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.

Gaudiya Vaisnavism means Preaching, Practicing and Propagating Real Dharma
Venue: Russia
Dated: 14 th September 2017
Occasion: Sadhu sanga festival – Third Session

Hari Bol!
Hare Krishna! We are Hare Krishna people.
We say Hare Krishna.
We also say ‘spirit soul Hare Krishna’, ‘Oh spirit soul Hari Bol!’ Gaurachanda bole, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is calling, Oh jiva, wake up! Jiva jago,

jiva jago gaurachanda bole

Gauarachandra is calling, please get up! Not the body, but let the soul, get up wake up.

kota nidra jao maya-pishacira kole

How long you are going to sleep in the lap of the witch called Maya? ‘Oh soul get up’, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is calling. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has come to Russia.

Panchatattva ki Jai!

And He is calling all the souls of Russia. So those who have woken up they are coming to Gauranga. Gauranga! so keep calling Gauranga Gauranga.

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

So in Gaudiya vaisnavism, we are taught how to call God or how to address God. How do we address Him? Saying Hare Krishna! This is address to God, saying Hare Krishna. Oh Hare Krishna! By saying so we are calling Radha Krishna. We don’t only call Krishna. We do not only worship Krishna. We worship Krishna along with Radha. Or in fact we worship Radha first and then Krishna. We go to Krishna through Radha.

karunam kuru mayi karuna-bharite
sanaka-sanatana-varnita-carite

Oh Radha please be merciful unto me. So this is the age of Kali. And every time Kali comes, Kaliyuga appears, the process of God realization is chanting the Holy names of Lord. Every time there is Kaliyuga, you close your eyes and chant,

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

This is the message, advice of the scriptures. The right thing to do in the age of Kali is to chant holy name of the Lord. Chanting of Hare Krishna holy name is dharma of this age of Kali. So Gaudiya Vaisnavism is teaching, propagating and practicing the dharma, the process which is meant for this age of Kali.

Every time there is Kali yuga, Gaura appears. But He is only Gaura Narayana. Gaura Narayana appears. Only once in the entire day of Brahma, Gaura Krishna appears. We are very very fortunate having taken birth in this particular Kaliyuga, because in this Kaliyuga, out of one thousand Kaliyugas this particular Kaliyuga, Gaura Krishna appears or svayam Krishna, svayam Bhagavan appears. As we talk on the first day, we did talk about Gaura Krishna appears, first Krishna appears at the end of Dvapar yuga and in the beginning of Kali yuga same Krishna appears as Krishna Caitanya. Name difference, Krishna appears as Krishna Caitanya. And so this and then we get the mantra, Hare Krishna. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu He takes the role of a devotee and He Himself is chanting and dancing. He receives mantra from His Guru maharaja. Then He taught,

tasmad gurum prapadyeta

You must have spiritual master, if you are human being and would like to attain perfection in human form of life.

tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya

Krishna said also like this, fourth chapter 34 th verse, Bhagavad Gita. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu has become devotee and then He becomes disciple and then He receives mantra and He begins reciting mantra. And while singing He is
dancing. Why He is dancing? When some one is dancing what is he conveying or expressing, when does person dance? He is happy. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so much happy. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Say loudly chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

So Caitanya Mahaprabhu was happy, so much happiness. He was exhibiting all the symptoms of happiness or joy or ecstasy. So much description of how Caitanya Mahaprabhu danced. Like when you take a mashal (firelight), a flame (Guru Maharaj shows with action moving his hand round and round). Like one devotee was doing in pandal, two days ago during kirtan he was doing (Guru Maharaj showed how he was doing). There was just one lamp at one place but it was moving so fast like a complete circle. Like one circle. So that one Sri Krishna Caitanya, He used to move so swiftly round and round, as if there was one circle of a flame. And His form is also golden like a flame, molten gold like a flame. Or He would dance, ‘udanda dance’, Mahaprabhu flying up high in the sky. So there was chanting and dancing and rolling on the ground.

namnamakari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis
tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah

So the shakti in the Holy name and that shakti is Radharani. In the holy name there is, Mahaprabhu said, nija-sarva-saktis, He has invested His own shakti in His names. Especially He has invested His Hladini shakti, shakti that gives pleasure. Shakti that gives pleasure to Krishna is Radha.

So as He is chanting He is receiving so much pleasure, so much happiness. Where from it is coming? The source of joy, happiness for Lord Krishna is Radha. Radha gives Him happiness, joy. We also give little bit. We are meant to be enjoyed by Krishna. Everybody is meant to be enjoyed by Krishna. So living entities also give

few drops of happiness. But He is Lord and His need for happiness is very great. He needs lots of happiness. And we are tiny so we don’t need much. Just one drop is enough. We will get drowned in one drop; we get drowned, so much.
But Krishna He needs so much joy, because He is great, He is Vibhu atma, we are anu atma, tiny atma. He is great atma, Paramatma and Supreme Personality. So who would give Him so much pleasure? So, all that need of His pleasure is supplied by Radha. As there is demand and supply, there is so much demand, need of happiness, joy, all that comes from Radharani. And for your information, the joy that comes to us, it is also provided by Radharani. In the discussions between Ramananda Ray and Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, there is special mention like that. We also receive our joy from Radharani, happiness from Radharani.

So Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu as He chanted this Hare, first He said Hare, As soon as He said Hare then all the joy is pouring in. As He said Hare, there is realization of Radharani. Krishna, so much to realize as one says Krishna. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu was exhibiting all the symptoms of joy or happiness. By seeing Him Navadvipa vasis were thinking, ‘what has gone wrong with Him? He was Nimai Pandit before. He was big scholar and teacher and very grave, but from the time He took up the chanting, He has gone mad.’

kiba mantra dila gosai kiba tara bala
japite japite mantra karila pagala

Even Caitanya Mahaprabhu He had to approach His Guru maharaja. He goes back to His spiritual master, Ishvar Puri. ‘Oh what kind of mantra have you given to me? Kiba tara bala, so much bala, there so much power in this mantra. It has lifted me and handling me and throwing me up and down, here and there. I just have become pagala, madman.

So Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Gaura Krishna has appeared in age of Kali. And He gave this mantra to the whole world. As Lord appeared from His abode,

golokam ca parityajya lokanam trana karanat

You understand? Golokam ca parityajya, parityajya means what? Do you know that word parityajya? Sarva dharman parityajya, give up all varieties of religion. Any way same word here, golokam ca parityajya, means Gaura Krishna gave up Goloka. He is always up there in Goloka, He gave up Goloka and came down to the earth. Not far from Russia, next door. And what was on His mind? Lokanam trana karanat… loka here is people and they are suffering like anything, inconvenience like anything, because they are in foreign land also. We have given up our mother land, our father land. What is our father land, mother land? Goloka Vrindavan! Father land means my father’s land; mother land means my mother’s land. Who is my father, who is my mother? Krishna! So wherever He stays, in whichever country He stays, that is also my country. My father’s my mother’s country is my country. So originally we are from up there. But then Lord has to come, He has to come down here. Why? Because He knows, down here is hell, nothing but suffering. That is why Gaur Krishna appears. Golokam ca parityajya, lokanam trana karanat, karan, cause, reason is that He knows people are suffering down here. So to do something Lord comes. So while coming from Goloka, He came down with mantra. Or we could say He came down with gift, gift for all of us. In fact He was appearing. He was going to take birth. So when there is somebody’s birthday party, then we go with the gift. But in this case, Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared. That was His birthday, but He is giving gift to all of us. For each one of us Lord had appeared. The reason for His appearance is each one of us. For you Prabhu, for you Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared, for you and for her. And He had a gift for each aone of us.

golokera premadhana hari nama sankirtana

Our acaryas have sung like that. Golokera, Golokam ca parityajya, while coming down from Goloka, He was carrying a gift. He was carrying wealth, Golokera premadhana. And what is that wealth? That wealth is,

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

So Lord appears for each one of us. Lord appeared, His purpose has been served as the Holy name reaches us. We could make the connection through parampara, Gaudiya vaisnava parampara. Same holy name, they had been preserving this gift. Acaryas protecting and propagating, sharing; so if we have received the holy name. How many of you have received the Holy name? I am sure all of you, all of you. Initiated or not initiated, you all have, may be not officially, but you still have. So in the age of Kali, chanting Hare Krishna is dharma and we have received that
Hare Krishna Mahamantra. And this is the right thing to do, the best thing to do, to chant Hare Krishna. And then we will return to our mother land, our father land. Is that okay with you if you return? Haribol Or there is nothing like Russia, Russia is best thing. I would never ever keep one foot outside Russia. Russia ki.. or whatever Khalisthan ki, Baluchisthan ki, Pakistani ki.. all these sthan, sthan means place. So you should better know this that by chanting of Hare Krishn aand when we chant attentively and prayerfully, without offenses, then result of that is going back to Krishna or going back to Krishna Caitanya. You should better know this.

Otherwise you would say, Oh I did not know that I have to leave Russia one day and give up Russia and go to Goloka. Why didn’t you tell me before? Gaudiya Vaishnavism, they have their mantra and they have their dhama, they have their deities and they have whole set, their own world. Every sampradaya or every parampara, they have their whole set, the mantra, the deity, the whole culture, the literature, the life style. So we go for Goloka. We don’t settle for, Gaudiya Vaisnavism do not set for any other destination. Their destination is Goloka, Gokula, Govardhan, all these cow connection. Yes so much cow cultured, cow is in the center. And Vrindavan is decorated with Go and Gopal. Krishna said to Yogamaya, ‘gaccha, go now, go’. ‘Where should I go?’ ‘Go to Braja.’ ‘What is Braja like?’ ‘It is

gopa gobhir alankritam

Krishna said, ‘that Vrindavan or that Braja is decorated. Cows are decorations and gopa, gopi, –pa means protector or care taker, cow protector, cow care taker are gopa. — Oh that Vrindavan is decorated with cows and good care takers of cows.’

So Gaudiya Vaisnavism does not settle for any other destination.

goloka-namni nija-dhamni tale ca tasya
devi mahesa-hari-dhamasu tesu tesu

Gaudiya Vaishnavas also have such information. Of course information is available for everybody. We also have Brahma samhita. Brahma said, on the top is abode of Sri Krishna. Goloka namni nija dhamni, of name, Goloka is the name which is nija dhamni, nija means My or His own, Krishna’s own abode, Goloka-namni nija-dhamni. And tale ca tasya, tale means underneath, below, down Goloka. Its Devi dhama, Mahesh dhama, Hari dhama, Vaikuntha dhamas, Saket dhama, Sri Rama has His own abode known as Saket dhama and on the top is Goloka. Gaudiya vaishnavas go for Goloka. Goloka dham ki Jai! It will be nice to go back. So depends, whom do you worship accordingly you go to that abode of the deity you worshiped.

devan deva yajo yanti

Krishna says those who worship demigods they go to places or abodes of demigods, or planets of demigods. And Krishna also says there are people who are worshipers of ghost, so they go to those ghostly planets and those who
worship forefathers they go to those planets. In the same statement Krishna says yanti, they go madyaji, madyaji means worshipers, My worshipers come to Me, they come to My abode. So we worship Krishna and go back to Krishna’s abode, svayam Bhagavan Krishna’s abode.

So Caitanya Mahaprabhu also during His manifest lila exhibited His affection, affinity towards Vrindavan, Gokul Vrindavan, Gokul. In fact as soon as He received mantra from His guru maharaja in Gaya, the transformation took place so quickly. He revived His consciousness. Any ways Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s consciousness is always Krishna consciousness. Or Krishna Caitanya is Krishna conscious or which consciousness? Radha is Krishna conscious and Krishna is Radha conscious. So as He received the mantra and started chanting the mantra, the revival, ceto

darpana marjanam, all that happened. He was also chanting. How was He chanting?

trinad api sunichena taror api sahishnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

He was able to chant constantly, in such a state of mind He was chanting, humility, tolerance and respecting others, not expecting respect for own. And He was chanting also,

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram patitam mam visame bhavambudhau
kripaya tava pada-pankaja-sthita-dhuli-sadrisam vicintaya

His further understanding, realization, I am yours Krishna. But somehow I am fallen,

patitam mam visame bhavambudhau

Bhav means material existence and it is very vast, and deep. So it’s compared with the ocean. May be not compared with black sea. Black sea is not so big. Pacific Ocean. This whole world is ocean, material existence is ocean and I am drowning “in this ocean. But Oh Lord I belong to you. Kinkar means servant. One who says kim karomi” one who says to the Lord, “what could I do? Oh is there anything I could do to please you Oh Lord, kim karomi?”

Do you also like to ask the Lord? Say, aham kim karomi. Aham means myself, kim means what and karomi could I do, aham kim karomi? Aham kim karomi? When one is always asking, very eager, Oh what could I do, something I could do for You Oh Lord, that person is called Kinkar.

So Caitanya Mahaprabhu was chanting in that mood and then all the symptoms,

nayanam galad-asru-dharaya vadanam gadgada-ruddhaya gira
pulakair nicitam vapuh kada tava nama-grahane bhavisyati

Oh, when that day would be mine? Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His Siksastakam is saying Oh when that day will be Mine?

aparadha ghuci’, suddha name ruci,

kabe ha’be bolo se-dina amar (Sarnagati By Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur) Nice song, when I will become free from all the offenses and hari-name ruchi, when will I develop attraction for the holy name? Kabe habe se-din amar, do you
understand? Kabe habe, when would that day will be mine? Se-din amar, din means day. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu, this was His mood while chanting and feeling separation from the Lord. He was missing the Lord. And then Govindam virahena me, without Govinda the whole world is just vacant, there is nothing. Nothing of my interest, nothing of soul’s interest is anything around. Bhakti Vinod Thakur also says,

nama bina kichu nahiko aro, caudda-bhuvana-majhe

nama bina kichu nahi, leaving the holy name aside, there is nothing of any value in fourteen planetary systems. So Mahaprabhu is feeling separation from the Lord. As soon as He started chanting, all these emotions arose. We were talking about Gaya, He had received holy name mantra and started chanting and all these transformations taking place. Including the final statement of that Siksastakam,

aslisya va pada-ratam pinastu mam adarsanan marma-hatam karotuva yatha
tatha va vidadhatu lampato mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah

In fact so much to say, this statement Radharani is speaking. Even though it is
Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s compilation, He wrote these eight prayers of Siksastaka,
but Radha in Caitanya Mahaprabhu, right? There are two persons, two in one. So Radha inside or outside,

radha bhava dyuti suvalitam

Radharani is speaking this. Aslisya va pada-ratam, this is Radha uvaca, uvaca you understand? Radharani uvaca, these are emotions of Radharani. You may

embrace or You may just brush me aside or crush me under Your feet, You are free. But one thing for sure, You are prana-nathas tu sa eva na-parah, there is no other my prananath but You. Jai Radhe, Jai Krishna!

Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu started chanting and all this transformations, emotions manifested in His Personality. And what was next? He got up and He started running towards Vrindavan. He got His mantra and mantra did his job. He has become fully Krishna conscious. Love of Krishna has developed. He is fully Krishna conscious now. So what next now? Go to Vrindavan, where He resides eternally. So He gets up and began running. So this is desirable outcome also; as we chant avoiding all offenses, pure chanting, suddha nama. Then what next? Where would you like to go? You must go.

So Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by His experience and example has shown for Gaudiya Vaisnavas what is their destination, what is the abode they would like to return to. Not to heaven but all the way,

golokanamni nija dhamni tale ca tasya

Also you could say that every mantra has, it is technical understanding; there is mantra devata of that mantra. Devata means deity. You worship particular deity with recitation of that mantra. As we chant,

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

So who is mantra devata of Hare Krishna mantra? Radha Krishna, very good! And where do Radha Krishna reside? Goloka! So like this, these connections are there. You chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna and you are worshipping Radha Krishna. And Krishna has said in Bhagavad Gita,

yanti madya jino api mam

Those who worship Me will come back to Me. So by chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna we worship Radha and Krishna and then it’s natural to go back where Radha Krishna reside eternally.

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

Question – How to concentrate while chanting when so many thoughts are going on?
Answer: Don’t think! Prabhupada said, how to control the mind? Don’t think. Stop thinking! Mind is saying something something, so you could chant louder than mind’s sound. We should say that, mantra has to be uttered. Prabhupada said, use the lips, lips movement. I was talking to Srila Prabhupada, Juhu Bombay beach and (he said) ‘using the lips, movement of lips is necessary.’ And then if you say and then you have to hear. Also don’t scream disturbing others. One should not scream and disturb other’s chanting. Chant loud enough so that you could hear.

So when Arjuna also had explained this difficulty, how could I control my mind, cancalam hi manah krsna pramathi balavad drdham So difficult obstinate mind and You are talking about mind control. Then Krishna said practice, practice.

abhyasena tu kaunteya vairagyena ca grhyate

This is Krishna’s answer. Abhyasa means practice, practice to hear, practice to hear and send away the thoughts which mind is bringing up or reminding you of. Send that thoughts away, practice it.

yatah yatah niscalati mana cancalam asthiram tatah tatah niyamyaitad

This is 6 th chapter of Bhagavad-gita. Krishna has given some tips, where He says, wherever mind goes drag it back, bring it back.

Yatah yatah niscalati mana

cancalam asthiram, mind is chanchal, flickery, asthira, unsteady, mind is like that. Everybody’s mind, Russian mind also, I thought only Indian mind. Mind is mind, there is nothing like Russian mind, Indian mind, American mind. Mind is mind. Mind is one of the eight elements, prakruti of the Lord and that prakruti has symptoms, universally every where same. So the mind is flickering and unsteady, and Krishna says bring it back bring it back.

And you know, seva-yogyam mamkuru, when we say Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, each name we say, our acaryas have given the commentary on the Holy name. There are commentaries on Gita and Bhagavat, like that and on Vedanta sutra;
there is commentary on Hare Krishna maha-mantra. So one commentator says, each name you utter, that name is saying something to you. Listen to what the name has to say. Or each name is a prayer, address, and what is that address?

bhava bandhanat mochaya

As you say Hare, you are saying fresh, whatever old stock is there before, it is there, but now whatever you are saying, oh say Hare Krishna. You are saying, Oh please make me free from this bondage of existence Oh Radhe. And as we say Krishna, please reveal all Your opulence’s Oh Krishna unto me, madhurya and like that.

seva-yogyam mamkuru

Krishna please make me fit to serve You. Please ruchir bhavatu me, please my attachment to chanting, the taste in chanting be increased. So like that, each name as you say when you are saying Hare, you are saying, there is meaning, there is thought associating with each one of these names. And like that you are addressing Radha (Hare), addressing Krishna, addressing Radha (Hare) addressing Krishna Krishna, addressing Radha Radha like that. So by attempting to chant in such a state of mind then the other old stuff, we will distance from it. We will have some new fresh memory, fresh thoughts. You can attain ‘Japa retreat’ sometimes. For seven days, topic is same how to
chant with attention, attentive chanting. So much could be said but there is limit of time.

Question 2: Lord Caitanya came to liberate the whole universe. Does it mean that we came to universe not so long ago?(Maharaj says) Or we came from another universe. Mahaprabhu vacated this universe. We came from nearby
universe.

Answer: Let’s take it seriously now, now it’s our turn. How did we fell down? How far we are around? These questions are not as important as now it’s just my turn. I want to get out of here, Haribol. Now Caitanya Mahaprabhu has found me. He is working on me. It’s my turn now.

Question 3- Is it possible for us to chant japa in mind (manasic japa)?
Answer: No no no, Prabhupada strongly recommended, use the lips. Lips movement should be there. Otherwise, not only our mind is making sounds from within, but there are so many sounds all around us. In order to push back all those
sounds and thoughts and to dominate and take over, we have to chant, say the name. If you are just sitting quietly you could hear so many things. Relatively it is quiet but normally there is so much sound. So as you say Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, you are saying and you are hearing and then all the sounds are kept away and you could focus on what you want to say and not on what others want to say.

Other sounds may not be spiritual, what they are talking. So that becomes distraction, inattentive chanting. In order to chant with attention you have to say the name, say the name.

And of course during chanting the body, mind, intelligence, everything has to be functioning. Whether you are chanting attentively or not chanting attentively, who would tell, how would you know? Who will tell you? Supposed to be function of intelligence, power of discrimination. This is inattentive chanting, this is attentive, now this thought is coming to me. Whether I am chanting or sleeping, who is going to see. So we have to keep an eye on our chanting, watch the mind, or watch the wandering of your mind.

So above the mind is intelligence, above the intelligence is soul and Super soul. So we would like Lord give us intelligence while chanting.

dadami buddhi-yogam

Lord says, ‘I would give intelligence so that person would come to Me.’ So chanting is job of intelligent person. You have to be very intelligent.

ajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah [SB 11.5.32]

Sumedhasah, highly intelligent persons would take to the sankritan movement or chanting. So the intelligent person will take to the chanting. And intelligent person will chant properly, attentively. So we need also that kind of intelligence to control our mind and all that things. It is a project, business, activity. So I wish you success in chanting. Keep trying. Never give up.
Hari bol!

Practice and propagate Krishna consciousness
Venue: Germany
Dated: 25 th April 2016

As I entered this temple this morning I had this realization that this place is out of this world. Or it is explained, in this world but not of this world! Do you get that? In this world but not of this world. It doesn’t belong to this world. How peaceful and hopefully blissful also this place is! This is all because of Radha Madan Mohan’s presence here. Of course devotees are here, kirtana is here, prasadam is here. There are cows? No? Goloka without cows! Go- Loka, its loka where the cows reside. So whether Gokula or Goloka, cow centered! It’s too cold or why no cows? Hungary is cold country but they have palace for the cows. The building where cows stay is very opulent, palatial. Czech Republic, we were there few days ago there is farm and cows.

So devotees and kirtana, festival, prasad, but this is all Radha Madan Mohan centered or Radha Madan Mohan related. If no Radha Madan Mohan then no devotees of Radha Madan Mohan, no kirtana of Radha Madan Mohan, no festivities. He is the origin.

Madan Mohan is the deity, is Lord in our disciplic succession. He is sambandha vigraha. Sambandha- abhidheya -prayojana, I am sure you have heard these terms. So everything begins with sambandha, relationship. So Lord in the form of Radha Madan Mohan, from Him begins everything. Our relationship begins with Madan Mohan or Krishna as Madan Mohan. Radha Madan Mohan kI Jai!

We will talk little more about Madan Mohan. And that, lot of places there is Madan Mohan temples. Washington DC also has Radha Madan Mohan. Where else? Of course Vrindavan you would say, Karauli you would say. Any other Radha
Madan Mohan? Italy has, Silicon Valley has Madan Mohan.

Srila Sanatan Goswami ki Jai! Sanatan Prana dhan hai! So we are in Goloka. There is Radha Golokananda deity in, this prabhuji is sitting here is from Mauritius. He now travels everywhere, Sundaralal Gopal. They also have deity of Radha Golokananda.

Jai Radhe Jai Krishna Jai Vrindavan………… (kirtana) We have relationship. First He exists, Lord exists and then everything else comes from Him, emanates from Him and then exists or continues to exist. Not that once upon a time there were just devotees but not Lord. Is that possible? There was just existence; there was just world, there was creation but no creator. This is not possible. From whom everything emanates? That is aham sarvasya prabhavah.

Lord says,

aham sarvasya prabhavah mattah sarvam pravartate
iti matva bhajante mam budha bhava-samanvitah

With this understanding that aham, aham means I, that I is not I or you ‘I’, there are so many I here. But the original I, speaker who is original speaker here? Of course, you could close your eyes and say that aham refers to Krishna and Krishna is speaking aham sarvasya prabhavah, I am the source of everything. This is supposed to be the ABC of the spiritual life. You are advanced devotees. You don’t need to hear this. Or if you hear, this solidifies your understanding. We need to repeat the truth and let it get solidly established.

As we hear more, more convinced we become. So as we are sitting here at Radha Madan Mohan temple, we are also compiled to talk like this, opening topic. He exists, Madan Mohan sambandha jnana and everything else, devotees exist, prasadam exists, cows exist or whatever that exists has origin in Him. And He is the person of course. Supreme Personality of Godhead! He is Supreme Personality.

Although that is not a new thing, but Srila Prabhupada presented ‘the eternal thing’, Personality of Godhead, Supreme Personality of Godhead! He would say, Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because this Personality was ignored in the world wide, so much stress on impersonality of God. That is why we,

namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa sunyavadi pascatya desa tarine

Srila Prabhupada did prachar. Do you understand prachar? Preaching! Gaur vani, the message, shabda, vani, Gaurang Mahaprabhus vani’s prachar. Pascatya desa tarine, he did that in pascatya desa, western countries. Tarine, he
saved people, rescued them from this onslaught, this attack of nirvisesa sunyavadi. Nirvisesa-vad means, nir means no, visesa mean nothing special, no features, no details, no form, no qualities, no activities, no abode nothing. This is called as nirvisesa. This is same as nirakar, nirguna. Have you heard these terms? Guna means qualities. Nirguna, lot of propagation! Not only in western world, in India, lot of Mayavad. So this preaching of nirakar, akar means form, nirakar means God has no form, and nirguna means He has no qualities. And this put together, no form, no qualities, no name, no devotees, no prasad, no abode, no Golok dhama, just merge in Brahman, Brahmajyoti, that’s the prayojana, final achievement.

So Prabhupada was preaching the teachings of Gauranga Mahaprabhu. He began with western world. That is why his pranam mantra, Srila Prabhupada’s pranam mantra,

nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya

This pranam mantra was compiled or composed while Srila Prabhupada has just started preaching in the west. And he was still preaching in the west. He had not gone to the east or to India side. So this pranam mantra says, he saved people of western world from nirvisesa, impersonalism and voidism, sunyavad. Sunya means zero. Buddha had preached sunyavad, voidism. Then later on Sankaracharya was ordered, he said I was ordered to do this preaching of impersonalism. ‘So I preached mayavadam asat sastram, the false scripture mayavad I propagated.

kalau brahmana-murtina

In kaliyuga in the family of brahmana I would be appearing,’ he was talking with Parvati at one place. I will appear in kaliyuga as son of a Brahmin and I will propagate impersonalism.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki …..jai

The message of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and everything of Mahaprabhu, Srila Prabhupada propagated. Beginning with the western world and then he went to the eastern world and India also. In 1971 he came to India. He had gone there once before, I think 68, 69, when he was ill. He had gone back to Radha Damodar temple and he was staying there with only one American disciple. But then when he got better then he went back to the west, continued and then came back in 71. And then he was spending 6 months in west and 6 months in India, like that was the formula. And he saved us, saved me from this sunyavada and nirvisesavad, voidism.

There are so many different vad. Vad means ism, communism, capitalist, all these isms. Latest is individualism, did you hear that? Individual, each one of us, we have our own ism, our own philosophy or our own way of thinking, individualism. So many kinds of isms or materialism which is rampant all over the world. So, many isms were around there, predominant is voidism, impersonalism. Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared, Lord personally, that Madan Mohan personally appeared. This makes the connection with Madan Mohan. So Madan Mohan personally appeared. Or Govinda personally appeared; Gopinath personally appeared in the form of Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu 528 years ago! We just had Gaur pornima 528 th . And Caitanya Mahaprabhu, dharma samsthapanarthaya, sri radhar bhave ebe gaura avatar, He appeared in Radha bhava. Radha bhava dyuti suvalitam naumi krsna svarupam Taking the mood of Radharani and complexion of Radharani, He appeared.

hare krishna nam gaur karila pracar
And He propagate Hare Krishna nama all over India.

And then Prabhupada says, the propagation of Krishna consciousness, propagation of Hare Krishna Mahamantra, He left that up to ISKCON. He wanted ISKCON to do propagation outside of India. Overseas propagation, He left that up to International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Did you get that point? He could have propagated. But He did not propagate. Mahaprabhu did not cross the boundary of India. Six years He was travelling vigorously preaching but just within India. And He also predicted that the Holy Name, My name will be chanted in every town, every village of this planet. But nothing much was happening, 400 years, 450 years passed and Holy name was just being chanted in Mayapur and Jagannath Puri, some places in Bengal, some places in Orissa, Radhakunda and that’s all. So people were wondering, what does this mean? Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s prediction is it going to come true or just a false prediction, false promise? Never to be realized? There were debates between scholars and what about this prediction, what about this?

And then our paramapara was observing Krishna consciousness, protecting, practicing, realizing and keeping it alive. But then Bhakti Vinoda Thakur and Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, they took some leading roles, setting the scene so that Krishna consciousness would spread all over, Mahamantra would spread all over. So Bhakti Vinoda Thakur’s contribution in mission is very significant. And so Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur and he was the one who asked Prabhupada, ‘You! You seem to be very intelligent.’ God knows how he found out. He said, ‘you seem to be intelligent young man.’ Prabhupada had come and he just had offered his obeisances and he had not yet sat properly on his seat or on floor and there comes, ‘you preach in English language, Krishna consciousness.’ Then Prabhupada was doing life time preparation. Instruction came in 1922 and 1932-33 he took initiation. And in 1944 he started publication of Back to Godhead. Eleven years later in 1955 he became vanaprastha, left the family. After 11 years, 55 plus 11, 66 he became founder acharya of International Society for Krishna Consciousness. And he had only eleven years, in 77 he departed. In every 11 years significant was happening in Prabhupada’s life time. And leaving the

responsibility unto his followers to propagate, practice and propagate Krishna consciousness. So this year, and that’s the point I am leading up to, this year is ‘Golden jubilee year of ISKCON’ 50 years completed. 50 years of victorious preaching all over the planet. So the world is getting ready. World got ready in fact on the 1 st Jan. 1 st Jan 2016 was the first day of celebration. Celebration is not just for one day or one week or one month, but for the entire year. From day one till 31 st Dec 2016 through out the year there will be celebration. And ISKCON temples around the world are encouraged to celebrate. Everything you do this year has to be done on grander scale. Janmastami celebration or Ratha Yatra festival you do or what else you do? Book distribution that you do, Harinam, world holy name week, have you heard world holy name week is going on from Prabhupada’s centennial days.

From 1996 we started ‘world Holy name day’ and then it became ‘world Holy name week’. The whole world gets in chanting, propagation of Hare Krishna. Every single devotee has to distribute 50 books this year. Whether they are cook or manager or pujari or whatever is your position or post, your quota is 50 books to distribute this year. You get that announcement before or I am breaking that here? Some temples I was travelling to, I was in Radhadesh. There is big sign in there reminding 50 books to be distributed by every single devotee. This is kind of GBC resolution or GBC encouraging also. And some temples decided, we will make five more full time devotees this year, Jai! What Jai, I am not going to do it? I know some temples where I was there and there they were saying, five more full time devotees will move to brahmachari ashram this year.

Some place they did youth festival. There target was 5 or 10000. But in Pune last month, there were 15,000 youth coming to ‘Hare Krishna youth festival’, Golden jubilee celebration youth festival. Kanpur arranged Kanpur is another city in Uttar Pradesh; just two weeks ago they had 6000 youth coming to youth festival. And some temples decided we organize one ratha yatra, but this year we will have five ratha yatras in our town. And some temples will distribute 50,000 books this year. Like that five, five hundred, five thousand, five hundred thousand, five million, these are the numbers. Some temples will collect five crore rupees this year and will put them in fix deposit.

And some temple’s projects are incomplete. They want to complete projects this year. In Pandharpur, we are building Prabhupada ghat, big big memorial ghat on banks of Chandrabhaga river, sacred river in Maharashtra. There Lord is worshiped as Vitthala Panduranga. That is very major ghat. That is dedicated as Prabhupada memorial, the Prabhupada ghat in Pandharpur. So every temple is taking some pledges. They get together and encouraging. In India temples are doing and in the West also. So they could decide what they would like to do this year to have a celebration. Not just festivity but some activity, some expansion program, some revival, not just survival. And not just revive but thrive how could we thrive, not just revive and survive. No! Thriving, there is thriving community, like that.

So see what you could do this year its special year, for the pleasure of Radha Madan Mohan, for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada do something wonderful. I used to say to American devotees, ‘Oh, You are American. You have to do something wonderful. Otherwise what is the good of being American if you don’t do something wonderful?’ So what good is being Germans if you don’t do something extraordinary this year?

Madan Mohan, this deity was installed by great grandson of Sri Krishna. Krishna is person. He was there and we cannot say just in past. ‘He was’, could imply He isn’t there now. The prakat lila, manifest lila, 5000 years before He was there. If you had a camera and you would there, you could have taken picture. He is standing, in 3 dimensional, playing His flute. So His great grandson, Pradyumna is Lord’s son, Pradyumna’s son is Aniruddha, Aniruddha’s son is Vajranabha. When Sri Krishna sva dhamopagate, when He returned to His own abode then Vrindavan was kind of became deserted. That was experience of Vajranabh. He was king of Mathura. While Parikshit maharaj was emperor of the world, he was stationed that Hastinapur, Hastinapur was capital of Parikshit maharaj. When Krishna departed then Pandavas get the news and they retired timely. And then they had enthroned king Parikshit as the successor in Hastinapur. And then Vajranabh was handling Mathura kingdom. And then it becomes long. How to make a long story short is always hard.

The 16,000 queens of the Lord were now under the care of Vajranabha. Arjuna had taken their charge. Krishna wanted Arjuna to take care and protect them and he was bringing them to Hastinapur and they end up in Mathura and they were under the care of Vajranabha and they were feeling lonely and Vrindavan was not thriving any more, not surviving. Now where is everything? We heard so much, this pastime and that pastime happening in Vrindavan. But we don’t see nothing, nothing is happening here. So that time, one time king Parikshit had travelled to Mathura and then Vajranabha and king Parikshit were having little talk, ista-gosti. How is everything? Oh everything is fine but my mothers, grand mothers they are feeling vacant, there is nothing here. How to pacify them?

So they consulted Shandilya Rsi, like Garga Rsi, another is Shandilya Rsi. He was family priest of Nanda maharaj. Nanda maharaj was not there but he was there and he advised, ‘you install deities of Krishna all over Braja mandal. You name different villages, town corresponding to Krishna’s pastimes in that area. And let people from near by towns come and reside there or travel and do parikramas in Braja mandal. Wherever Lord Krishna had Julan yatra, swing festival, you could build the swings.’ We have seen some places in Braja Mandal, you see this swing. Here also outside, hanging from the tree. Where there is Radha Kunda or some kunda I saw a swing. ‘So you build swings. Wherever He performed rasa dance, you build round places and throne for Radha Krishna to sit. Reminding everyone of this pastime, that pastime, install deities. So that time some dozen deities were installed by Vajranabha. This is 5000 years ago, soon after the Lord’s departure. And Radha Madan Mohan was one of the first deities installed by Vajranabha. Uttara the mother of Parikshit maharaj, she was consulted while making the deities. How the deity should look like? Deity should look just like Krishna. And she had seen Krishna. Everyone else from Krishna’s time they all had returned or entered in Lord’s pastime or returned with the Lord, returned to His abode, but there were few folks still around. Uttara was one of them. So from her memory, she was giving guidance, how the face should look like and how hands and fingers and feet and waist and chest and the carving was being done accordingly. But it was observed that Radha Madan Mohan from waist down to feet, He resembled Krishna. The deity of Radha Gopinath resembled Krishna from waist up to the chest. And Radha Govinda’s face resembled Krishna’s face. Between these 3 deities Radha Govinda, Radha Madan Mohan and Radha Gopinath, the full form of the Lord was carved resembling the original form of the Lord. So all that Govind dev in Vrindavan, the famous deity in Vrindavan called Govinda dev, Haridev, Baladev, who else? Keshav dev, these deities, Keshav dev in Mathura, Baladev in Dauji, Haridev in Govardhan, Govinda dev in Vrindavan, they all are installed by Vajranabha.

So that’s 5000 years ago and these deities had gone through this origin and that kingdom and that attack, some favorable, some anti Krishna consciousness and deities were hidden and then discovered and installed again. Then some Muslim attack, Aurangzeb, in Agra, deities were thrown in kundas and here there. So Radha Madan Mohan also like other deities, they go through all this ups and down but although lot is not known, we know more, kind of beginning from Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s days.

Advaita Acharya also visited Vrindavan and he discovered Madan Mohan from where He was hidden. This place is called Advaita vat in Vrindavan where he found Madan Mohan and then the worship of Madan Mohan was again started, inaugurated. At that time Sanatan Goswami, different Goswamis were arriving in Vrindavan. And Sanatan Goswami arrived. The deity of Madan Mohan was in Mahavan or in Gokula, present day Gokula and Madan Mohan was worshiped by Sanatan Goswami there. And the name Madan Gopal that time. Madan Mohan that name became more popular little later. He was known as Madan Gopal. In Gokula, Sanatan Goswami he found a boy who looked just like Krishna. He was playing at the banks of Jamuna in that sand there. As he goes near, the boy starts running and Sanatan Goswami was going after him and running and running the boy entered the temple and Sanatan follows him there, but once in the temple, he could not find him any more because that deity was playing. That deity of that temple had come out and was playing at the banks of Jamuna. Sanatan Goswami noticed and He was following and there was just deity, no Gopal or Krishna.

Later on deity was shifted to where the present day Madan Mohan temple is there. And Sanatan Goswami was just residing in Bhajan kutir. That is big enough place for one person to reside. May be little place for japa mala, he could keep japa mala and few scriptures and the whole kutir is full. Only that size kutir. Then he got indication that the deity wanted to stay in kutir with him. So Sanatan Goswami moved deity right inside the kutir and there was deity and himself residing in the small kutir at where present day there is Radha Madan Mohan. Condition was very austere. Sanatan Goswami was very elderly. Although one time he was big minister at Husain Shah’s kingdom, but this Goswami,

tyaktva turnam asesha-mandala-pati-srenim sada tuccha-vat
bhutva dina-ganesakau karunaya kaupina-kanthasritau (Shad Goswami Astakam)

He had given up everything, all the opulence. Kaupina- kanthasritau, just wearing a loin cloth and some blanket kind of thing to down or sleep at night. So what he was offering? Some type of dry chapattis and Madan Mohan- ‘You know I am Nanda maharaj’s son. Don’t you know my father? Nine hundred thousand cows, so much milk and milk products and sandesh and this and that. What are you offering me? Just dry chapati? Not even salt. Forget the ghee.’ And Sanatan Goswami would say, ‘hey shut up.’ No, I am sorry. ‘This is what I can offer. Please understand.’ Different relationship, more than awe and reverence. So he would be very frank with the deity and he would say ‘don’t you understand my Lord my condition? I am old also. So whatever best possible, making the arrangements.’ There, where Radha Madan Mohan temple is, there is place called Dvadash Tila.

Tila means hill and Dvadash means 12, dvadash surya or dvadash aditya, aditya means sun. So one time Madan Mohan deity in winter season was feeling very cold. So the sun appeared, or came closer, came at the top of the hill there, heating, like we have heaters here all over the building. So the sun was personally heating that whole region, so that Lord would feel at home, or feel comfortable.

So at that place where Sanatan Goswami’s Radha Madan Mohan temple is, there is this Dvadash Aditya Tila. One day one merchant who dealt in salt business, his business was selling salt, he would boat loads of salt. He would bring from one place and bring to another town and sell for higher price and make a profit. But as this boat was passing through Jamuna, passing by Radha Madan Mohan temple, the boat got stuck and could possibly be drowning or sinking. And boat filled with what? Salt! Water gets in, end of the business! So this business man was really worried, now how I am going to protect my salt? He saw Madan Mohan temple. He came running. Help help help! Sanatan Goswami immediately realized what is going on. He said, ‘go to the Lord, pray to Him.’ His name was Krishna das Kapoor. He offered his prayers. ‘Please Lord please, if my salt is protected and the money that I will make, I will offer to you’ He made some transaction, business with the Lord. And soon after the prayers was offered and heard by Madan Mohan, the boat started floating again. It was stuck and sinking, but was now floating on the water, normal situation. So he was very happy. He sold the salt and made lot of money and he came to Sanatan Goswami and offered all that wealth, lot of money. And with that money the present day temple of Madan Mohan was built from that
profit of salt sold by Krishna Das Kapoor.

So that time when Sanatan Goswami worshipped Madan Gopal, and gradually He was known as Madan Mohan, there was only Madan Mohan and no Radha. So this news reached Jagannath Puri and the son of Pratap Rudra, you know who is Pratap Rudra, king Pratap Rudra, the great devotee of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, contemporary of Caitanya Mahaprabhu also. His son, Pratap Rudra’s son Purushottam, he was king, ruler of Orissa. So he got the news, several deities, Madan Mohan, Govinda, they are by themselves. Their Radharani, their consort is not with them. So he sent two deities. Or he arranged to get two deities to be sent or dispatch to Vrindavan.

When those deities reached Vrindavan, something was not normal as expected or as arranged. Radha Madan Mohan appeared in the dream of the priest, saying, ‘no no these two deities they are not both Radha, one is Radha and one is Lalita. The smaller one is Radha and the bigger one is Lalita.’ And in the dream the priest was told, ‘you install Radha to my left side and Lalita to my right side.’ So from that time onwards Madan Mohan had company of Radharani and Lalita also. And they were there for quiet some time in Vrindavan and then there was Muslim attack.

The deities were shifted from Vrindavan to Radha kunda, attacks continued. From there they were shifted to Kamavan which is in Vrindavan and finally they were shifted to Jaipur. And they went on installing, there is Radha Madan Mohan in Vrindavan, there is Radha Madan Mohan in Radha kunda, there is Radha Madan Mohan in Kamavan and Radha Govinda and Radha Gopinath, all these three sets are in all these three places. So those deities are called pratibhu vigraha. The original deity was newly installed by these deities called pratibhu vigraha. So Madan Mohan was under the protection of the pious kings of Rajasthan. Raja means king, sthan means place. Whole state was ruled by pious king, Rajarsi, the saintly king and deity was protected. All Vrindavan deities were protected. Jaipur is like new Vrindavan. All original deities of Vrindavan you will find in Jaipur, except few deities are in other places now. But Madan Mohan was in Jaipur when the princess, king’s daughter was to be married to the prince of Nimakaroli.

Nimakaroli is another place. So the son of another king and daughter of another king in Jaipur, she was to be married to Nimakaroli prince. Now some dowry has to be given, dowry, some wealth, some form. So the demand was that we would like Madan Mohan deity that was dowry. And the princess was also a great devotee of Madan Mohan. She was also thinking after marriage I will be no more in Jaipur, I will be in another town Nimakaroli. I cannot survive without Madan Mohan. So she also wanted to bring Madan Mohan to Nimakaroli. But then the king of Jaipur and his family was also, ‘no no no, how is that possible? We can not give deities like that. We are serving, worshipping deity from such a long time and we can not allow you to take that away.’ But the prince and family of Nimakaroli and the daughter also was very much interested in bringing the deity to Nimakaroli with her.

So the family of Jaipur king came up with one condition. They said, yes our daughter could bring Radha Madan Mohan with her or we could give finally that as a dowry on one condition. What is that condition? Condition would be that we will have some dozen deities looking exactly like Madan Mohan. And ‘the Madan Mohan deity’ will be placed somewhere in the middle of all these deities and if she could select the Madan Mohan, well good luck, but if she fails in the selection then we will have Madan Mohan. Understood what is the condition? Very tough!

So the princess was really worried. Now what will happen? There will be dozen deities all looking like Madan Mohan and I have to select my ‘the Madan Mohan’. How I will manage this? She was totally in anxiety and worry. She did not know. Big dilemma, how to, but because she was great devotee of Madan Mohan, Madan Mohan in the dream appeared to her. ‘No worries, tomorrow when I will be placed in the midst of all so called Madan Mohans or other deities looking like Me, when you will look at all of them, I will be the only one smiling. And that smile would be seen only by you.’ So this was the deal struck between the princess and Madan Mohan.

So next day, Jaipur is the place where they make the deities. They took some time carve more and more Radha Madan Mohan looking like deities and all the deities including Madan Mohan were placed there. And everybody was there. Whole family, the king and the queen and ministers and the princess was brought on the seen and was asked to take your pick. You choose now. And she was going from one deity to another to another, taking darsana, specially the face and one of them smiled. The Madan Mohan smiled. She said, this one, I want this one. And that was the victory of the king and prince of Nimakaroli, another town. And the Jaipur king, queen and the family lost ‘the Madan Mohan’. So princess goes there, marriage and the Madan Mohan ends up in Nimakaroli. And that is where the Madan Mohan that was installed by Vajranabha, great grandson of Krishna, having gone through so many hidden and discovered and shifted from here and there and all over and that Madan Mohan is in Nimakaroli.
Radha Madan Mohan Ki Jay!

How, when and why Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared
Venue: Russia
Dated: 12 Sept 2018
Occasion: Sadhu Sanga Festival “Gaudiya Vaishnavism” -Day one

Hare Krishna

You are welcome. Thank you for coming. We are happy to see you. I wish I could see your souls by the symptoms of the soul we could see your souls, your spirit. With the kind of spirit that you have come. That’s the spirit, that’s you, that’s your real self. So I am happy in the company of so many souls . The sadhu sanga festival is for the souls and our seminar here is also for the souls. We want only your souls, your spirit. And for the benefit of the souls we have this sadhu sanga festival and also the seminar. As the souls now we are trying to become Gaudiya vaishnavas we are not only trying to become Vaishnavas but Gaudiya vaishnavas. Yes? Not sure, “yes” Haribol.

There are different vaishnavas. Lots of them are avaishnavas, they are nothing. But there are vaishnavas also, different traditions sampradaya. Amongst them the gaudiya vaishnavas are very very special. And that is what we are trying to be. So I thought it would be good to know our Gaudiya vaishnavism, Gaudiya tradition. The history and the development, lifestyle and the literature, Gaudiya vaishnava literature . We have our own deities and our own mantras. We have our own dhama, abode of the Lord. So Gaudiya vaishnavas have their own world. We are trying to enter that world, revive our spirit and become fit to fit into that world. So something like that came in mind. So I thought of presenting this seminar called Gaudiya Vaishnavism. To know our roots, etc.

Today we will mostly talk about how, when and why Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared. Brief descriptions and development in that regard. And then to achieve His goal of why He makes His appearance, how He creates the scene or setting. And how did Gaudiya vaishnava parampara got established. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu made Himself part of it. He became a member of Gaudiya vaishnava parampara and He practised. God became Gaudiya Vaishnava. God became devotee, bhakta avatar. He is a bhakti, He is a devotee. And that way setting an example for all of us, the aspiring Gaudiya vaishnavas, Haribol.

paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge (BG 4.8)

You know that mantra right? Lord said I appear, I am here. I make appearance in every age yuge yuge, in every yuga. Okay He appears, Krishna says I appear but that who appears is not Krishna Himself but His expansions, His avatar, His plenary portion appears in each age. So there are different kinds of avatar. There is Yuga Avatar, Lila avatar, Guna avatar, Shaktyavesa avatar. One of them is Yuga avatar.
So every age avatar. Satya yuga, treta yuga, dwapara yuga, kali yuga there is avatar. And there is another kind of avatar which is in the same category as Yuga avatar and that is Manvantara avatar. In one day of Brahma there are 14 Manus . And during period of each Manu there is one incarnation of Lord called as Manvantara avatar. During one day of Brahma, which is called as Kalpa. As mentioned there are 14 Manu’s and during the period of 7th Manu that is Vaivasvat Manu . Right now there is rule of Vaivasvat Manu. And there are 72 cycles of yugas in one Manu’s period. Out of that 72, when there is the 28th cycle of Dvapara yuga , at the end of Dvapara yuga, Lord Sri Krishna appears, Haribol. And that Lord is Svayam Bhagvan.

krishnastu bhagavan svayam

Svayam Bhagavan appears once in one day of Brahma during Vaivasvata Manu’s dvapara yuga, 28th dvapara yuga. The Lord appeared in Vrindavan which is known as Madhurya Dhama. There is Aishwarya dhama of Narayana and other avataras and Vrindavan is known as Madhurya dhama where Lord Krishna becomes very Madhur.

“madhuradhipater akhilam madhuram”

Everything about Krishna is very sweet very nectarian. Especially He is known for 4 kinds of madhuryas, sweetnesses of nectars. That makes Him very special Lord or that makes Him Krishna. You know what those are?

The four madhuryas :
1. Rupa madhurya : the beauty of Krishna
2. Venu madhurya: He plays on His divine flute, thus attracting all souls
3. LIla madhurya : His pastimes sweet pastimes
4. Prem madhurya : His loving dealings with His devotes.

So Lord Krishna performed His pastimes, sweet pastimes in Vrindavan and all these sweetness of Krishna are because of Radha Rani also .Jaya Radhe. Krishna is incomplete without Radha. And Radha and Krishna is together is complete unit or personality. So while Krishna was performing His pastimes along with Srimati Radhika. It must be at the end of His pastimes the Lord must be revealing His pastimes, contemplating on His pastimes which He had been performing. And Lord’s realisation was that when Me and Radharani deal with each other, it seems that Radharani gets the better deal. She enjoys more. She is more happy than I am, why is that? Then He becomes eager to understand Radharani. In fact He becomes greedy to know Radharani.

Rukmini has also said in Dwaraka, “My dear Lord there is something You do not know.” What do you mean I don’t know? I am the Lord. Bhagavatam says I am abhijnah svarat – the knower of everything and you say I don’t know something. Yes yes there are somethings which only Radharani knows. I also know but Radharani knows more. And Krishna keeps thinking and He wants to know. He wants to know something that Rukmini said you don’t know.

So with that as the pastimes of Vrindavan closed Lord made up His mind. Next time I make My appearance, I will become Radha. I will take the mood of Radharani. I will play the role of Radharani and that way I will find out Radharani. So then Krishna had appeared in the last 125 years of dvapara yuga or Krishna’s pastime years.

“shyam tyaktva svapadam gatah tad dinat kalir ayatah“

The scriptures say the day when Krishna returned to His own abode was the first day of the age of kali. Then at the very beginning of the age of Kali.

“kaleh prathama-sandhyayam” (Brahma Puran)

Lord appeared again. May be just a gap of 4 and 5 or four and a half thousand years, Krishna appeared again. Haribol.
And this Krishna is also Svayam Bhagavan Krishna. And this time during Vrindavan pastimes there was Him Krishna and there was Radharani, Radha Krishna-two. But when He appeared 500 years ago they were not two they were one. Now that is Gauranga… Gauranga… Gauranga. Now why is He called Gauranga? Gaura- anga whose anga is Gaura. Whose bodily complexion is golden is Gauranga.

“ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha bhedam gatau tau”

Caitanya Caritamrita describes in the very beginning. Radha and Krishna are ekatmana, they are one. But to perform their pastimes they become two. “deha bhedam gatau tau” they become two.

caitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caikyam aptam

So they are one they had become two. But then again those two become one “tad-dvayam caikyam aptam ” that is Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
“anta krishna bahir gauraha” Chaitanya Bhagavat says. Krishna is hiding inside and outside is Radharani. He is hiding within Radha or behind Radha . And now He has become a devotee. Radha is a devotee. And He worships Krishna or experiences Krishna through the eyes of Radharani through the consciousness of Radharani.

Because Lord has accepted,

radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krsna-svarupam (CC Madya 8.282)
Navami is what it is 9th day also. Navami means I offer my obeisances.

naumi krishna svarupam

I offer my obeisance’s unto that form of the Lord. You like to offer also your obeisance?Haribol. But what kind of svarup is this? Svarupa which has Radha bhava- Radha’s emotions, Radha’s devotion, Radha’s consciousness, Radha like thoughts, that is one. Radha bhava is one. Radha dyuti – someone here has a name called Radha dyuti? Anywhere in Russia? It’s a nice name. Many devotees have. In Mayapur there are several devotees called Radha dyuti. What is dyuti? Dyuti means complexion. Radha bhava Radha dyuti. You understand Bhava right, there is no need of translation. Radha bhava Radha dyuti. Dyuti means complexion, colour. The kind of colour-Gauranga-Gaurangi. Radharani is Gaurangi and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Gauranga. So this Gauranga Gauranga. So He is Radha and Krishna combined. And He wants to practice Krishna consciousness. He is playing the role of a devotee.

“panca-tattvatmakam krishnam bhakta-rupa-svarupakam”

Panca tattva, pancattavatmakam Krishna. Panca-Krishna has become five and tattva- truths. Five truths panca-tattvatmakam krishnam.
First one is bhakta rupa that is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Rupa is form. He has taken the form of a bhakta. So now Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is svayam Bhagavan. Are there two svayam Bhagavans? Krishna is one svayam Bhagavan and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu another svayam Bhagavan. Are there two? One plus one two. How do we understand? How many svayam Bhagavans are there? There could be only one svayam Bhagavan.

Then there are svayam prakash and many other vibhina amasas, svamsa like that. Amsas plenary portions are there, parts and parcels. But svayam Bhagavani s only one in number. How many svayam Bhagavans are there? One. So that is Krishna? Then what about Caitanya Mahaprabhu? Does that make two svayam Bhagavan? Same svayam Bhagavan Krishna appeared again. Only difference is change of name. One svayam Bhagavan is known as Krishna other svayam Bhagavan is known as Krishna Caitanya.
namo maha-vadanyaya krishna-prema-pradaya te

krishnaya krishna-chaitanya- namne gaura-tvishe namah

So in this prayer that you just recited the name of Krishna is mentioned here. Four things are mentioned here. The name, form, qualities and pastimes are mentioned in this pranam mantra.

namo mahavadanyaya

Lord is very very magnanimous. Most magnanimous Lord is Caitanya Mahaprabhu, mahavadanyaya. What is that? Is that a name, form, quality pastime? That’s the quality. Quality is covered.

krishna-prema-pradaya te

Krishna prema prada- the giver of Krishna prema. He gives Krishna prema. What is that? Lila. It’s the pastime. The pastime of Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu is to distribute Krishna prema.

krishnaya krishna-chaitanya

krishnaya meaning I offer my obeisance’s to Krishna . krishnaya namah. But which Krishna I offer my obeisance’s unto?

“krishnaya krishna caitanya namine”

Whose name is Krishna Caitanya unto that Krishna I offer my obeisance’s. So His name is Krishna Caitanya. Say Krishna Caitanya.

Caitanya means spirit, the consciousness, the life that we feel we feel that. So He is known as Krishna Caitanya, full of life, ecstatic life- Krishna Caitanya. So that is His name.

gaura-tvishe namah

Tvisha means complexion. And His complexion is golden. So what is that one? That’s the form. In this one little pranam mantra Rupa Goswami has mentioned all the four features of Caitanya.

namo maha-vadanyaya krishna-prema-pradaya te
krishnaya krishna-chaitanya- namne gaura-tvishe namah
Now probably you understand more what this pranam mantra means. So svayam Bhagavan Krishna has appeared as Krishna Caitanya. Appeared as a bhakta rupa and now He wants to perform bhakti like Radha. Radha bhakti, Radha Bhava. Krishna wants to become Radha conscious. Of course Radharani is Krishna conscious. Yes you understand. Radha is Krishna conscious and Krishna is Radha conscious.

So Krishna wants to become Radha conscious. Radha’s consciousness. Radha’s emotion. Radha like devotion. So in order to practice that the whole scene has been set. And the Gaudiya Vaishnavism has been put into place. Beginning with Madhavendra Puri. He is the first Gaudiya Vaishanava acharya. Have you heard of Madhavendra Puri? Jai Madhavendra Puri. It’s a big name. So Madhavendra Puri was initiated by Lakshmipati Tirtha.

Lakshmipati Tirth was one of the acarya in the disciplic succession of Madhvacharya. Brahma Madhva then many acharyas and then Lakshmipati Tirtha. And Madhavendra Puri was initiated by Lakshmipati Tirtha. And although he was initiated in the line of Madhva, he had some different dimension to his life and consciousness and practices. Yeah we could say that the two kinds of practioners of God consciousness Krishna consciousness. This is the described also in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu by Rupa Goswami.

One is called Vaidhi sadhana bhakti and the other one is Raganuga sadhana bhakti. So Madhavendra Puri he became Raganuga sadhana bhakti practitioner. Those who practice vaidhi sadhana rules and regulations. Vaidhi comes from vidhi – rules and regulations. Such practitioners go to Vaikuntha loka. The Raganuga practitioners are different. Raga anuga- ragamarga, Gaudiya vaishnava path is also known as Raga marga. Marga means path the way and raga is, there are different ragas. Different kinds of attachments to the Lord. Specially in Vrindavan, there is vatsalya, sakhya , madhurya. These are different bhava or raga, devotees attached to those different mellows. In Vrindavan there is no practically no dasya, very little smell of dasya. Krishna has mostly His friends – sakhya bhava. Krishna has His parents- vatsalya bhava and Krishna has His Gopis that is madhurya bhava or rasa.

“parakiya bhave jahan prajete prachar”

And Vrindavan there is a practice of parakiya bhava . In Sringar rasa or madhurya rasa has two categories two kinds of Madhurya rasa. Parakiya bhava in Vrindavan and svakiya bhava is practiced in Dwaraka. So Gaudiya vaishnavas are practitioners of Raganuga bhakti. They pick up a devotee in one of the higher rasas or ragas and they just follow.
Ga means to go. Anu means to follow. They follow the footsteps of ideal devotee in Krishna’s pastimes. That becomes his hero or his model. So that is called Raganuga sadhana bhakti. In general we all Gaudiya Vaishnavas are called Rupanuga sadhana bhaktas. We are Rupanuga. Our leader our hero is Rupa Goswami. But then who is Rupa Goswami? Rupa Goswami is Rupa Manjari. So like that. The Raganuga bhaktas they select a devotee in one of the higher rasas and following their footsteps.

Madhavendra Puri the first acharya of Gaudiya line, he was practicing Raganuga Bhakti. The other vaishnavas they mostly restrict to dasya rasa, servant. There’s lot of awe and reverence. The God is great and I am just a nobody. I am just a servant. And then they offer their obeisance’s. But Raganuga is another experience.

“tumi ami sam”

Who do you think you are? Sometimes friends of Krishna say who do you think you are? Who are you? You and we are equal. We are friends. They talk like this. So this sakhya is also called Visrambya sakhya. Arjun and Krishna are sakhas, they are friends.

“bhakto ‘si me sakha ceti”

Krishna says. You are my friend. But that friendship is in the level of aishwarya friendship between Krishna and Arjuna. When Arjuna realises the greatness of Krishna when Krishna showed His Universal form then Arjuna was he was begging I am sorry I am sorry I didn’t realise you are that great. I thought we were equal but now I could see your greatness. Please forgive me. So that friendship is called aishwarya sakhya rasa.

In Vrindavan its Visrambha. The friends of Krishna they never beg forgiveness. I am sorry Krishna. Please please forgive me. I will never do this again. So there is difference. The relationship is raga, mellows between Krishna and His Vrindavan devotees are in higher level. So practicing that is raganuga sadhana bhakti. So Madhavendra Puri is our first acharya. He initiated even some of the members of Pancatattva. Advaita acharya was a disciple of Madhavendra Puri. Nityananda is disciple of Madhavendra Puri. Ishvara Puri is a disciple of Madhavendra Puri. Sriranga Puri is another disciple of Madhavendra Puri. Just 4 – 5 days ago we were in Pandharpur. Place called Pandharpur in Maharashtra. Pandharpur is holy place which Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited. There Caitanya Mahaprabhu found out that this Sriranga Puri who was a disciple of Madhavendra Puri was in Pandharpur. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu immediately found out and where is Sriranga Puri? Where is he? Where is he? He went there. When he saw Sriranga Puri who was godbrother of his spiritual master. Ishvara Puri is a disciple of Madhavendra puri and Sriranga Puri is also disciple. So in Pandharpur, Caitanya Mahaprabhu met the god brother of his spiritual master. And then they embraced each other. When Sriranga Puri when he saw Caitanya Mahaprabhu coming in offering obeisance’s with all this emotions and feelings. Immediately he was suspecting this person must have some Gaudiya connection. He could tell, he must be some Gaudiya Vaishnava. He could detect. Anyway that was true.

And they both sat and they had Sadhu sanga festival for 7 days. How many were attending that sadhu sanga festival? Two persons. For 7 days but how many were attending? Only 2 persons. They had Hari katha. They were relishing Hari Katha, 7 days 7 nights. They were absorbed in Hari katha. Gaur Premanande Hari bol.

We were just there, we took bath in the same river almost same place where Caitanya Mahaprabhu took His bath. That time Caitanya Mahaprabhu was chanting and dancing taking darsana of Vithal Panduranga. And in fact my village is not far from Pandharpur. You may not believe to hear this but Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited my village. “Hari bol”. Not after I was born. But 500 years ago when He was in the south India tour. One day He walked through the village where we have ISKCON, it’s my village. And some months ago we installed the footprints of Caitanya Mahaprabhu in my village to remind everyone that Caitanya Mahaprabhu was here.

So Madhavendra Puri initiated many of our senior Lords. Pancatattva members and other devotees including Ishvara Puri. Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu becomes disciple of Ishvara Puri in the line coming down from Madhavendra Puri.
So now what did Caitanya Mahaprabhu do? As there are 4 sampradayas. You know which they are? Brahma Sampradaya, Sri Sampradaya, kumar Sampradaya and Rudra Sampradaya. These are the four Sampradayas. And these are authorised Sampradaya. These are paramparas or authorised schools of thought in order to perceive the truth, knowledge, realisation you have to be connected to one of these authorised paramparas.
“sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te viphala matah”
Padma purana has declared. If you try to obtain knowledge outside this 4 paramparas that would be useless, fruitless. You will never know the truth if you try to obtain knowledge outside these 4 disciplic successions. Our Gaudiya is gradually like a fifth sampradaya is coming into existence, unofficially. And naturally from Brahma sampradaya we branched out. I mean from Madhva we branched out.
Brahma Madhva sampradaya continues from Laxmipati tirtha – Madhavendra puri -Ishvara Puri- Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And we already understood that Madhavendra Puri’s practices and teachings were already different, some dimension was added Raganuga bhakti. Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu what He does is He takes two essential or best qualities from each of those 4 sampradayas. And adds those qualities into Gaudiya line, Gaudiya sampradya. Bhakti Vinod Thakura in Navadvipa Dham Mahatmya guide book which Bhakti Vinoda Thakura has compiled, he mentions this, in a dialogue between Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nimbarka acarya.
In fact all the four acharyas had encounters with Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This is even before Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s advent, these things are going on. In that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Nimbarka acharya dialogue, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says that I have taken 2 best essential qualities from each of those sampradayas. And he also mentions which 2 from Madhva, which 2 from Nimbarka, which 2 from Vishnu swami, which 2 from the fourth one.
Mayavada khandan, Madhva acharya he was really battling with Mayavadi, impersonalism. So that spirit of Madhvacarya, Caitanya Mahaprabhu has accepted. Deity worship also from Madhva. Ramanuja was known for Vaishnava seva, serving Vaishnavas. Like that from each of them he took 2 qualities making a Gaudiya sampradaya or Gaudiya Vaishavism more complete and perfect. But still our Gaudiya parampara was not taken seriously, when there was a question of worshipping the deities of Radha Govinda deities, Rupa Goswami’s Govinda.
“Govinda” (audience)
Do not say this in Jaipur, they say Govinda in Tirupati. Govinda Govinda. Sri Radha Govinda, we pray like that. When Vishvanath Chakravarty thakura was in Vrindavan and he was the protector of Gaudiya line, Gaudiya Paramapara rakshakacarya, protector. So the deities of Govindadev in Jaipur were being worshipped by Ramanandis, the sect of Ramanuja. The Gaudiya Vaishnavas also of course they wanted to serve their deities. There is Rupa Goswami’s deity, its Gaudita Vaishnava deity. But they were saying oh if you claim your Gaudiya Vaishnava parampara sampradaya where is your commentary on Vedanta. In order for accepting sampradaya as authentic there has to be commentary on Vedanta. Or they also call Prasthana -traya. All the scriptures are divided into 3 parts – Shruti prasthana, Smriti prasthana and then Nyaya prasthana. All the scriptures are put into these 3 categories. So each sampradaya each parampara, they have their understanding, their commentary. What do they understand? How do they understand shruti mantras? How do they understand smriti? Sastras .

So they have to make their presentation. So all these other 4 sampradaya acharyas had their commentaries. Madhvacarya had his commentary on Vedanta, Dvaita siddhanta. Ramanuja acharyas -vishishtha advaita. These are technical names for each of those kind of commentaries. But where is yours? You have no commentary. So we don’t accept you as bona fide authorised. So that time Vishvanatha Chakravarty Thakura, who was very elderly at that time not able to travel. So they have to go to Jaipur travel there and make a presentation of our school of thought / our parampara / our comment / our understanding. Then Vishvanatha Chakravarty Thakura had deputed Baladev Vidyabhushan. He had travelled to Jaipur. And he had debates with the sastrartha with the Ramanuja and Gaudiya. So there Baladev Vidyabhushan, he wrote a commentary on Vedanta. When the commentary was revealed unto Baladev Vidyabhushan. He was kind of taking down the dictation. Govinda was speaking and Baladev Vidyabhushan was writing and there was a commentary ready. And Baladev Vidyabhushan named that commentary as Govinda Bhasya. This Bhashya is not my Bhashya. This is not my commentary. This is whose commentary? This is Govinda’s commentary. Here it is Govinda Bhashya. So that was presented to the assembly of scholars and other sampradayas especially to the Ramanuja Sampradaya. They were amazed. They were stunned to see. And that way Gaudiya Vaishnava parampara’s got stamp of approval.
Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya ki Jaya.
Baladeva Vidyabhushana came to be known as Vedanta acharya. Gaudiya Vaishnava Siddhanta or Vedanta acarya Baladev Vidya bhushana. Vidya, the knowledge was his ornament, his alankar, his decorations. The knowledge the realisation the commentary was his. So then finally everything was set to go and our Gaudiya Vaishnava siddhanta or philosophy is kind of summed up by Caitanya Mahaprabhu in one verse.
“sri-caitanya mahaprabhor matam idam tatradaro na parah”
So this is opinion of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. At the end of the verse it’s said
Caitanya Mahaprabhor matam idam
idam means this is matam- is opinion of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So what is his opinion?
aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam
ramya kacid-upasana vrajavadhu-vargena ya kalpita
srimad-bhagavatam pramanam-amalam prema pumartho mahan

sri caitanya mahaprabhur-matam-idam tatradaro nah parah

Basically Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s opinion is mentioned in this verse is which is Gaudiya Vaishnava’s mat or opinion. Just some major items are mentioned. Aradhyo bhagavan-we worship Bhagavan what is His name? aradhyo bhagavan brajesha tanaya. Brajesh-who is Brajesh? Nanda Maharaj. Braja means Vrindavan and esh means master. The master of Vrindavan is Nanda Maharaj. Krishna is just his son. Father is the king. So brajesha tanaya. We worship brajesha tanaya, son of Nanda Maharaj-Nandanandan. He is our worshippable. Gaudiya’s worship Brajesha tanaya, Nandanandana. And the worshippable dhama for us is Vrindavana dhama ki Jaya.
Of course we practice our sadhana in Mayapur dham. Through Mayapur, goal is Vrindavan. Through Mayapur go to Vrindavan. Okay you want to worship Lord Sri Krishna Brajesha tanaya but how He should be worshipped? Caitanya Mahaprabhu gives His opinion again.
ramya kacid-upasana vrajavadhu-vargena ya kalpita
The example is that of Vraja vadhu varga means Gopis. The mood of gopi’s is the right mood or mode of worshipping Krishna. The way Gopi’s Radha worships Krishna that is exemplary. That kind of mood. Ok then when it comes to scripture. Which scriptures do Gaudiya Vaishnavas study and relish? Srimad Bhagavatam. Why Srimad Bhagavatam? Pramanam – its authoritative. Praman. Srimad Bhagavatam is most authoritative and amala -spotless puran.
And then what is the prayojan? What is the destination? There is sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana. What is the goal? What is destination? What is the gati? Destination? prema pumartho mahan. And this is called pancham Purusha . The 4 purusharthas are dharma, artha, kama, moksha these are four and fifth is prema pumartho mahan. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is sometimes called Prema Purushottam. Prema Purushottam. Prema Purushottam.

So to achieve love of Godhead, that is the goal. So this is sri caitanya mahaprabhur-matam-idam. Okay time is up. And we will continue other different aspects as we said Gaudiya’s have their own world. We have our acharyas , Gaudiya vaishnava acharyas . Gaudiya vaishnava literature is there. We have our own philosophy. We have our own culture. We have our lifestyle. We have our own dhamas. We have even our own mantras. We have our own deities distinct from everyone else. And this is the topmost and this is the best. So we will talk in the following days from different angles we will to approach and understand the Gaudiya vaishnavism.

Thank you.

yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado- This is the principle
Venue: ISKCON Pandharpur
Dated:26th July 2016

Occasion: Online address to english devotees on 67th Vyasa Puja

In the beginning we miscalculated my birthday and then finally we got it right. It was concluded that my birth 66 years ago. Now 66 years passed today. I was born on this Ekadashi day which is a very big day here in Pandharpur. There are one and half million pilgrims they have come to Pandharpur. And, of course, there are 5 -10 thousand Hare Krishna devotees assembled here for celebration of ashadi Ekadashi, they also call it Shayani Ekadashi. Today is the day, the Lord goes to bed for 4 months. Just prior to His going to sleep, pilgrims come and they like to have darsana of Lord. They come in big numbers. So, this is very big day for Pandharpur dhama today. This is the biggest day, in fact, for this dhama. So, I was mentioning that I consider myself very fortunate when in fact we found some 10-12 years ago that I was born on this day. I was very much moved emotionally and surcharged to know that Lord gave me birth on this day. 1949 that is my birth year. It was Tuesday and I was born. Tuesday is the day of Sri Rama. Lord Rama appeared on tuesday and Krishna appeared on wednesday. So because I appeared on tuesday, mangalwar, I think this could be possibly the reason why I was given the name, “Raghunatha” which is one of names of Sri Rama. So, all day there are festivities here.

I think possibly some of you watched live on Mayapur TV or and Vrindavan TV. Mostly, the offerings were in hindi, few in english and few in marathi. Possibly you may be watching. So, we had this Idea because devotees who were not present and for those who do not speak hindi or marathi. In fact, Vashughosh Prabhu, my god brother made his offering in Sanskrit. So, many of you listeners, my disciples, followers or may be some of you are friends. So, I could say something in your language, this idea came up of short broadcast which we are doing. I have no idea how many of you are there and where are you stationed. I hope many of you are able to see and hear me. I wish you were here. So you are here and you are not here.

Vyasa puja book was offered to me and your Vyasa puja offerings which you have written have reached me and which I am going to read in coming days. So honouring spiritual master on Vyasa puja day is eternal if not only an ancient or old tradition on Vyasa puja day. Spiritual master represents Srila Vyasadeva. “Vyasa” also means elaboration or expansion. And spiritual master does expands elaborates on the teachings of Vedas or sastras compiled by Srila Vyasadeva. They expand those teachings in the sense that they speak original text that are in sanskrit. So, spiritual master expand it by sharing that in original language. That’s why there is expansion. They may also write some books in pursuance of the Vedic version. So, that also makes them representative of Srila Vyasadeva. Of course between Vyasadeva and us, there are many acharyas; the disciple succession.

Yes, we represent Brahma; we represent Vyasadeva; we represent Madhavacarya and the whole parampara. Lord Himself appeared in that disciplic succession. Then, so many other Gaudiya acaryas and then for us, Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada ki jaya. ISKCON Founder Acarya is one that we directly represent. In that way, we are representing all the members of the disciplic succession and Gauranga, Madhavacharya, Srila Vyasa Dev and Brahma himself. Today we were remembering how I was made fortunate by the Lord as we hear,

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru krishna prasade paya bhakti lata bija

So by grace of Krishna, I was put in touch with Srila Prabhupada. Today I remembered and shared that how I was doing my college education in a town called Sangali. But, then I had this thought, no! no! I should be graduate of Bombay University. I should go to Bombay which is now known as Mumbai because Bombay University had bigger name. So, the dictation from within brought me to Bombay. Soon after my arrival, when I was studying there, Srila Prabhupada had come with his followers from the West and holding big Hare Krishna festival downtown Bombay.

There was advertisement that there were sadhus in town. American sadhus are here! European sadhus are here! So, I had gone there and we were not sure. Indians were not sure. OK, they have advertised as sadhus but whether they were really sadhus. I too like everyone else was impressed and convinced. Srila Prabhupada’s followers wherever they were from, they were sadhus and genuine practitioners of Krishna Consciousness. So, that’s how I came in contact of Srila Prabhupada and his followers.
As it is said,

sadhu sanga sadhu sanga sarva sastre kaya
lava matra sadhu sange sarva siddhi haya

So, my life was transformed. I mean I was kind of on this path. Everything was concluded; everything was made clear and it was conclusive, as I met Srila Prabhupada. I did not personally meet. He was on the dais, addressing the gatherings. He was there on the dais and doing kirtan with his followers or the followers were doing kirtan themselves in presence of Srila Prabhupada. So, that was turning point in my life. I was reconnected or my Krishna Consciousness was revived and rekindled. I bought some books, small books in those years like “Lord in the heart”, one chapter in one booklet. I bought couple of books. I was very much impressed with kirtan performances of Hare Krishna western followers.

So after the festival, I started studying Srila Prabhupada books. Whenever my roommates were not in the room, I would close the windows and doors and just by myself use to chant and dance. And it took me another year till next Hare Krishna festival on the Hare Krishna land. Srila Prabhupada was there and I rushed to that festival. I got a kind of my life back after 1 year. In 1971, first festival was held and in 1972 the next festival was celebrated at Juhu. I had the opportunities to hear form Srila Prabhupada more and associate with his followers more. I made up my mind that this is it what I want to dedicate my life, in service of Srila Prabhupada. I had not accepted any other person as my guru in my life. So Srila Prabhupada was my first and last spiritual master.

After end of that festival, I moved into ashram at Juhu. I had gone with an application addressed to the temple president. I was inquiring where abouts of temple president of ISKCON Bombay. In fact, the person I asked where I could meet the president, he said, I am the president. So, I handed over my application and he was kind to read it right there and then he made a big declaration or announcement, “a new bhakta is here, a new bhakta is here”. Now, sadhus mostly American and European, they came running and were delighted to know that someone is wanting to join Hare Krishna movement, young man. So, I was accepted.

Then later on during that year in Kartik, I was duly initiated by Srila Prabhupada. You know these things? some of these things you have heard before. So, whatever I am, I am made by mercy of Srila Prabhupada. I am indebted to Srila Prabhupada that he showed me this path, gave me the mantra for my deliverance and gave me my life back. Life without Krishna or Krishna Consciousness is death or you are dead without Krishna or Krishna Consciousness.

Srila Prabhupada gave me Krishna and Krishna Consciousness. He gave me employment in service of Krishna. He gave me association of devotees, my god brothers and god sisters and later disciples also came in picture and became part of Srila Prabhupada family. So, I am grateful to Srila Prabhupada. I wanted to express my gratitude on this occasion, on this day. And then, we also said that I am in ISKCON as initiating spiritual master or instructing spiritual master. However, Srila Prabhupada is founder acarya of Hare Krishna Movement. He is principle siksha guru of all of you. So, I am indebted as well as you are also indebted to Srila Prabhupada for what he has done to you. So, we are indebted as I said I am indebted.

Once Srila Prabhupada was approached and his dear devotees and disciples expressed their sentiments. They said, “Prabhupada, we are indebted to you, we are very much indebted” and Srila Prabhupada agreed, “that’s true”. Devotees wanted to know anyway if they could be freed from this debt. And Srila Prabhupada’s first response was, “no, there is no way you could be freed from this debt.” Then he thought for a while and said there is one thing you can do. “What! What Srila Prabhupada we could do? He had said that time, “You do as I did.” So many things, many many things he did to establish, protect and propagate Krishna Consciousness movement. So, “you do as I did” meant we also as his followers, his direct disciples and his grand disciples have to try to do as he did. You also as disciples try to do as your spiritual master is doing. Then Srila Prabhupada will be pleased with me and pleased with you all also.

As I so much to do to propagate this Krishna Consciousness movement and that is where you all come in picture. Narottam Das thukar said,

“ekaki amaar nahi paya bala, harinam sankirtane”

I, by myself cannot propagate or spread Krishna Consciousness I need your help. And, so you are assisting us, and then we are in big parampara system. Srila Prabhupada is assisting his spiritual master like that. So, this assistance, these services are ultimately offered to Krishna and He is pleased.

“yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado yasyaprasadan na gatih kutopi”

So, that is the principle. This is guru tattva. Sundarlal, one of your god brothers, was saying that guru tattva is so deep and vast that he doesn’t fully grasp or understand guru tattva. As Vishnu tattva, the other tattvas, there is guru tattva. Then guru has big role to play in lives of his disciples and followers.

So, on this occasion, I thank everyone who is helping, assisting, cooperating with our Krishna Consciousness activities or plans to propagate Krishna Consciousness. I thank as well as appeal further to continue your support. Of course wherever you are, you offer your support, stay busy with Krishna Consciousness activities. Keep chanting Hare Krishna.

Devotees were saying, happy Vyasa puja day Maharaj, happy Vyasa puja day. My response was, “yes, I also wish you happy life, happy journey. You chant Hare Krishna and you be happy.” So, let us propagate this mantra, this message. Go far and wide. There is so much suffering in this material existence. There is no end to it. So many problems but only solution is Krishna Consciousness. Somehow we have been brought in contact with Krishna Consciousness movement/Krishna Consciousness and received Krishna Consciousness. So, it is our duty or obligation to share that with as many fellow human beings as possible. Srila Prabhupada, in one letter, in fact, he wrote to President of India, “I have got a clue.” And what is that clue, “When I will leave this body, I will be going back to Godhead; I have this clue and he said that I want to bring as many fellows, as many citizens with me as possible.” And he was, of course, seeking assistance from President of India. In way back in early 1950, he wrote this letter. Srila Prabhupada had made a lot of noise of this, Go back to home, go back to Godhead as they said.

So, let us propagate this Krishna Consciousness by doing so many things. So many varieties of activities are there for you to stay busy with. And this is the topmost welfare activity. I need to stop here and go back on the stage to have 2nd session of offerings, some cultural events etc. So, I offer my best wishes.

Preparations for Bhagavat katha
Venue: ISKCON Noida
Dated: 15 May 2018
Occasion: Sukratala annual yatra 2018

So Katha is going to start from tomorrow. Today afternoon you will depart from here for Sukratala. Today here we are welcoming all the yatra devotees. I thought there should be some preparations. In that context Chatuskumar have given some rules and regulations in 6 th chapter Srimad Bhagvat Mahatmya of Padma-puran. So we will hear from them directly. They are the famous and well-known katha reciters in the whole brahmanda. In Haridwara they did a special katha. Among the 12 Bhagvats they are also mahabhagvats. One is grantha Bhagvat and other is person Bhagavat. Chatuskumar have given some special tips for management team of katha. Some are for listeners, some for speakers, some for managers of the yatra. So you all note down. Note books you all should bring so that one will be awake while taking notes and will have to hear attentively for that.

kumaraha uchu
atha ye sampravaksyamah saptahasravane vidhim (SBM 6.1)

The four Kumars are speaking about the vidhi of Bhagavat saptaha. I don’t know how they are speaking together but they all spoke together. They did not take turns first Sanat Kumar speaks and then others no not like that. They all spoke together that’s why it’s said, ‘ Kumaraha uchu’. It’s not said Kumar uvacha, Kumar uvacha means one Kumar is speaking but here its Kumaraha uchu, meaning all the four Kumar’s said.

So the Kumaras said, “O Narada, now we will explain the process of performing Saptaha.

daivajnam tu samaahuya muhurtam prcchaya yatnatah (SBM 6.2)

So first they are say one who knows astrology, ask them about muhurat- which is the auspicious masa and time for it. I don’t know whether are organizers had met anybody to ask about the katha muhurta, but now Purusottma masa is about to start. This whole month is auspicious, so no need to find out any muhurat, Haribol.

vivahe yadrsam vittam tadrsam parikalpayet (SBM 6.2)

Regarding wealth required for Bhagavat saptaha, the Kumar’s are saying one should not be a miser. We should with the help of enthusiastic people collect wealth. As one does it during marriage ceremony in his family. If needed we even take debt, somehow or the other we collect money and have grand celebration. Like that we should collect money for Bhagavat katha also. So now we have selected a good muhurta and wealth required is also collected now katha is going to start.

Four Kumar’s are saying the message that katha is going to start should be spread all over.

dese dese tatha seyam varta preshya prayatnatah (SBM 6.5)

Special efforts should be taken to spread the news of katha all over. Advertising of katha should be done in our own coutry as well as other countries.

bhavisyati katha catra agantavyam kutumbibhih (SBM 6.5)

When you make invitation cards for the katha, mention there that ” you all should come with family, friends and dear ones “.

dureharikathah kecitddureca-acyutakirtanah
striyah sudradayo ye ca tesam bodho yato bhavet (SBM 6.6)

They are saying make a list of all the devotees and without fail invite them, that include women and sudras, to hear Hari-katha.

striyo vaisyas tatha sudras te ‘pi yanti param gatim (BG 9.32)

Bhagavat katha is for all the members of four varnas and ashram.

Then Kumars say,
dese dese virakta ye vaisnavah kirtanotsukah (SBM 6.7)

First they remembered others and invited them for katha. Then those knowledgeable, renunciate vaishnava’s interested to hear Hari-katha should be invited.

satam samajo bhavita satparatram sudurlabhah
apurvarasarupaiva katha catra bhavisyati (SBM 6.8)

One should announce in writing that for seven day the rare opportunity to hear the transcendental, nectarian message of Shrimad Bhagavatam will be organized. Also stated in Bhagvatam

nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam suka-mukhad am?ta-drava-samyutam
pibata bhagavata rasam alayam muhur aho rasika bhuvi bhavuka? (SB 1.1.3)

Oh rasikah devotees, those who are full in the knowledge of mellows come and drink the nectarian katha of the Lord. So same bhava is being described here by the four Kumars.

sribhagavatapiyusapanaya rasalampatah (SBM 6.9)

Rasalampata, What does is it mean by lampata? Now days its going all over this lampata that lampata visayalampata.

prati-kshanaswadana-lolupasya vande guroh sri-charanaravindam (Sri Sri Gurvastakam)

The Gurujans the acharyas they also are lampata but they are bhaktirasalampta. At every momemt they are relishing bhaktirasa. Call them also for katha. Kumars are saying write this also,

navakasah kadacicceddnimatram tathapi tu (SBM 6.10)

If they are very busy , naavakasah. Oh, we are very busy no time to die also. Tell such people dinamatram- just come for a day if you can’t come for seven days.

sarvatha ’gamanam karyam ksano ’traiva sudurlabhah (SBM 6.10)

Even if you come for a moment it will be beneficial for you. Don’t miss this rare opportunity.

evamakaranam tesam kartavyam vinayena ca (SBM 6.11)

Send invitations with humble attitude. And now invitations have been sent and devotees have come for
katha. First reached Noida then Sukratala then,

agantukanam sarvasam vasasthanani kalpayet (SBM 6.11)

All have come now make proper arrangements for their board and lodging. Invitations have been sent and then when guests come there is a signboard at the door “beware of dogs.” That means you are not welcome.

atithi devo bhava

Such signs were there in the good old days now they are replaced by signs “beware of dogs. “

So where can be katha organized? Four Kumars say,

tirthe vapi vane vapi grhe va sravanam matam ( SBM 6.12)

The recitation of Bhagavatam can be done either in a holy place, a forest if that forest is Vrndavan then it’s the best place. Or katha can be organized in one’s house. But whatever place you select should be,

visala vasudha yatra kartavyam tatkathasthalam (SBM 6.12)

The place where katha is organized should be decorated. A nice podium should be arranged and decorated with fruits, leaves, flowers, banana trees, and so forth. So now place for katha is selected. Now who is coming kathavrati, have you noted down this word. Kathavrati- You take a vow, that’s a sankalpa , there are so many vrats going on. So now you all have also made sankalpa, so you all are kathavrati, meaning those who have taken vow for katha. Like Lord Ram had taken ekapatnivrta, brahmacaris take up brahmacarivrata. So like that there are many vrats and yours is what vrat? Kathavrat. From that comes kathavrati- you all are kathavrati. So now kathavrati has arrived.

urdhava saptaiva lokasca kalpaniyah savistaram (SBM 6.16)

In the big katha ground or pandal in one part one should imagine the upper seven planetary systems.Seven planetary systems, called Bhur, Bhuvar, Svar, Mahar, Janas, Tapas and Satya, are upward planetary systems, one above the other.

tesu vipra viraktasca sthapaniyah prabodhya ca(SBM 6.16)

In that specific place proper seats should be offered to renunciates, vaishnavas and saintly persons.

purva tesamasanani kartavyani yathottaram
vaktascapi tada divyamasanam parikalpayet (SBM 6.17)

There should be a nice vyasasana for the speaker.
virako vaisnavo vipro veda-sastra-visudhikrta(SBM 6.20)

The speaker should be a renounced brahmana, learned, expert and specifically its said here that he should be a vaishnava. And he should be able to explain the essence of Vedic literature.

drstantakusalo dhiro vakta karyo ’ti-nihsprhah(SBM 6.20)

And he should be able to give proper examples , he should be dhira gambhira and free from material desires.

krishna-bhakta — nishkama, ataeva ‘santa’
bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kami sakali ‘asanta’ (Caitanya-caritamrita Madhya 19.149)

So he should be Krishna bhakti- devotee of Lord Krishna. Because a devotee of Lord Krishna is desireless, he is peaceful.

Speaker should not be,
aneka-dharma-vibhrantah-strainah pakhandavadinah (SBM 6.21)

There should not be, bahu-sakha hy anantas ca meaning he should be follower of, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. Those who are cheaters, attached to women, and who do not know the essence of religion, one who does show off, whose speech and actions differ should not be invited to speak on Shrimad Bhagavatam. We should avoid such speakers and stay away from them.

krsnamuddisya mantrena caretpujavidhim kramat (SBM 6.26)

Lord Krishna should be established in the katha pandal inform of a small altar. Thereafter, he should worship Lord Krishna by chanting proper mantras. Name of the mantra is not given but the mantra should be for Lord Krishna, which is that mantra?

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

Katha has not yet started just preparations of katha are going on.

pradakshina-namaskaran pujante stutimacaret ( SBM 6.26)

There has been worship of Lord and chanting of proper mantras. Now the speaker should circumambulate the Lord and offer his obeisance’s to the Lord.

stutih prasannacittenam kartavya kevalam tada(SBM 6.29)
srimadbhagavatakhyo ’yam pratyaksah krsna eva hi (SBM 6.30)

He should cheerfully praise the Lord and offer the following prayer: “O Lord Krishna, You are directly the Shrimad Bhagavatam. Srimad Bhagavatam is Lord Himself. Srimad Bhagavat is vangamayamurti of the Lord.

svikrto ’si maya natha muktyartha bhavasagare (SBM 6.30)

“O most merciful Lord, O Bhagavatam I am drowning in the ocean of this material world. Please accept me, I have surrendered to you Oh Natha. Please deliver me from this world.” So here Bhagavat is addressed as Natha. It’s also important to remember Sukhdev Goswami, so the four Kumars say,

sukarupaprabodhana sarvasastra-visarada (SBM 6.33)

Thereafter, the host should worship the speaker, give him nice cloth, and offer the following prayer, “You are the personification of Sukadeva and are expert in explaining the meaning of Shrimad Bhagavatam. Remembering Sukhdev Goswami, prayers should be offered to him.

etatkathaprakasena madajnanam vinasaya (SBM 6.33)

Let the light of knowledge enlighten our hearts, please reveal the knowledge of Bhagvatam to us and dispel our ignorance.

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

So our adiguru is Sukhdev Goswami, so we pray to him. With the torchlight of knowledge please open my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance. And establish knowledge in place of ignorance. And what is knowledge?

bahunam janmanam ante
jnanavan mam prapadyate

sa mahatma su-durlabhah (BG 7.19)

So once we have knowledge we will surrender unto to Lord. And how much knowledge you should have?

vasudevah sarvam iti

Vasudev Hari..Vasudev Hari…Vasudev Hari…Vasudev is all in all. Lord Himself has said in Bhagvat-gita. When there is katha, we have kirtan and when we hear katha we remember the Lord. Sravanam and then Smaranam. Then after sravan and smaran there should be chintan that’s contemplation on what we have heard. So after hearing katha if we keep remembering the katha that’s called chintan or manan. Meaning giving a deep thought.

So manan is very important , then only one can get the best results or desired goal. After hearing katha we should learn to give katha. We all should try to become katha speakers. Otherwise there is no entry in Vaikuntha. What does the devotees of Vaikuntha and Golok do? They only do,

srnvanti gayanti grnanti sadhavah

They do sravan and kirtan. What does the Gopis do? What does the cowherd boys do? What does Yasoda and Nanda baba do? They only do katha and kirtan. “hata may kam mukha may nama” meaning by hands they work and by theirs mouths they are always chanting the glories of the Lord. Yasoda also while churning butter she is singing glories of Lord Krishna. So entry in Vaikuntha is only for those who are busy in “kirtaniya sada hari.” So we need to practice and learn it. We need to change our habits.

kathacittah suddhamatih sa labhetphalamuttamam (SBM6.37)

Those who hear the katha attentively, with great faith and a pure mind, will receive the highest benefit. It’s also said that the kathavrutis should stay away from whom? Lust, pride, greed, envy, anger, illusion, hypocrisy and so on. This is the most difficult work. But it’s possible with the help of katha.

mam eva ye prapadyantemayam etan taranti te

This all maya, “kama,krodha,lobha, moha, mada and matsarya”. But if you take shelter of katha and get fully absorbed in katha then it’s possible. Then we can be saved from them. Kathavrutis should also avoid criticizing or hearing criticism of the Vedas, Vaishnavas, brahmanas, the guru, women, the king, great personalities, or those who render service to the cow. Is anyone left? Then whom will you criticize? There should be someone but here full list has been mentioned, nobody is left. Then what should be done?

satyam saucam dayam maunam arjavam vinayam tatha
udara-manasam tadvat evam kuryat kathavrati (SBM 6.50)

Maunam means one should not talk about mudane topics he can do lots of katha and kirtan. Udara-manasam, he should be udar that is generous.

udarcaritanam tu vasudhaivkutumbakam

We all our family (addressing to the devotees in the yatra) how many members are there in our family? They may not be 88,000. In Naimisharanya when Suta Goswami was reciting katha how many rishis were there? 88,000. We all may not be so much but one thousand may be there. So such a big is our family.

‘he vishwachimaze ghar’ (marathi)

The whole world is my own family. This is a higher thought; this is also stated in Bhagavatam. Highly
realized persons, saints, devotees think in this way. So during katha you all should practice to bring such
high thoughts.

Gaura Premanande hari haribol.

Birth of Lord Krishna is very special
Venue: ISKCON Boston
Dated: June 8, 2010

Today’s topic, I thought of Vaasudeva, who is Vaasudeva? Is there any Vaasudeva hear in Boston. Vaasudeva is son of Vasudeva. That’s the meaning of Vaasudeva son of Vasudeva. There may be somebody who is Vasudeva and then his son is Vaasudeva, sometime people do have name Vasudeva. But this Vaasudeva is

om namo bhagavate vasudevaya

Bhagavan Vaasudeva, Bhagavate unto Bhagavan. Not only son of Vasudeva, hence is Vaasudeva but He is also Bhagavate the Suprime Personality of Godhead, who has not become son of Vasudev. And Lord got this title. He took birth in prison house of Kamsa. Then He became celebrated as Vaasudeva, Jai Vaasudeva…Jai Vaasudeva.

Then there was darsana and whole dialogue and prays between Vasudeva and Vaasudeva and with Devki also, Devaki offered prayers. In conclusion Devaki also asked is it possible to have only two hands? As He had appeared as four handed. Then we could hide You then we could say, he has nothing to do with God he is just a child, he just has two hands. But if there are four hands it’s difficult to hide the ID of Supreme Personality. Then Lord obliged and He became two handed little baby.

He already had cloths on and He was smiling this is an exception. When children take birth do they smile? Do you remember what you did? Mothers know. First thing child does is he cries and that’s good news also when child cries means he is alive. If he doesn’t even cries forgets the smile part, if he doesn’t even cry then it could be trouble. So babies cry is welcomed, babies cry because they just were in big trouble.

punarapi jananam punarapi maranam
punarapi janani jatare sayanam

If someone walks out of the door crying, you could imagine what he went through when he was inside. Anyway in case of Lord, He was smiling. He is not suppose be taking birth. He has nothing to do with birth. He is ajanma unborn. This is His pastime, He likes to be a son. He is waiting for vatsalya rasa, He becomes a baby. He has a mother, He has father. Otherwise, om jai jagdish hare, all prayers, awe and reverence every time. It’s too much; someone approaches Him and prays to Him. Lord wants to experience something different. So He is appearing as a baby son of Vasudev, Devaki and He is smiling. He has all the clothes on, already He has clothes not that Vasudev, Devki order they go Loi bazar. He has all the ornaments on. The dimly lit prison room is filled with light and Lord appears. Even prior to that when Lord was in womb there was brilliant sun light. Not just one sun, koti surya samaprabha Millions of suns light was there in the prison house. Then Lord had this idea that he should be taken out of there, get me out of here. Oh, where would you like to go? Please bring it to Gokul. What who would bring it to Gokul? Of course you. But I am shackled. No just left me and see what happens.

Vasudeva was willing to bring Lord to Gokul and he attempted and lifted. Immediately all the bonds all the shackles were into pieces. And this is what happens when anyone accepts Lord within his life he becomes free from all the bonds. Not only Vasudeva that’s not the only exception anyone who accepts Lord he become free from all the bonds, all the string attached are cut.

Then he begins walking towards the door, there are many doors to go through. He already has the whole baby and he only has two hands and they are busy. How is he going to open the door? But not necessary, he doesn’t have to do anything; he just wants to bring the Lord to Gokul that’s all. That’s what he knows and he is ordered to serve and he is on the job and moving on. And as he come to the door what happened? Automatically lock is unlocked, door is opened, how?

Automatically. So this automatic business is not a new thing (laughter). This existed 5000 years ago. First time I went to airport with my luggage trolley and I came to the door and door was closed, but on the top it said entrance enter here but the door was closed. I parked my luggage on the side and moved forward to open, but again I did not open it, it opened automatically. But then this is old fashion nothing new it
existed 5000 years back we are just imitating.