it older. Very ooooooooold!! [laughs]. I said “How old ?” Its 200 years old. Wow!! wow factor is. So some cities being 200 year old are very old. So like that and we one of the town. Kali began 5000 years ago kali yuga is 5000 years. The time factor that Vedas deal with, the Vedic time is yet another dimension, kali yuga is 4,32000 years long. 4 lacks, in Indian way of saying 4 lacks 32 thousand years. Those many years in kaliyuga.

You make that twice as big that is dwapara yuga, three times as long is treta yuga, four times is satya yuga and if you put all these ages together one cycle of these four ages and when you multiply that by 1000 that makes Brahma’s one day which does not include the night. You have to multiply that by 2 the night is also included. And that is just one day we are talking and then weeks and months and years and he lives 100 years long. Right now he is about 50 years old.

Brahma is 50 years old. Sometime they show him with grey hair and beard [laughs]. That is not correct he is not that old to have grey beard and just turning, it is purvardha and utarardha. There is a cycle he is just doing transition from purvardha to utarardha, 50 entering early 50s and then 100 years of Brahma is equal to one breath of Mahavishnu. 100years of Brahma, his whole entire lifespan is one, just but one breath of Mahavishnu.

God is great!!! Prabhupada says, “They say God is great but they don’t know how God is great”. This is one instance to realize how God is great. So we are spreading this, this knowledge which is about you and me, real you and real myself. Capture real you!! I was in New Delhi, some mobile company which brand I don’t want to say. Selfie is a very big hobby or big fashion. You become self-photographer yourself. You don’t need photographer and then you and yourself, selfie [laughs]. You are taking selfie. So they were advertising, `capture real you’. Like you laughed. Yes? That’s not real you. `To mi navhech’, `to me navhech’. That’s not real you. That wasn’t you 20 years ago and that is not going to be you 20 years from now. So how is that real you? That is present you but that is not real you. So you have to find out real you, real eternal you. Krsna is eternal, we are eternal and we have eternal relationship with Lord. We are eternally His.

You heard that conversation between scientists and the boatman? You did? Yes? Just crossing Ganga? A scientist from Kolkata wanted to go right across Ganga and then they were having dialogue in the middle of their journey, boat journey. Scientist was asking, “Hey!! Boats man! Have you learnt computer science?”
“What is that computer? I haven’t learnt.”
Then scientist said, “Hey!! 25 percent of your life is wasted.”
And the boats man sings,

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

That’s all what he knew. He says, “I don’t know.” After few minutes scientists said, “Hey!! What about the cosmology?” “Cosmology? Where does it grow? Some tree? I don’t know.” “Oh! Then 50 percent of your life is wasted.” He is going on with his `Hare Krsna Hare Krsna’ and then so down the road after few minutes.

“Oh! What about Information Technology?” “I don’t know.” “75 percent of your life is.” Then soon climatic changes took place. A wind was blowing. The boat started turbulent and boat was just making rounds and situation was like they will drown and then it was now the turn of the boats man. Boats man said, “Hey!! Dear scientist, do you know swimming?” “Swimming? No, no. I don’t know swimming.” Then what? Your, 100 percent of your life is going to be soon finished.

And while he even did not finished saying this big blow of the wind and boat turned upside down. And it is good to have boat in the water. But if there is a water in the boat laugh], not good. Boat in the water is desirable. So now the water was in the boat and scientist drowned while the boats man, he knew swimming and he specially knew,

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

So everyone else is going to be drowning in the ocean of material existence except those who chant `Hare Krsna’. Those who chant `Hare Krsna’ is going to cross over, go cross beyond this world, back to, back to the Lord, Haribol!! So we are inviting everyone to come join us. Join this Hare Krsna’s in chanting and dancing and studying Bhagavad-gita also and honor prasadam and propagate these values, this truth around you. And as bigger circle that you could make lot of people around you, your neighbors and your friends’ family members. Ok! So what I am thinking, I did the talking part. If you take over and if you wish he may also, talk of singing is also, singing includes the talk. There is no need of talk and I could, I had a big day and had a long travel and his more travelling is ahead of me and I have not reached my destination. Yes or no? You have reached your destination. Temple president of Bhaktivedanta Manor, he shared this. He was driving and his GPS was on and he was travelling and travelling and travelling and travelling. In fact he had to attend funeral ceremony. He has to take funeral ceremony that day. So when they reached that location this GPS machine said, “You have reached your destination or reached your final destination”.

You have reached your final destination. So he had heard this before the machine saying that, but that day [laugh] it made some sense. “Oh!! You have reached your final destination.” [laughs] But that’s not our devotee’s final destination. Our final destination is Krsna’s lotus feet or going back to Vaikunth. Then you have reached your final destination.
Ok! So is that ok?
Thank u very much!!
Haribol!!
H H Lokanath Swami Maharaj ki jay!!!

Importance of Harinama
Venue: Belgium (Radhadesh)
Dated: 3 rd July 1996
Occasion: Harinam initiation

This ceremony is one of the very important samskara. In human form of life on undergoes many many samskaras. Samskaras are meant for purification and this one is called harinama diksha smaskara. This is very important connection where in one gets spiritual birth. There is one more birth, the brahmin is called dvija -twice more. And when we take birth parents gives us birth, they give us body. And then the spiritual master on behalf of Krishna he gives us spiritual body. He hands you the spiritual body. You have a spiritual body and he gives the process by which you realise that you are a spiritual body, you are a spirit soul. And this is a very important step to realise that we are not material body but we are spirit souls having eternal connections with Krishna. Not having this connection with the Lord and the spiritual master we normally consider our self as a part of one family or one country and we get caught up in the world of designations-Indian, Dutch, English.

sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam

From contamination, nirmalam one becomes nirmala. Mala means dirt and becoming free from all this designations, this is possible when one performs devotional service.

There are 64 items of devotional services described in Nectar of Devotion by Rupa Gosvami Prabhupad. Of the 64 items, 5 are considered as principle items of devotional services. They are, what are they?

1. Sadhu sanga- Associations of the devotees
2. Bhagvat sravana- Hearing of Srimad -Bhagavatam, \
3. Mathura vasa- Residing in Mathura, Vrindavan holy places.
4. Sri mutri seva- Worshiping the deities.
5. Nama-Sankirtana or Nama japa.

So of this 5 devotional services like I said quickly, let us repeat. One is Sadhu sanga, Mathura vasa, Bhagavat sravana, Sri murti seva and Nama-Sankirtana of these 5 items Nama-kirtana is most significant. So like this our acaryas have established this Nama-Sankirtana as the topmost devotional service.

Of those 65 item chanting of,

“HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE, HARE RAM HARE RAM RAM RAM HARE HARE”

This is number one item. And even while doing the other four services there is also Harinama involved. When we meet sadhus what we do? We chant Hare Krishna. And then you go to holy places like Mathura, Vrindavan you get to hear Radhe Radha. Even rikshawalas they don’t have horns, if you are in their way,they want you to get out of their way they say Radhe Radhe….please get out. So even rikshawala’s say Radhe Radhe, so what to speak of others. When we go to holy place we always get to hear, they always have speakers even if you don’t want to hear you are forced to hear 4 O’clock in the morning. So when you go to holy place you read the scriptures and again there are glories of chanting. And while doing Sri Murti seva, Sri Vigraha aradhana again the chanting of holy names of the Lord. Even at the time of installation of the deities, Prabhupada said we could simply chant,

“HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE, HARE RAM HARE RAM RAM RAM HARE HARE”

and install the deities, just chant Hare Krishna and deities get installed. Now we will chanting some more mantras and there will be fire sacrifice.

Venue: Pandharpur
Dated: 23 rd July 2018
Occasion: Vyas pooja

Jay Vitthala Vitthala Vitthala
Mazya Vitthala Panduranga

Hare Krsna all the assembled devotes, disciples, friends and followers. Have you heard me singing this song before?

Jay Vitthala Vitthala Vitthala
Mazya Vitthala Panduranga

Oh! Vitthal You are my Panduranga. This Vitthal ianother name is Panduranga there are many other names. These are the names of the Deities here at Pandharpur and this is were we had been celebrating Vyas pooja today. I think we had been doing this some dozen years, every year on this day. There is a big occasion here not because my birthday or vyas pooja celebration. For Pandharpur this is the biggest event of the year. The day of Shayani ekadasi and with this commences the caturmasya, Lord goes to sleep. He would be sleeping for four months; this is all described in Padma Purana. So before the Lord goes to sleep thousands not just thousands one and half million pilgrims come here walking. Not just walking but walking and dancing, using same mridanga they call it pakhawaj, kartals they sing.

Jay jay ramkrishna hari jay jay ramkrishna hari

This is one of the song or mantra they sing. They also sing hundreds of abhangs of Tukaram Maharaja and other vaishnav saints of Maharashtra, followers of Panduranga. They arrive here day before ekadasi, they all arrived yesterday. We have Hare Krsna padayatra, padayatra party we also participate in this march they call it dindi here. Then on ekadasi mostly there is darsana, because before Lord goes to sleep they would like to have glimpse of the Lord. So this becomes very major event in Pandharpur. By Lords grace by Shri Krsna’s grace Pandhuranga’s grace I was born on this day. Instead of saying I was born I could have said I was given birth by that Lord on this day. So that makes me happy, that Lord chose such a day for my birthday. Around 5000 ISKCON devotees, friends and followers are here at ISKCON Pandharpur. We have just now finished infact not totally finished we started at morning 8 o’clock and concluded the first session at 4pm. So it was 8 hours marathon.

May be some of you were watching on Mayapur TV. Many of you have written your offerings and I will be reading them. Thank you for your wishes. Devotees all day were wishing me, happy birthday, happy vyas puja day. I am sure you would also like to express that. I am not able to hear but I am sure that’s on your mind, so thank you. I also said to the assembled devotees that I am happy today as its birthday but I said I am happy because Srila Prabhupada gave me the mantra and asked me to chant and be happy. I had been doing this chanting my prescribed number of rounds, more than prescribed number of rounds daily without fail. If I am happy today and I was happy yesterday and I will be happy tomorrow because Prabhupada said “Chant Hare Krsna and be happy” and I had been doing that. I had been following that one instruction of Srila Prabhupada every single day. So I also said today is vyas poja day or birthday. But Srila Prabhupada also gave me birth that was my second birth. And I was born in Vrindavan during Kartik of 72. Then I was accepted as disciple of Srila Prabhupada that was my actual or spiritual birthday. Or I was brought back to life by Srila Prabhupada by giving me initiation, giving me this Hare Krsna mantra which is Lord Himself. So I am grateful to Srila Prabhupada for giving me such a gift.

This is my 69th birthday today. I did not say that to the assembled devotees today during the day. But I have been thinking otherwise. This year 69 in Srila Prabhupada’s life, the 69th year was very significant for him. When Srila Prabhupada turned 69 that was when after a lifetime in preparation, he had left for the West. He started execution of his Guru’s order, the mission that Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakura had given him. So that started at the age of 69.

I was thinking although I have done a few things, there is yet much more to do. I wish that beginning with this year 69 I would also do the execution of the remaining things on my list, on my mind  and some things that’s very close to my heart. So may be these times and the year 69 give me a further boost, inspiration and the strength because we do not know. When Srila Prabhupada also many times he would say when he was in his seventies, many times he would also say, “ This is the ripe age, this ripe age to move on. Get out of this body and go to the Lord.” I don’t know how much more time is at my disposal, but whatever time is there. So many projects are pending.

Prabhupada wanted a temple in Nagpur. He was sitting with a big map of India when he returned from the West and he was now starting his mission in India. He was sitting with a group of his Western disciples. He was pointing out – here… here we should have ISKCON here, a temple here… here and he pointed to Nagpur which is part of my zone in central India, Maharashtra. That is something that I wish to complete. Here also in Pandharpur we are working on constructing a very beautiful, very huge ghat, bathing ghat called Prabhupada ghat. That work is still unfinished. And then the temple project is also here.

And many more padayatras in more countries, more towns and more cities. Prabhupada said, “We should have millions of carts all over the world.” We have a long way to go. Just yesterday three carts came from three different directions. All India Padayatra arrived here yesterday. And the Dindi processions. As I mentioned to you millions of pilgrims come walking. There are two groups of Hare Krishna Dindis. They all arrived. So there were three carts, three Gaur Nitai Deities and three groups of people.  It was quite a conference,  big sammelan.  So that’s three carts. Some more Padayatras need to be organized. This means bringing the holy name to more towns and more villages.  And then I wish to study Srila Prabhupad’s books more and also our Gaudiya Vaisnava acharyas commentaries and that literature. That is one of my unfulfilled desires. I would like to spend some time going deeper into Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy and commentaries. That is reading. Then there is writing. There are so many more writing projects in the pipeline. So many are in the mind. Likewise there are a lot of things.

 A Western poet said,

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.” He was referring to death as the final sleep. Miles to go means so much more to do, so much more to accomplish before that final moment comes. So I would like your prayers and of course assistance from all of you for me to continue with my services or the services given by Srila Prabhupada   and some are coming, originating from me. So we have evening session here, we have maha-abhishek of Vitthal Rukmini on the stage. There is also drama “ Saint Tukaram.” There will be lighting of thousands of lamps in Radha Pandharinath temple that’s called “Deepotsava” also there will be kirtan. Three days there was 24 hours kirtan in the temple. The Deities are giving darsana throughout the day, they are not resting. Thousands of Srila Prabhupada books are being distributed every day. And our ghat though unfinished the pilgrims have been using, it’s all crowded like ants crawl pilgrims are crawling all over. One time our Radha Pandharinath temple was kind of secluded place, like a desert. People were wondering why Maharaja chosen such a special land, who would come? But now our temple has become like a center.

All the pilgrims are coming to our temple. Hundreds and thousands people are crowding.
You all are online, I wish there was some way to reciprocate or communicate, it’s like one way traffic. I don’t even know who’s there and how many of you are there. Thank you for your participation and for our wishes. On my 69th vyaspooja day I also wish you a happy day. Chant Hare Krsna and be happy. I was appealing today to devotees to join this campaign of propagation of Krsna consciousness far and wide. I reminded them the instructions of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, “amara ajnaya guru hana tara ei desa yare dekha  tare kaha Krsna upadesa” Where ever you are in your country, in your circle propagate Krsna consciousness. “yare dekha  tare kaha Krsna upadesa” Give Krsna in form of Holy name, in form of prasadam, in form of Srila Prabhupada books, give Krsna give Krsna. So you have received Krsna, you have Krsna so now you have to give Krsna to others. By doing so make your life perfect. Be happy and make others happy.

There is no other way, there is no other way, there is no other way. Krsna Consciousness is the only way.