Hare Krishna to Everybody,
So as all of you know, today is very special day, “Mohini Ekadashi”. But today is the Mangala Tri Sparshi Maha Dvadashi. Most of you must have heard by now the glories of this special Ekadashi. It takes place after long, long time. Somebody told me 200 years before this ekadashi, so special auspicious ekadashi came, and of course I have heard one sadhu baba telling that Ambrish Maharaj, came to Mathura to observe this special Ekadashi Vrat.

That was this Mangala Tri Sparshi Maha Dvadashi and this is very special because, you know on ekadashi tithi, we observe ekadashi, sometime ekadashi came on…………. , but today it became very special, which is some time ekadashi, sometime dvadashi and little bit triyodashi also. Tri Sparsh three tithi touching on today’s day so that is why it is very, very special and also if someone observes today’s ekadashi that he will get the result of observing one thousand ekadashi, very special. So lot of time, we observe ekadashi that is we do it. Sometime Nirjala ekadashi, sometime drinking ekadashi, by drinking water, milk, fruits and whatever we could offer.

So today is very auspicious day and I am very grateful to his Holiness Lokanath Swami Maharaj and kirtan Ministry to give me opportunity today to associate with so many devotees through zoom conference, zoom link and also I beg blessings from Maharaj because today is also my birthday. So I would like to pray Maharaj to bless me and to keep me under the shelter of his lotus feet. Maharaj you extended me you love and affection as you have been showering upon me since last many, many years, because love and affection of pure devotees that is only hope in our life. Someone like you, who has taken Harinaam Sankirtan so much in your heart, so to get blessings from you is very special for me, specially on this special tithi on my birthday and also same time I pray all vaishanava’s who have assembled here, please pay for me and please bless me, so that I can stay in devotional service up to the end of my life and continue on works. This continuation is very challenging, very challenging though Mahaprabhu being very merciful introduced Holy Name.

namnam akari bahudha nija sarva saktis
tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah
etadrsi tava krpa Bhagavan mamapi
durdaivam idrsam ihajani nanuragah

Mahaprabhu has set example for us, he is not relying for himself, he knows what will be the situation, so by taking our role he is saying “durdaivam idrsam ihajani nanuragah”. It os so durdaiv, that we have no Anurag. So much challenges now a days, so it is a big challenge to cope up with devotional services. One day, I was discussing from Chaitanya Charitamrit with my God Brother. We were discussing about that how Mahaprabhu do this.

This is unique thing that Krsna Prema “anarapit charit chart karunaya avtim karo” never given this was long, long time. What Mahaprabhu did samarpitam, he completely give, not arpitum, samarpitum, samyak rupen arpitam, samarpitum, Unnatt ujjawal Rasam. Very high class delagiving melodious, very unnatt, ujjawal. Subh Bhakti shrayam that Bhakti Sambhav, that Mahaprabhu beautiful things that Mahaprabhu has done, but we were discussing about our Krsna prema. Both of us, have realised then I said, yes we are here with somewhat of this prema, and we are discussing, so much hearing, so much lectures that what Mahaprabhu has given is there any hope that we will get his Krsna Prema in this life?

With more and more studying the scriptures, we know the greatness of Krsna Prema, look like it is going more and more far away, very difficult to reach, to attend this, so, is there any possibility that we can get Krsna Prema in this life. So that prabhu my God Brother called me, he said very interesting thing. He said, Maharaj, forget about our entering into Krsna Prema, this kaliyug is so challenging , if we can manage our life in such a way that up to our death, up to the time of leaving our body, we can manage to mental control our mind Kanthi mala and tilak than everything will be fine, that we can maintain in our devotional life. Mahaprabhu has given me the most simple process “durdaivan idrsam ihajani nanuragh”. It is our durdaiv that we have no anurag, so today, it is ekadashi tithi, very special tithi, Madhav tithi, actually this fasting, this tapasaya, it is not so essential for devotees. What is not necessary to do is tapasya, going through the I know all of you presently in this conference you are all observing Ekadashi vrat for sure but what Shastras says Ekadashi vart means only eating one time night time no eating. Night no sleep, Ekadashi no eating, no drinking, no sleeping, what to speak of no sleeping, you cannot even lie down on the floor. Whole night you have to chant HARE KRISHNA and offer lamp to Bhagwan Shri Hari. Whole night no sleep.

Next day morning you cook very nicely and offer to Govinda. That Parashadam……feed to all vaishnava sanyasi then taking the permission during the Parana time then you accept that, that is Ekadashi.
Now please tell me how many of you observing Ekadashi, none of us. I think somebody may be doing but rarely, who will do like this? But our Acharyas doing very much simple, understanding the situation of while reading Purana I think this have been ………………..our all answers………. just reference from ……….and you take Anukampa, Anukampa means not only ………..but Anukampa’s literal meaning very little is taking. Just maintain so that you don’t get acidity, only equal of acidity, acidity you got not too much acidity. So that you can …….. Ekadashi means is not Anukampa in mahaKampa that is problem in observing Ekadasi.

Once I was having Bhagavatam sngraha samillan,all those birth Bhagvatam came to Mayapur that was …………………Dashmi next day is Ekadasi, Bengali, Karmi Bengali that have found . So on Dashmi’s night I announced that tomorrow is ekadasi but we have Ekadasi prashad … will give you ….

Then they said no no we all do what is Ekadashi , what is Ekadashi prashad. We offered Ekadasi prashadam. Bengali one day no rice means very difficult. Bengali need Morning rice, afternoon rice, evening rice, and then no rice, next morning they need …..No rice how can we survive.

Then … I told we are very sorry that distributing ekadashi prashad very difficult this people said No Maharaj, Ekadashi means like this prashad one day will do 30times ekadashi. So that is Prabhupada’s mercy and Acharyas mercy today because it is special ekadashi, if anybody can offer to do Nirjala ok, or just take water , take milk, just take fruits. Or take anukalpa, then to take anukalpa, 3 times anukapa, 2 times anukalpa………………

So anyway so much glories to Ekadashi tithiso much glory to Ekadashi tithi, will discuss about holyname utsav , because ekadashi has two meaning, Ekadashi upvasa, everybody thinks upvasa means fasting that is general meaning of Upvasa, is fasting dont eat anything.

There is another good meaning of upvasa you would like to know which does not mean upvasam – fasting. Another meaning is UPUVASA – UPU means close VASA means recite – place to recite, up – up mantra or Upa means close. So Upvas another meaning thst is today is the day we stay very close to Hari. Very close to Hari, so today is known as Hari vasra, in Bengal they say be…….bearvashram mens bear means marriage vasram is today, day of marriage bear vashram.

Today is Hari vasra dev Hari , most important is not just fasting , fasting purpose is of course there is others, secondary ,good results, one result will be if you spend time in eating and cooking three times in ………………..today with reference ………………..how to be more close, chanting , reading engage in devotional service sitting with devotees all kinds of thing that will keep very close to Sri Hari, Archana, may times arti, Archana, pleasing the deity, stay as close as to ….then this ……………..we have to stay close to god, we have to take association of God but in this kaliyug, how can we take association of God. Yogi, Rishis they take association of Lord thru meditation, they meditate to parmarth, and we are absolutely unfit to this eligible…. We get association thru meditation, Rishi that will fire sacrifice yagya Purush, Fire sacrifice, that take association of God, then those doing Archana, they enter in temple room diety room they do archana they get association of God, but finally for all these things you have to be first qualified, you have to be pure then you are eligible to do Tapasya, to do meditation. To enter into deity room you have to be brahaman initiated, so May cleanliness one has to maintain, then you get association of the Lord, the deitys around.

A yagya purush … yagna, yogis to Parmarth. What about the fallen souls like us, especially like me. Mountains of sinful activities, body, mind, thoughts. With every respect ……….we are in the situation in Yuga,………….mandas mand…….so are we really manda bhagya, yes we are manda bhagya.

For the Maha prabhu, we met us most fortunate we are manda bhagya but Maha prabhu made us most fortunate giving this opportunity ……………..still you can take ashray just now, Mahaprabhu made us fortune ,Prabhupad made us fortunate. One devotee told Prabhupad that I am so fortunate that is came to this ………..Prabhupad said you are not fortunate I made you fortunate, what is they make us so fortunate ………………that is their business, Mahanta swabhave……
This Mahant…….this is more artistic …personality they don’t have any personal agenda, personal business. They go out, Prabhupad is greatest example of that, and we have no personal agenda. So that he went out – Mahanta Swabhav…………………………., all over the world distributing this Holyname Distributing Krishna.

Kaliyuga – there is two things that associate with Krishna – Krishna fortunate have not come , it came as Gauranga mahaprahu birth, Charnavata antakrishna bahirko, two forms he came one is holy name – Kalikaye namrupe Krishanavata, Kaliyug people are not eligible to achieve, has to …..Krishan to Deity …..To deity to Yagya, tapasya, dhayana. Guruve. But Holyname is so merciful that we can associate. Holy name does not consider anything, dose not ….for us to be qualify in chant holyname. Be pure in holy name. This is the difference in all other processes, be pure, as be pure then you stay in this arena.

Holyname is not ….rather by chanting Hare Krishna one become pure. How merciful is Holyname, How mercy full is Holyname. There is no consideration of desh, kaal, pada. No rules and regulation for chanting Holy name, wherever, whenever, whoever can chant holyname, that the good result, Dashrath chanted Ram nama, Ajamil – Narayana, Dhruv maharaj – Om namo Bhagvate Vasudevaya, all chanted Holy name, interestingly, my observation is from scriptures ……chanted holyname Rama , Ram, Rama, you become free from sinful reacts…………………..Ajamil- he chanted Narayan, Narayan and he became free from the clutches of Yamaraj. Then he has to do ….. Dhruv maharaj, he chanted – Om namo Bhagvate Vasudevaya, ……he saw Supreme personality of God head Lord Narayan, ……….but what gives Krishna Prem. Holyname is Krishna Prem, that is most important.

Upnishad is describing ………………….16 holyname added to syllabus, all the kalikanam ………….
By this will get Krishna prem, ………………..holyname chanted by anybody, anywhere, anyplace, even in the toilet also. Can you imagine in toilet we can chant Hare Krishna, we can’t do deity worship, We can’t do tapasya, gyanchar, reading bhagvatam all are restricted holyname not restricted.

As all of you must have heard this – Gopal guru story, Gopal guru said, Mahaprabhu and some devotee went for nature call, Gopal guru was company him with lota water, they must be going to field somewhere ,there not attached bathroom that time, toilet, so Prabhu was attending his nature call and gopal guru was seeing his face, so the Prabhu was biting his tongue, after attending nature call and he came back, the Gopal guru asked that prabhu that vaishnav when you were attending nature call I saw you were biting your tongue why is that? Then Prabhu said that by chanting his holy name by chanting and chanting I ………………..i can stop chanting so I bite my toungue to stop.
So he is struggling to stop chanting, we are struggling to chant nicely and how struggle is that we cannot itself properly how strong……………….

Dear `vaishnav he is struggling to stop chanting because he is attending nature call, so then Gopal guru said Prabhu we are not chanting that time doing nature call if that time we leave body and death will come.when Maha prabhu heard this he like this …..its small boy Gopal, Gopal guru……………….Gopal guru said this to Mahaprabhu ……..holyname, anybody, anyone, anytime.

So my time is almost out its 6:30 now, 4-5 minutes I will give one story ………………….
This Holyname is only centre because, Abhinattam nam nami, naam Chintamani Krishna, Chaitanya rasa vigrah. Abhinattam naam nami, abhinaah, that is very intresting, when we are chanting Krishna means………..Krishna , is non difference name is Krishna, holy name…….non difference Lord rama.

So once……..i tell you very briefly, so there is one business man in a village that he has being doing his house hold activity very nicely, but he never doing any dharma, religious activity. One day his good fortune Narada muni came to his house and said, oh my dear one you are very busy in doing household activity but not doing any dharma karma, when you will die what will happen to you.

Narad muni what can I do, I have so may things to do I do my business, take care of my children to go for shopping I have no time to do, to chant holyname. Narad muni said if I give I advise you something which will not hamper all your activities timewise but still you can do. So what is that, when you go to toilet …..that time you chant Rama, Rama, Rama. This business man thought, that is very good idea I am not loosing any thing I am anyway free so whenever he go to toilet he chant Rama, Rama, Rama, Rama Very loud. One day happened Hanuman ji was flying in the sky on top of his house Hanuman ji heard Rama, rama, Rama, Rama, Hanuman ji thought ohh! Rama bhakt is here, I must take darshan of Rama bhakta and then go, so Hanuman ji landed in his courtyard then chanting holy means chanting in Deity room so Hanuman ji stayed in Deity room there is no body, so he thought he is cooking and chanting but there is no body, them in bed room lying down and chanting Rama, rama, Rama, but there is no body. So where is this Rama naam coming from then finally he found rama naam coming from toilet, he very angrily what nonsense is this this ……. He is chanting holyname inside toilet bathroom.ok I will give good lesson to him .very angry, sitting outside …this man will come, very angry mood sitting there, wil give a good lesson to him.

This man inside dosent know what is happening outside, he is loudly telling Rama Rama Rama, finishing all his…..everything open the door ,outside Hanuman sitting …..slap on his face , you fool you don’t know where to chant holy name. My Prabhu’s name you are chanting sitting in toilet. Be carefu, never chant like this. You should sit in nice place and chant holyname. Then thus this business man got the message……..good slap on his face.
……………………..
Then Hanuman said to Lord Rama……………………..
The Katha is going on and details varies from person to person, so Rama Chandra was sitting in the simhasan and putting his hand on face on his cheek, like this. Hanuman comes inside and pay obsiences then Ramachandra took out his and becom straight like this then Hanuman saw tha Ramchandra cheek has swollen, hanuman saw that and asked my lord how this happened to you, also he could see there is marks of fingers on Ramchandra , what is this cheek, cheeks of ram Chandra,then he got very angry.who can dare to slap you, who slap you, who can dare to slap you. Tell me , he is very angry I will kill him.who is that person did to my lordlike this. Just imagine somebody slap o Ramchandra how will hanumam tolerating. jumping up and down please tell me who is this. I will kill him Ramchandra smile, hanuman my dear, who ever slapped me you will kill him, yes tell me who is that person Ramchandra said you have slapped me, me?how can you say like that. Lord Ramachandra rajan think about this, how can I slap you, you are my lord , worshipped lord.

Ram Chandra said do you remember you slapped anyone today, yes yes I slapped one person in toilet chanting your holyname, that foolish person dosent know anything chanting your holyname sitting in toilet I slapped him. Ramchandra explained because you slapped hime while chanting holynamethat is the reasoni am not different from holyname. You slappd him slap came on my face.

These are transcendental past time to teach us that how holy name is non different from Krishna. But its not only that, it is not only that holy name is non different and equal to Krishna. There is something more, holy name is better than Krishna. Holyname is more powerful than Bhagwan, that ……everything, more powerful, more merciful than bhagwan that ……….in this kaliyug there is merciful manifestation of supremepersonality of Godhead, you came this Kaliyug KALIKALE NAAM RUPE KRISHNA AVATARE…..That has been also put in Ram Chandra story ……………..

All the monkyes and hanuman they are throwing stones to make bridge they are writing Rama, Rama, Rama. Rama holyname is so powerful stones are floating. Ramachandra thought oh my name is so powerful if I throw the stone what will happen. Day time he cant do it in front of everybody so nighttime when everybody is going to sleep Ramchandra walking to ….to check whether write his holyname he himself wil put it.everyone want to sleep Hanuman was …….. Hanuman saw ……..at night where is is going whether saying anything from far he was observing. Ramchandra wait and throw the stone into the water then stone drowned into the water then Hanuman was clapping from behind oh lord you are thinking you are so powerful that even throwing stone will float, your holyname is so powerful than you the supreme personality of god head.

SO THESE ARE THE Katha ……………I don’t know but what ever it is its softenciate the philosophy.
Then some body is telling ibig problem if people come to know, then Prabhupad cannot do anything,……then he added something. This means the lord, that if you cares somebody is protected, if you leave somebody will be drowned just like stone drowned in water. whoever is under Your shelter they are safe, those there are not under your shelter will drowned in the material world.
So like this so many nice things have been spoken by great simple personality to substanciate the ….lesser things of Krishna Consciousness with knowledge.

So very nice to associate with all of you, blessings of His Holiness Loknath Swami Maharaj and blessings of Srila Prabhupad. He has put us altogether creating very nice family and nice home where we all living together irrespective of what background we have come from which country, which religion, what background we do not know but we are all together chant. YAGYAHI SANKIRTAN PRAYE

Chant holyname in Assembly……………………..chanting holyname means many people do together, its great opportunity some this auspicious tithi, I have been offered this opportunity by association of greatt personality, devotees. So I thank His Holiness Loknath Swami Maharaj and kirtan ministry. thank you all, please excuse me in the presentation there is anything wrong off the track. Please excuse me for that.

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAM HARE RAM RAM RAM HARE HARE

Thank you very much, His Holiness Bhakti Purushotam Swami Maharaj we are extremely greatful to you on behalf of the ISKCON KIRTAN MINISTRY we would like to really thank you and express our heartfelt gratitude for giving us your wonderful association this morning on the Ekadashi Shravan kirtan festival and on very auspicious tithi of Mohini Ekadashi as well as your wonderful appearance day the 64th Birthday today. Thankyou for giving us your blessings sharing the glories of holyname. Wonderful Kirtan and glories of Ekadashi and beautiful pastime on the importance of how the holyname is more powerful than the lord himself or they are non different the name and the lord himself.

So I would request everyone present in this forum right now kindly raise your hands and very loudly although you may on mute but let us offer one Hare Krishna Mahamantra chant for the well being , good health of Maharaj on this auspicious birthday.

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAM HARE RAM RAM RAM HARE HARE
His Holiness Bhakti Puroshatam Swami Maharaj ki Jay!!
Jagat Guru Srila Prabhupad ki Jay!!
Upastith Bhaktvrind ki Jay!!
Nitay Gaur Premanande Hari Hari Bol!!

Nityananda Trayodasi Class

14th February 2022

om ajnana timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah
sri caitanya mano ‘bhistam sthapitam yena bhu tale
svayam rupah kada mahyam dadati sva padantikam

ajanu lambita bhujau kanakavadhatau
sankirtanaika pitarau kamalayataksau
visvambharau dvija varau yuga dharma palau
vande jagat priyakaro karunavatarau

Translation
I offer my respects unto Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu, whose arms extend down to Their knees, who have golden yellow complexions, and who inaugurated the congregational chanting of the Holy Names. Their eyes resemble the petals of a lotus; They are the maintainers of all living entities; They are the best of brahmanas, the protectors of religious principles for this age, the benefactors of the universe, and the most merciful of all incarnations. (Caitanya bhagavata 1.1.1)

Jai sri krsna caitanya prabhu nityananda sri advaita gadadhara srivasadi gaura bhakta vrnda

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

Gaura prem anande hari haribol. Today is the appearance day of lord Nityananda and on this mahotsava, great festival day of Nityananda Troyodasi Iskcon Noida ki jai!
We will also say Iskcon Aravade and Iskcon Ujjain ki jai, Iskcon Tirupati ki jai and Iskcon Ekachakra Gram ki jai.

I am saying Iskcon ki jai to all these Iskcon centres because today on the day of Nityananda Troyodasi all these temples had their opening festival previously and I have attended all of these festivals. So just like Iskcon Noida temple opening- Sri Radha Govindadev ki jai. Only by the mercy of lord Nityananda have all these temples been opened and that too according to the auspicious times and circumstances.

So I have already said that even in Ekachakra Gram the temple opening was a few years ago. This Ekachakra Gram is the Dham where lord Nityananda appeared and here also Iskcon has opened a temple- Sri Gaura Nitai ki jai! So when the deities over there, Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra were being installed a few years back then I also stayed back at Ekachakra Gram.

This is a great day and why would it not be because Nityananda Prabhu himself is so great as he is lord Balaram himself and is lord Balaram not great? There is no one greater, or more glorious or magnanimous in this world.

mattah para tram na ‘nyat
Kincaid asti dhananjaya
mayi sarvam idam protam?sutre manigana iva

Translation
There is nothing whatsoever higher than Me, O Dhananjaya. All this is strung in Me, as clusters of gems on a string.

So the Lord himself is saying here that ‘you will not find anybody greater than me.’ So there are two of them, there is Krishna and there is Balaram and although they separate they are essentially one so they again become two as Krishna and Balaram. Balaram hoila Nitai. So lord Balaram has become Nityananda Prabhu on this day in 1474.

These are all historical facts, things which have previously happened and we have the facts here and we have every detail. The year was 1474 in the month of Magh, January to February in the Shukla Paksha – bright fortnight of the moon. Also it was the day of Trayodasi, the thirteenth day and that is today. Lord Nityananda appeared today and also the place of his appearance is there and it is called Nitai bady.

We call this his birth but actually it is not like an ordinary birth which the lord takes like the living entities do. Lord Nityananda is a-janma, birth less because he does not take birth and yet he is still being born and taking birth. That place where he took birth is here even today and I have been there many times and I have seen this birth place. By that place there is a lake which is called Padmavati Kunda and why is it called this?

Lord Nityananda’s mother was Padmavati and she gave birth to the lord and his father was Sri Hadai Pandit who cannot be an ordinary personality. The lord does not become the son of any ordinary person. The lord is Nitya which means always, and Ananda is bliss and sonthe lord is always blissful and alsohe plunders this bliss from the devotees.

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

Translation

My dear Lord Nityananda, You are always joyful in spiritual bliss. Since You always appear very happy, I have come to You because I am most unhappy. If You kindly put Your glance over me, then I may also become happy.
(Savarana sri gaura pada padme, Narottama das)

We were just singing this bhajan. So the lord’s father is there and over there the Yamuna also flows. Yamuna Maiya ki jai! So today the lord appeared in this dham, Ekachakra Gram. The people of this material world do not realise or understand the lord’s birth and activities. They do not even have any basic knowledge of the lord so what to say about understanding the lord’s birth?

But the demigods know and not only do they know but they are the ones who pray for the lord’s appearance and the lord then says ‘yes, yes. I am going to take birth in the material world very soon.’ The demigods know when the lord will appear and where he will appear. They get this information and they appear where and when the lord takes his birth like Ekachakra Gram.

yambrahma varunendra rudra marutah stunvati divyai stavai

Translation
Prostrations to that Lord Narayana whom the Lord Brahma, Varunadeva,Indra, Lord Rudra and Maruta devas pray with divine hymns
(Gita dhyana sloka 9)

They sing this Stuti and there is pushpavristhi where flowers are showered from the sky upon the lord and so many musical instruments are playing. So amongst all this, a welcome was being made today in the year 1474 in Ekachakra Gram. There are so many things to say and I am a fallen living entity so how much can I say with just one mouth? That too in a limited amount of time.

The pastimes the lord in Dwapara Yuga with lord Krishna which lord Krishna and Balaram played together in Dwapara Yuga in Vrindavan and then later in Mathura, all these pastimes were being played like child’s play. These were being performed for the sake of the residents of Vrindavan and later Mathura and the residents were being shown the different pastimes of their lordships.

Who were the lord’s playing these pastimes with? Children are always playing with friends of the same age and we know this by observation. So in the same way when Nityananda Prabhu was just a child he would play. His play was a exhibition of his own pastimes that had already been performed in dwapara yuga and also he would act out the pastimes of lord Rama from treta yuga.

From whenever Vamana lila had taken place, the lord recalled that and played that pastime also as well as the pastimes of Parasuram. All these pastimes were performed with children who were residents of Ekachakra Gram. They were playing as the friends of the lord and they were all the previous cowherd boys of Krishna lila. So alongside them the lord would perform these pastimes of playing based upon the former pastimes that he had performed as the supreme personality of godhead.

They would play and enact these pastimes all day, there was no other play so they would not play cricket or kabaddi (an Indian sport). There was no playing computer games, no. He would play his own pastimes and only Nityananda Prabhu knew the stories of all these pastimes and therefore you can call him the story writer. Just like when there is a drama performance it is called a play or an act. So the writer of these dramas or plays was lord Nityananda Prabhu himself.

The director was also Nityananda Prabhu and he was also the leading actor. For others who may have needed make up, he would be the make up artist putting make up on their face and so like this everyday they would play. This is the description given in Chaitanya Bhagavad and like this Vrindavan Das Thakur is describing the pastimes of Ekachakra Gram.

There are pastimes of lord Krishna and lord Rama. There are pastimes of lord Parasurama and Vamana and all these pastimes and how they were performed is all described in Chaitanya Bhagavad. These are the games the lord played with the boys and his friends were all cowherd boys. They would spend most of their time in the company of lord Nityananda and sometimes they would even have overnight stays with the lord.

The parents of these boys had no problems and no issues about this. There were never any complaints about the fact that their boys were constantly playing with the lord and actually they were happy that their children were associates of lord Nityananda and were staying with him all the time. In this way the whole of Ekachakra Gram loved Nityananda Prabhu and indeed he was the sweet darling of all the residents of Ekachakra Gram.

He was no doubt a friend of the boys of the same age but even the elder persons loved him so much- everyone loved him so much. We cannot talk about all these pastimes but when they all asked the lord, ‘how do you know all these pastimes, who has taught you all the pastimes of lord Krishna and pastimes of lord Rama?’

So the lord replied ’these are all my own pastimes so how can it be that I don’t know them?’ He would not say it straight forwardly that I am the same Balaram and in treta yuga I was Lakshman but he would answer like this and say that ‘these pastimes are my own and I have performed all these previously in the past yugas. That is why I know these pastimes very well.’

When these pastimes were going on one day it so happened that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Nimai was born in Mayapur, Navadwipa and lord Nityananda understood this. He therefore immediately started shouting loudly ‘Nimai! Nimai!’ Also he started shouting

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

His cried penetrated through the whole universe and in this way Nityananda Prabhu welcomed Gauranga Mahaprabhu. ‘Welcome, welcome! I have already reached here on this earth planet and now you have come too. Welcome.’ So gradually he wanted to join Gauranga Mahaprabhu and just like it is difficult to separate Krishna and Balaram who are always together, lord Nityananda and Gauranga Mahaprabhu are the same and therefore they appeared in the same place.

Lord Rama and Lakshman were born in the same palace and when they were Krishna Balaram, Balaram was born in Gokul and as soon as Krishna was born he went there within one night because he could not keep away from lord Balaram. ‘Take me too, take me also!’ ‘Where do you want to go?’ ‘To Gokul where Balaram is.’

So within the very same night of lord Krishna’s birth they were together. In this pastime it is a little bit different and also lord Nityananda has been born in another place and that too quite some time before lord Chaitanya. But as soon as he found out that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had appeared on this earth he wanted to come to him, to meet him and wanted to be with him and play with him.

Together they are going to play some pastimes, some games and those pastimes are of dancing and kirtan.

dharma samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge

Translation
In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium
(BG 4.8)

So lord Krishna is saying that he appears to reestablish the principles of religion and lord Balaram is saying this too as he also comes at this time and so in this way we can see that Krishna Balaram are not different from one another. So they will both together reestablish the religious principles in kali yuga.

ajanu lambita bhujau kanakavadhatau
sankirtanaika pitarau kamalayataksau
visvambharau dvija varau yuga dharma palau
vande jagat priyakaro karunavatarau

Translation
I offer my respects unto Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu, whose arms extend down to Their knees, who have golden yellow complexions, and who inaugurated the congregational chanting of the Holy Names. Their eyes resemble the petals of a lotus; They are the maintainers of all living entities; They are the best of brahmanas, the protectors of religious principles for this age, the benefactors of the universe, and the most merciful of all incarnations. (Caitanya bhagavata 1.1.1)

What has been said here? Karunavatarau. There are two incarnations of mercy. Krishna has become Gauranga and Balaram has become Nityananda and these two lords are the incarnations of mercy, Gauranga and Nityananda. This is the same as saying who is Dauji’s brother? Krishna Kahnaiya is Dauji Balaram’s brother.

So in kali yuga this Dauji Balaram has appeared as Nityananda Prabhu and the religious principle of this age is the chanting of the lords holy names. So both these lords have come together to propagate the religious principles. So lord Nityananda Prabhu is still in Ekachakra Gram but as soon as he hears that Gauranga has arrived he is getting ready to leave Ekachakra Gram. He has to move on and as he is desiring this, to move on from Ekachakra, what happens?

The lord has many energies and amongst them the energy displayed here is his will. Whatever he desires happens by his own will and that certain energy of his acts accordingly. There is also his lila shakti, his pastime energy which is called yoga maya and she makes all the arrangements according to the lord’s desire. So lord Nityananda desired to leave Ekachakra Gram and gradually approach Mahaprabhu so they could both together propagate the principles of religion further.

So you could say that in the final pastimes of the lord in Ekachakra Gram, one great saintly personality, a sannyasi comes there and he becomes the guest of Hadai Pandit and Padmavati. He is welcomed with much respect and all arrangements are elaborately made for his stay. His meal is ready and they ask him to please (cut).

This is a very difficult situation but Hadai Pandit realises that he has to agree to what the sannyasi has requested from him. ‘Yes, this boy is now yours and we give him to you.’ They certainly did not have a desire to give their darling son to this travelling sannyasi and also this had happened before in treta yuga. When sage Vishvamitra had arrived, as you all know, he had something he wanted.

What is it he wanted? ‘I want Rama and Lakshman.’ So Vishvamitra in treta yuga and this travelling sannyasi in kali yuga are asking for the same thing. There, Vishvamitra wanted the sons of king Dashratha and over here this travelling mendicant wants Hadai Pandit’s son. At that time he was Lakshman and now he is Nityananda. So at that time king Dashrath with a heavy heart said, ‘yes, you can take Rama and Lakshman, do as you desire.’

So the same thing happens here with lord Nityananda and the lord is now leaving but he doesn’t want to go straight away to lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu. He first wants to see Gauranga or Nimai become older. ‘Let him grow into a young man. At the moment he is just a child or youth and after all he is a scholar. He is known as Nimai Pandit and he teaches sastra but he does not as yet perform bhakti, devotional service.’

Lord Nityananda wanted to see that ‘when the lord is a devotee, a preacher of bhakti and his spiritual master Iswara puri will give him the maha mantra

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

Then Gauranga will start his pastimes of kirtan and dancing, at that time I will join him and we will carry forward further this Sankirtan movement.’ So the lord has set off away from Navadwipa and lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is twenty years old or so at the meeting of both lords. Then at the age of twenty four Chaitanya Mahaprabhu takes sannyasa and so for four years till the lord takes sannyasa he is propagating the Sankirtan movement everywhere along with lord Nityananda.

udilo aruna puraba bhage,
dwija mani gora amani jage
bhakata samuha loiya sathe
gela nagara braje

tathai tathai bajalo khol
ghana ghana tahe jhajera rol
preme dhala dhala sonara anga
carane nupura baje

Translation
When the rising sun appeared in the East, the jewel of the twice-born, Lord Gaurasundara, awakened,
and, taking His devotees with Him, He went all over the countryside towns and villages

They played the mridanga, and the cymbals chimed in time. Lord Gauranga’s shimmering golden features
danced, and His footbells jingled
(Bhajan Bhaktivinode Thakur)

In the kirtan of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu there were devotees who were also dancers and they would dance throughout the whole kirtan. Nityananda Prabhu was also a leading dancer and in this way Gaura and Nityananda stayed together and together they preached Nama Sankirtan. There were many pastimes performed during this time like when they went to the home of Chand Kazi along with a tumultuous kirtan.

Chand Kazi was against the Sankirtan movement and was trying his best to stop the Sankirtan movement of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. ‘Who is this Chand Kazi to stop our kirtan?! Kirtan will not stop!’ So with a great kirtan party and with a maha kirtan, lord Chaitanya and Nityananda went along with Advaita Acharya m and thousands of persons who joined them from who knows where?

There were not so many people in the whole of Bengal or Nawadvipa, that many people had gathered there and not just ordinary people but the demigods in the guise of ordinary people reached this party. Such a wonderful kirtan took place which lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda prabhu were leading. Whenever there is any trouble or obstacle in preaching the holy names and devotional service of the lord, the lord himself destroys these obstacles.

So Gauranga and Nityananda Prabhu were all destroyers of such obstacles and actually we know that Nityananda Prabhu is Adi Guru, the original spiritual master just as lord Balaram is. He is Guru Tattva and the original adi guru as lord Balaram and lord Nityananda is non different from him. So this guru was given an order by lord Chaitanya which was

suno suno nityananda, suno haridas
sarvatra amar ajna koroho prakas prati ghare ghare giya koro ei bhiksa
bolo `krsna’, bhajo krsna, koro krsna-siksa iha bai arna boliba,
bolaiba dina-avasane asi’ amare kohiba

Translation
Listen, listen, Nityananda! Listen, Haridasa! Make My command known everywhere! Go from house to house and beg from all the residents, `Please chant Krsna’s name, worship Krsna, and teach others to follow Krsna’s instructions.’ Do not speak, or cause anyone to speak, anything other than this.
(Caitanya-bhagavata Madhya-Lila 13.8-9)

‘Everyone must chant by my order!’

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

Everyone must speak about Krishna and read Bhagavad Gita. So hear the lord is making three points which are worship of Krishna, hearing the message of Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam and kirtan of Hare Krishna. ‘Go to each and every home and preach this message of Krishna,’ lord Chaitanya ordered lord Nityananda. Therefore

nadiya godrume nityananda mahajana
patiyache nam hatta jivera karata

Translation
In the land of Nadiya, on the island of Godruma, the magnanimous Lord Nityananda has opened up the Marketplace of the Holy Name, meant for the deliverance of all fallen souls
(Bhaktivinode Thakur Bhajan)

Bhaktivinode Thakur has written here about Nama Hatta Prachar, the marketplace of the holy name and the founder of this marketplace is Nityananda Prabhu who preached devotional service and who maintained this preaching. The pastime of the deliverance of Jagai and Madhai is related to this preaching mission of lord Nityananda.

The lord’s preaching partner was Haridas Thakur, and who is this Haridas? He is Brahma Haridas and this implies that lord Brahma from the trinity of Brahma, vishnu and Shiva became Haridas Thakur or Brahma Haridas. He was the preaching partner of Nityananda Prabhu and so this wad a team and hence this preaching was a team effort. So once they both together had set off on their usual preaching mission when they came across Jagai and Madhai.

They tried to preach to them but were not getting any success in doing so but they still were not giving up in their attempts to preach to these two dacoits. ‘If we can convert these two then our lord’s name will become even more great.’ Because of Gauranga Mahaprabhu many unworthy persons were getting liberated and so Nityananda Prabhu was thinking ‘if Jagai and Madhai who are so sinful and low, if they can be delivered then our lord’s name will become all the more great.’

People will then say ‘such low persons are now liberated?! Wow! It will be the talk of the town!’ This is exactly what has happened, right? Jagai and Madhai were delivered five hundred years ago and right now we are sitting here meditating upon this pastime and thinking about it and remembering it. Along with this the names of Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu’s names are being further glorified.

That day lord Nityananda was indeed successful and Jagai and Madhai made some serious offences as they were drinking wine from a clay pot or container or bottle and then that very thing they threw on lord Nityananda. As soon as they did so, there came blood flowing from the body of lord Nityananda, from his head. When lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu found out about this he called immediately for his Sudarshan Chakra.

The lord cannot tolerate Vaishnava Aparadha, and this is an offence at the lotus feet of the greatest Vaishnava lord Nityananda. Here lord Nityananda is playing the role of a Vaishnava in these pastimes. ‘Who is the offender at the feet of lord Nityananda? Whether it be Jagai or Madhai or both of them, what will I do now? With my Sudarshan Chakra I will
finish these two sinful offenders!’

So lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself has reached that place and there lord Nityananda Prabhu stops him from using the Sudarshan Chakra. ‘No, no. In this yuga to kill the sinful living entities you will not use any weapons. You will not use bow and arrow or a mace or Sudarshan Chakra.’ Lord Parashurama used an axe so like this lord Nityananda is saying ‘oh lord, you will not use any weapon.’

Nityananda Prabhu is reminding lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in this way and he says further ‘if you want to destroy the sinners then how will you do so?’

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

So the lord saved Jagai and Madhai’s life and we could say he gave them a second life. They both came to the lord’s shelter and they promised that ‘from today we will give up all our sinful activities. No more meat eating or intoxication and no more gambling or illicit connections. We will give up these four great sinful activities of kali yuga. We take this vow and so please give us protection.’

Lord Gauranga and Nityananda Prabhu gave the shelter of the holy name to Jagai and Madhai.

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

Translation
The holy name delivered all those souls who were lowly and wretched. The two sinners Jagai and Madhai are evidence of this
(Ishta deve vijnapti, Prarthana Narottama das thakur)

So the greatest of sinners will be delivered and who will deliver them? Hari name uddharilo. The holy name will deliver them! ‘So you may say this but is there any proof of it?’ Someone may ask like this. ‘Yes, yes we have that proof. The witnesses to this mercy are Jagai and Madhai,’ Narottama das thakur is saying this. ‘Tara sakshi jagai madhai. When Jagai and Madhai can be delivered by the holy name then is there any doubt which that can be left?’

They were famous as the most sinful men and so sinful they were that even upon seeking for a more wretched sinner, you would not be able to find one. This is how wretched they were and so if the holy names can deliver that Jagai and Madhai then wherever they may be in this material world, the holy name will deliver all other sinful persons.

The lords Gaura and Nityananda and their team proved this statement and along with this a prophecy had been made

p?thivite ache yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama

Translation
In every town and village, the chanting of My name will be heard
C.C Antya 1.117)

This Sankirtan movement was started in Navadwipa Mayapur and it will reach every town and village, wherever on this earth any sinful man may be hiding, all these persons will be delivered by the holy names. The founding fathers of this Sankirtan movement are both Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu and this is the religious principle which they have given us.

dharma sansthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge

Translation
To protect the righteous, to annihilate the wicked, and to reestablish the principles of dharma I appear on this earth, age after age

On this day lord Nityananda Prabhu appeared and following him lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared and together they are the founding fathers, having inaugurated this Hare Krishna or Hari Nama Dharma you could say. They have started the Gaudiya Vaishnava lineage and they have given form to devotional service unto lord Sri Krishna.

This Hare Krishna movement, Iskcon’s founder acharya is Srila Prabhupada. So whatever is happening is what was predicted by lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and lord Nityananda and just like in the pastime of Jagai and Madhai they were delivered by the mercy of lord Nityananda and the holy name, this is happening everywhere and many sinful people are being delivered like this.

This preaching is happening in Noida as well and we can call it the greatest philanthropic work and we have to take it more further. Along with the temple openings of Iskcon centres and the installation of the deities, lord Nityananda has also come and he has come to Noida. He has in this way become a resident of Noida and with him Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is here also and with them are Sri Sri Radha Govinda Dev.

Both of the lords are devotees because Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has become a devotee and lord Nityananda Prabhu also has become a devotee. Both of them are the supreme lord

Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam

Translation
Krishna is the supreme personality of godhead
(SB 1.3.28)

And so Gaura Nitai both have become devotees and who do they worship? They worship Radha Govinda and when they were present here on earth they were themselves performing Sankirtan and this is a form of devotional service.

Sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada sevanam
arcanam vandanan dasyam
sakhyam atma nivedanam

Translation
Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Vi??u, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one’s best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words)—these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service
(SB 7.5.23)

This sravan and kirtan, hearing and chanting is devotional service and so lord Balaram performed this devotional service and became a devotee and so whose devotee is lord Nityananda? Radha Govinda’s devotee and he is the devotee of Jagannatha. Jagannatha Baladev Subhadra Maiya ki jai.

So the lords stayed in Jagannatha Puri as well and there are many pastimes which took place there, pastimes of lord Nityananda and Gauranga Mahaprabhu. There are many kirtan pastimes during Jagannatha Rathayatra of the two lords and along with Radha Govinda and Jagannatha Baladeva and Subhadra Maharani, Sri Sri Gaura Nitai have been installed here in Noida.

On the day of today these deities were installed and how many years ago was this? Okay eight years ago so today is the eighth anniversary. So I am seeing now that there is a big crowd in the darshan tent today and every year I used to be there also and I am there in spirit today also although you are seeing me via zoom and I am seeing you right there. (shouts of Haribol).

So I have become a part of Iskcon Noida at this time of the installation anniversary celebrations by speaking and hearing the pastimes and glories of lord Nityananda. I have become a limb of this temple and this is my service for this festival. So the festival and celebration is throughout the whole day, whether you are in Noida or NCR. If you have not yet reached then do so quickly and loot the Ananda, the joy which lord Nityananda is giving out to one and all.

If you can loot this joy then do so and with all these festivities there is Harinam and the bhajan is that one is throwing jewels and diamonds of the holy name of lord Rama. So during Harinam there will be distribution of the jewels of the name of lord Rama and you know all this anyway. During today’s Japa talk there was an interview on television and someone from Benares were being interviewed.

So they were asked ‘so what did you see in Noida during all your sightseeing? Did you like Noida, is it nice and clean?’ They asked ‘is it this or that and what was the best place you saw in Noida that you liked the best?’ So the reply of the journalist was ‘I liked Iskcon Noida!’ This person had gone and seen the whole of Noida and seen everything there but they said that the best place in Noida is Iskcon Noida ki jai!

Well here in Iskcon Noida we have Gaura Nitai and Radha Govinda Deva is here in Noida along with Jagannatha Baladeva and Subhadra Maharani. There are all festivities happening here for Jagannatha and it is so beautiful and well decorated and most importantly, this place will deliver everybody, liberate everybody making everybody a devotee.

Srila Prabhupada ki jai! Gaura prem anande hari haribol.

Srimad Bhagavatam 7.7.39
ISKCON Vrindavan
9th Sept 2021

Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya
Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya
Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya

Jaya Om Vishnu pada paramahamsa parivrajakacharya ashtottara shata Shri Srimad His Divine Grace Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja Prabhupada ki jai

Prem se kaho Shri Krishna-Caitanya Prabhu Nityananda Sri Advaita Gadadhara, Shrivasadi Gaura bhakta Vrinda ki Jai

Mayapur dham ki jai
Ganga Mayi Jamuna Mayi ki jai
Bhakti devi Tulsi Maharani ki jai
Sama veta bhakta vrinda ki jai
Harinam Sankirtan ki jai
Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki jai
Granth Raj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai
Nitai Gaura prem anande Hari Haribol.

All glories to the assembled devotees. Hare Krishna and welcome to all of you and thank you as well for being present here. Great devotees have said – actually once the devotees requested Lord Krishna and then he appeared at that time and there was also sankirtan. Prahlad Maharaja was there also and what was he doing? He was playing Kartalas.

Indra was also there and what was he doing? He was playing the Mridanga. Sukadeva Goswami was there singing in his own Bhava and speaking Bhagavat Katha. The lord also appeared along with his associates and there was a request at that time at the lotus feet of the lord. ‘Just as you have appeared here now, in the future whenever and wherever there is talk of you, will you please appear there as well?’

‘Tathastu, so it shall be.’ Hari Hari. Actually the Bhagavatam itself is the form of the lord and so whether the lord himself appears or the Bhagavatam is present, there is no difference because the Bhagavatam is the form of the lord. The lord went back to his own abode and that is the time when Kali Yuga appeared and at this very same time Bhagavatam also appeared.

That is also when

kalau nasta drsam esa
puranarko ‘dhunodita?
(SB 1.3.43)

Translation
Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the Age of Kali shall get light from this Purana.

So the lord appeared in the form of Bhagavatam as Suta Goswami is explaining in the Bhagavatam. Sri Uddhava is saying to the lord ‘oh my lord if you are leaving then take me with you, I also want to come!’ So the lord said ‘actually I am going to stay here.’ To this Uddhava replied ‘oh then if you are staying then I shall stay as well.’ So in what form will the lord stay?

In the form of the Bhagavatam. The lord said this and indeed he did stay and he is also amongst us here today in the form of Granth Raj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai! In that same Bhagavatam it is said

nasta prayesv abhadresu
nityan bhagavata sevaya
bhagavaty uttama sloke
bhaktir bhavati nai??hiki
(SB 1.2.18)

Translation
By regular attendance in classes on the Bhagavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.

Srila Prabhupada also has given us Srimad Bhagavatam. Srila Prabhupada ki jai! Prabhupada had taken the Bhagavatam along with him when going to foreign land and Srila Prabhupada commented that ‘no, no. The Bhagavatam has not gone with me but in actual fact I have gone along with the Bhagavatam. The Bhagavatam has take me there.’

Granth Raj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai. So books are the basis and Bhagavatam is the basis. What is the form of Bhagavat Dharma? Actually we shouldn’t say ‘what is the form?’ We should say ‘who is the form?’ ‘What’ makes it an item or a thing but actually it is a personality so we must ask ‘who is that?’ The answer is that the form of the Bhagavatam is the supreme lord himself.

The basis of our dharma is Granth Raj Srimad Bhagavatam, and this Bhagavatam is being distributed even now, did you know this? Whole sets of Bhagavatam are being distributed and this campaign is called Bhadra Purnima Abhiyana. So the coming Purnima will occur on the date of the twentieth of this month and in celebration of this occasion, Iskcon.. (cut)

So the plan to distribute Srimad Bhagavatam in a grand way has been going on for some years now and will happen this year as well during the time of Bhadra Purnima. So what is the relation between the distribution of Bhagavatam and Bhadra Purnima? Well actually it is a straight forward explanation in where Sukadeva Goswami has recited Srimad Bhagavatam, right?

Okay very good and so the confirmation of the fact that Sukadeva Goswami has recited Bhagavatam can be found in many places in the Puranas such as Padma Purana. So Kali Yuga was just thirty years old and so it was not even ripe as yet. That was when Sukadeva Goswami recited Srimad Bhagavatam to King Parikshit. So the recitation of Bhagavatam was started by Sukadeva Goswami on the Navami, ninth day of Bhadra Purnima when Sukadeva Giswami sat outside Hastinapura (New Delhi) on the banks of the Ganges.

For how many days was the recitation of Bhagavatam? So start counting from the ninth, Navami. So ninth, tenth and then Ekadasi, Dwadasi and so for seven days and what was that seventh and final day? Purnima of course, that is when the Bhagavatam recitation of Sukadeva Goswami came to an end. So in one sense this is an anniversary that we celebrate on Bhadra Purnima of the recitation of Bhagavatam originally spoken by Sukadeva Goswami.

Just like we are celebrating Srila Prabhupada’s one hundred and twenty fifth birth anniversary and so whenever this Bhadra Purnima comes every year it is celebration of the anniversary. Just like Janmasthami which we have just celebrated and so like that.

So in Bhagavatam, Sloka 12.13.13 it is said and actually this is not a common folk tale for children like once upon a time there was a king and a queen, no not like this. Well actually if there was a king, that king was Lord Rama and the queen was Sita. So what was I saying? Yes we were speaking about Bhadra Purnima and In Bhagavatam it is written in 12.13.13

dadati yo bhagavatam
sa yati paramam gatim
(SB 12.13.13)

Translation
If on the full moon day of the month of Bhadra one places Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.

So this is a great opportunity to distribute or at least try to distribute one set or two or ten, twenty, fifty, hundred or five hundred sets of Bhagavatam. Will you all try? Yes, no- no yes? Yes, yes? Haribol! Thank you very much.

rayah kalatram pasavah sutadayo
grha mahi kunjara kosa bhutayah
sarve ‘rtha kamah ksana bhangurayusah
kurvanti martyasya kiyat priyam calah

(SB 7.7.39)

One’s riches, beautiful wife and female friends, one’s sons and daughters, one’s residence, one’s domestic animals like cows, elephants and horses, one’s treasury, economic development and sense gratification — indeed, even the lifetime in which one can enjoy all these material opulences — are certainly temporary and flickering. Since the opportunity of human life is temporary, what benefit can these material opulences give to a sensible man who has understood himself to be eternal?

What happiness can these material possessions give one? It could happen to us that when we actually understand this then we will start to turn away from material life, we make a U-turn. When we actually see what this material world is like, when we see it’s reality then

janma m?tyu jara vyadhi
duhkha dosanudarsanam
(BG 13.9)

Translation
Perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease

So one great personality was once insisting ‘show me, show me, I want to take darshan of Bharat, India.’ So his father did not want to take him out but he was so obstinate and wouldn’t listen. What was the name of this person? Siddharth. So his father finally said ‘okay go’ and so he put him on a chariot and there was a charioteer of course as well.

So he saw one scene where people were chanting ’Ram nama satya hai- the name of lord Ram is the only truth.’ So Siddharth had never before heard of nor had he seen
such a sight. He asked his charioteer ‘what is this, what has happened?’ The charioteer answered ‘this man is dead, he died. They are taking him to the place he now belongs.’

‘What they will do there?’ Siddharth asked and the answer he got was that the body will be burned to ashes. So Siddharth asked ‘will he not come back from there?’ To this the charioteer replied ‘no, he is gone – finished!’ Then Siddharth asked the driver if everyone dies and the chariot driver answered ‘yes, every person has to die.’

In a fearful manner Siddharth asked slowly ‘will I also die?’ ‘Oh yes, everyone must die- no problem you can die as easily as everyone else’ the driver said. So they continued on their way forward and an old man was trying to cross the road and Siddharth was watching as the old man was sometimes falling and he would stand up again with great difficulty. So again he questioned his charioteer, ‘what is this?’

‘This is old age whereupon one becomes old and nears his death’ the charioteer answered. ‘Oh do all people become old?’ Siddharth asked. ‘Oh yes, yes. Everyone becomes old and you and I will also become old one day, no problem.’ Then as they continued they saw a very sick person who had leprosy. So he was in a very bad and sorry state and of course he is not the only one as this is a common thing in the material world.

People are reaching the ICU nowadays. ‘If we die then how will we die? We will die in style! We will be admitted into a five star hospital. We usually go to five star hotels and restaurants and therefore we will also in the same way not go to a government hospital. If we die then we will die in style by going in the ICU.’ Just like when someone asks a dying man ‘how are you sir?’ He will answer ‘I am fine, I am fine.’

He is in the hospital bed and is going to die in a few days and he is saying that he is fine. He doesn’t even know what it is to be ‘fine’ and so actually he has been fined. Once all the family members of a dying man arrived and they were desperate, telling him ‘father, oh father. You only have one or two breaths left in you.’ The family were devotees of Bhola, lord Shiva. So the sons requested their father ‘father, chant the name of Bhola.’

What did the father say? ‘Coca cola.’ Sarvabhauma Prabhu often tells us this story. Coca cola. He was requested to chant the name of Bhola but no, coca cola. So all his life he was addicted to coca cola and so where did he go upon his death? Coca cola loka. Is that in America? So lord Buddha then saw a sick person – oh look flies are coming, we haven’t died yet but flies are already here.

Lord Buddha asked ‘Does everyone become sick?’ His driver answered ‘oh yes, everyone becomes sick.’ ‘Well will I become sick?’ Lord Buddha asked and the driver replied ‘oh yes no problem. For sure you will.’ So after witnessing these two or three situations lord Buddha said ‘I have now seen enough of this world and I have no desire to see anything more, enough is enough. Please take this chariot back to the palace.’

Then on that very night (cut). So all these problems which are there he was thinking, there must be some solution but what is that solution? What is the way out? He wanted to find the answers to his questions. So then he left for Gaya where he became Buddha which means enlightened.

So in the same way we must also make this decision that ‘enough of this world.’ When will we go back home and reach our goal, our destination? It could be that you can make this process even faster, increasing your speed whilst on the way towards your goal. We are in the process, on the right track but we are moving very, very slowly.

We are on the right path in going back home back to godhead but we are doing this so slowly, walking slowly with a carefree attitude. We move whilst asleep, awake or getting up or whilst looking back over our shoulders and in doing so we are thinking ‘are we doing the right thing or not?’ But if we are actually serious then we will speed up. Srila Prabhupada would say ‘do it in this lifetime, in this lifetime finish this all up and go back home, back to godhead.’

So nine o clock, nine fifteen what time do we- oh okay nine o clock. The senior devotees are all sitting just here so we must be careful. So have you all risen above all these thoughts yet or not? Actually these are just the ABC’s because spiritual life actually starts at the point of asking these questions. In this Sloka it is said

kurvanti martyasya kiyat priyam calah
(SB 7.7.39)

Translation
Since the opportunity of human life is temporary, what benefit can these material opulences give to a sensible man who has understood himself to be eternal?

So one will naturally be pleased and proud of ruling a great kingdom but this kingdom is temporary. After a hundred or two hundred years everything will be gone. An intelligent person should come to the conclusion that material opulences can never give one happiness. Who knows the truth of what we have just read? How many people know the truth of this?

manushyanam sahasreshu
ka?hchid yatati siddhaye
(BG 7.3)

Translation
Amongst thousands of persons, hardly one strives for perfection; and amongst those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows me in truth.

One in a thousand or in a million people could maybe understand the truth of what we have just read. This conclusion should be made but those who reach this conclusion are very rare. The conclusion should be made that materialistic people are only after one thing which is economic development. This is why Prahlad Maharaja is teaching, right? He has said that the blind are leading the blind.

Andha yathandhair upaniyamanah
(SB 7.5.31)

Translation
The blind are leading the blind

All the so-called leaders of the world are blind and the citizens are also blind and they are being guided and are following these blind men who are leading them. Have you ever seen a sheep when it is walking? You will never see the head because where is it? Always facing downward towards the ground and so if the first sheep in the front falls into a ditch then the rest will also follow and slowly fall right in as well.

So the leaders are blind and if the citizens blindly follow behind then what will be the outcome? That is why you must be careful!

Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah.
(CC Madhya lila 17.186)

The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated, self-realized person

Panthah means path and therefore we should always walk on the path which has been shown to us by great souls. The teachings that are going on here now are of those of a Mahajana and who is that? Prahlad Maharaja, who we cam also call a Maha Bhagavata, a great devotee.

prahl?do janako bh??mo
balir vaiy?sakir vayam
(SB 6.3.20)

Prahlada Maharaja, Janaka Maharaja, Grandfather Bhishma, Bali Maharaja, Sukadeva Gosvami and I myself know the real religious principle.

He has also gained his knowledge through the teachings of another great devotee, Maha Bhagavata who is none other than Srila Narada Muni. So the first Maha Bhagavata is Narad Muni, the second is Prahlad Maharaja and third is Sukadeva Goswami. These three great devotees are leading us and guiding us and we must follow these leaders. So who is our leader? Prahlad Maharaja is our leader here. Prahlad Maharaja ki jai!

He will give us our eyes back because otherwise what has Kali-yuga done? Taken our eyes away and therefore this Bhagavatam is giving us eyes and vision to see again. Maybe I should quickly read only and not talk?

The entire world is described in Bhagavad-gita as duhkhalayam asasvatam – miserable and temporary. Economic development may be pleasing for some time, but it cannot endure. Thus many big businessmen are now very morose because they are being harassed by various plundering governments.

Is this true? Are there any persons present here from Delhi to confirm? Or anyone from Agra who can say from their own mouth that this is indeed a fact.

In conclusion, why should one waste his time for so-called economic development, which is neither permanent nor pleasing to the soul? So do you all agree with this which is being said? Do you understand this?

On the other hand, our relationship with Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is eternal. So what is it? Eternal. It is not flickering and temporary like our relationship with the material world. The other side is this eternal relationship just like the lord is eternal and we are also eternal.

Nitya-siddha krsna-prema. The pure souls are eternally in love with Krsna, and this permanent love, either as a servant, a friend, a parent or a conjugal lover, is not at all difficult to revive. Listen to this carefully because here there is mention of a discount. Especially in this age, the concession is that simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra one revives his original relationship with God! What is this? It is a discount.

Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
(CC Madhya 6.242)

Translation
In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord.

Thus the living entity becomes so happy that he does not desire anything material.

Na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye
(Siksastaka 4)

O Lord of the universe, I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers, a beautiful wife or fruitive activities described in flowery language.

That’s all that Srila Prabhupada has quoted. Repeat after me. A very advanced devotee in Krsna consciousness does not want riches, followers or possessions. So think deeply about these words and meditate upon them.

Rayah kalatram pasavah sutadayo grha mahi kunjara-kosa-bhutayah
(SB 7.7.39)

Translation
One’s riches, beautiful wife and female friends, one’s sons and daughters, one’s residence, one’s domestic animals like cows, elephants and horses, one’s treasury, economic development and sense gratification-indeed, even the lifetime in which one can enjoy all these material opulences – are certainly temporary and flickering.

The satisfaction of possessing material opulences, although perhaps of a different standard, is available even in the lives of dogs and hogs – so this is an important point, hogs and dogs. They cannot revive their eternal relationship with Krsna. In human life, however, our eternal, dormant relationship with Krsna is possible to revive.

Therefore Prahlada Maharaja has described this life as arthadam. Here somewhere Prahlad Maharaja has used this word arthadam. There is adruvam as well which means you cannot put any faith into that. Just like we say ‘what faith can we put in this material world?’ Also though the word arthadam has been used which is meaningful.

Our lives have a reason, some meaning and there are some duties to follow and there are many reasons to why we live.

Consequently, instead of wasting our time for economic development, which cannot give us any happiness, if we simply try to revive our eternal relationship with Krsna, we will properly utilize our lives. Haribol!

So I will repeat this last bit which is the end of my talk today. Consequently, instead of wasting our time for economic development, which cannot give us any happiness, if we simply try to revive our eternal relationship with Krsna, we will properly utilize our lives.

I wish you all success, this is my desire and with this I end my talk here.

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

Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.18
Iskcon Ujjain

16th September 2021

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

Welcome to all of you and thank you all of you for being present here. Nityam Bhagavata Sevaya is the process that Srila prabhupada has given us according to the bhagavatam as well. This is why we are speaking from the bhagavatam and also srila prabhupada’s memorial festival is currently being celebrated and along with this we are celebrating his holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaja’s seventy sixth appearance day, vyas puja mahotsava.

So in this way the list is quite long and big and on top of that we can definitely add one more item which is the recitation of srimad bhagavatam because we are celebrating the anniversary of this occasion as well. Have you heard of the campaign of bhadra purnima? In front of the temple I read some promotional material about this.

So I also thereupon remembered that we also had a message sent here that for the first time we are celebrating the anniversary of the bhagavatam that Sukadeva Goswami has spoken all at once. Another order of Srila Prabhupada was ‘read my books’ and so throughout all of Iskcon we are celebrating in this way.

A way to celebrate this occasion is by distributing the jewel of all literatures, srimad bhagavatam. We are distributing the bhagavatam but also we should listen to it’s narration. It’s not that you should only distribute the bhagavatam but also Prabhupada has said again and again ‘distribute my books, distribute my books, distribute my books.’ We have not paid much attention to anything else he may have said because we have become impressed or have understood this one instruction ‘distribute my books.’

So he has said ‘read my books, read my books, read my books’ but he has not said this all at once and again and again because along with this he has also said ‘study my books.’ Hari Hari. So we are celebrating the anniversary of first time the hearing and chanting of Srimad bhagavatam took place through Sukadeva Goswami.

I am not sure if this is the right sloka but I have selected this one and it is the first canto, chapter seven, sloka eight. Please repeat after me.

sa samhitam bhagavatim
krtvanukramya catma jam
sukam adhyapayam asa
nivrtti niratam munih
(SB 1.7.8)

Translation
The great sage Vyasadeva, after compiling the Srimad-Bhagavatam and revising it, taught it to his own son, Sri Sukadeva Gosvami, who was already engaged in self-realization.

After he completed the writing of srimad bhagavatam, Sri Vysadeva taught it to his own son Sukadeva Goswami who was already engaged in realisation of the self.

Srila Prabhupada ki jai! So I was speaking and some talks were happening in regards to Srila Prabhupada’s one hundred and twenty fifth birth anniversary which we are celebrating. Srila Prabhupada ki jai! So remember this, that for the whole year this occasion will be celebrated and the inauguration has been done by Modi-ji himself. You all must have heard about this or read about it.

So we have also celebrated Sri Krishna Janmasthami as well. Sri Krishna Janmasthami ki jai! This is also a birth anniversary, that of lord Sri Krishna. So Srila Prabhupada’s one hundred and twenty fifth anniversary and Sri Bhakti Charu Swami’s seventy eighth birth anniversary shows how much we are celebrating this year.

We have just celebrated the five thousand two hundred and forty eighth Sri Krishna Janmasthami. Haribol! So if you want a challenge or if you want to challenge this calculation then you can make your own attempt or otherwise you could just accept this. I will just quickly say how we got this calculation of five thousand two hundred and forty eight.

This is a fact that Lord Krishna appeared three thousand one hundred and two years before Christ, you understand BC, yes? So the year which we are in now is two thousand and twenty one. So we will add these two numbers up of two thousand and twenty one to three thousand one hundred and two. Plus one hundred and twenty five years which is how long Krishna stayed on the Earth and then ended his pastimes.

The lord also came here in Ujjain, in Avantipura and he performed his pastimes here also. Nanda ke ghar ananda bhayo jai kanaiya lal ki. So before Christ, lord Krishna departed for his own abode and so adding this to two thousand and twenty one what is the grand total? Five thousand two hundred and forty eight which is how many years ago lord Krishna was born at the house of Nanda Maharaja. Nanda ke ghar ananda bhayo jai kanaiya lal ki.

So Nanda Maharaja celebrated this and this is called Nandotsava and this happened that many years ago. So Srila Prabhupada is speaking in connection to this, about when srimad bhagavatam was spoken after five thousand years after lord left the planet. If we go into the details of this then we can see that the very day when krishna left this planet to go back to his abode

yada mukundo bhagwan shamam tyaktva svapadam gatah tad dinath kali rayantam sarva sadhak badhaka
(Brahma vaivarta purana)

TRANSLATION When Bhagwan Mukunda, Krsna Shyam left this planet and went to his planet from that day kaliyuga has come. And it is an impediment everywhere and particularly in devotional service.

There is one sloka like this in the Veda’s where it is said that when Mukunda Sri Krishna returned back to his abode, from that day forward Kali Yuga began. On on the very same day what started happening? People’s religious principles started becoming irregular and who was doing this? Kali and his influence. Kali is a person because everything is eventually a personality.

When the Pandavas found out that Krishna was no longer on the planet, Arjuna had gone to Dwarka to meet lord Krishna and he had spent so much time there. For a long time he didn’t return and he spent seven months in Dwarka after which he returned and the Pandavas heard the worst news of their life.

When Arjuna came back with this heartbreaking news, just by seeing the look of misery upon Arjuna’s face, the Pandavas understood what Arjuna was going to say. So upon hearing this news the Pandavas retired and also as soon as Queen Kunti heard this news she could not live for one moment longer. The Pandavas and Draupadi tried to keep strong and control themselves but we know this is not possible and so they immediately handed the kingdom over to King Parikshit.

He then became the emperor of the world and during his rule he witnessed Kali in his personified form cutting the cow with a sword which Kali wanted to kill but then ‘oh please excuse me. Please forgive me’ which the King then did. So I am extending this Katha I know. So the King gave Kali four places where he could stay.

Abhyarthitas tada tasmai sthananik alaye dadou
Dyutam panam striyah suna yatra adhamass chaturbidhah.
(SB 1.17.38)

Translation
Suta Goswami said, “Maharaj Parikshit, thus being prayed for by the personality of Kali, gave him permission to reside in four different places where gambling, drinking, prostitution and slaughtering of animals are performed respectively.”

So these are the places where Kali was permitted to reside where gambling and drinking, including drinking tea take place. You must be thinking okay ‘so no tea so we can have coffee’ but no, that will also not do. Then there is slaughtering of animals and also women in the form of time bombs (cut).

So chanting of

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

So then chanting like this he (HH Bhakti Charu Swami) became unconscious and then came to the shelter of Srila Prabhupada. So this is the personality bhagavad and therefore the worship of bhagavatam should simultaneously be done alongside the worship of the person bhagavad. So Maharaja took shelter of both the bhagavad’s srimad bhagavatam and Srila Prabhupada and for the first time ever in history and only a few months later Srila Prabhupada got all the senior devotees to come together and held a meeting with them.

He spoke to them and then told them that this boy (Bhakti Charu Maharaja) will spread Krishna consciousness throughout the whole world. Srila Prabhupada was told by his spiritual master Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Maharaja where to go. ‘Go to the western world and preach in English language this bhagavad dharma!’

But to do this anybody who wants to join the movement has to abide by these four regulative principles. So Prabhupada said this for the first time when he came to the west and the students asked him what these four principles are. No intoxication, no gambling, no illicit sex and no meat eating. So how many of you sitting here are ready to do this and follow these four principles?

Raise your hands. So all of you who are sitting here at the moment are not raising your hands but when Srila Prabhupada asked them they all raised their hands. ‘We are ready! We will follow these principles!’ This showed that it was now the beginning of the end of the age of Kali. So the beginning of the end means for the next ten thousand years it will be the golden period of Kali Yuga.

This has been mentioned in the Chaitanya Mangal and so this was the golden age with the American boys and girls. It was mostly boys and girls because older people would not come forward. Also this kind of thing is usually for the younger generation and so with their help Srila Prabhupada registered this movement of Iskcon.

So he went around the world – jet aged Parivrajakachrya. What sort of Parivrajakachrya? Jet aged. So the preaching was of srimad bhagavatam, the jewel of all scriptures. Prabhupada used to say that books are the basis. And the books he is speaking of is bhagavad gita and bhagavatam and also for the gaudiya vaishnava’s there is Chaitanya Charitamrita.

So we are speaking and having katha of srimad bhagavatam which Srila Prabhupada has given the whole world. So before Prabhupada did this or rather gave this to the world, we were speaking of how the bhagavatam appeared and who the original speaker was. So King Parikshit is the medium via whom this all happened and the guru is Narada Muni who is actually the guru of so many personalities who have then written so many books.

Dhruva Maharaja’s guru is Narada Muni, Prahlad Maharaja’s guru is Narada Muni. He has his disciples all over the universe and so everything must be done by asking the guru for advice, by taking his input. ‘I am dissatisfied, why? I have written so many books but I am not happy.’ Vyasadeva is thinking like this and so his guru Narada Muni did what? He did a book review.

When books are published nowadays there are book reviews and people give their comments and so Narada Muni said ‘oh now I understand why you are angry and upset. You have spoken much in the matter of religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation in the Vedas, Purana’s, Mahabharata and in this book and that book. As many books as you have written till now, in none of these have you described the glories of Sri Vasudeva. Vasudevah sarvam iti, Vasudeva is all in all.

But you have spoken of so many things in so much detail, religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation. But where is the katha of Vasudeva or the pancham purusartha, the fifth principle which is love or bhakti. So after taking this advise Srila Vyasadeva wrote one more scripture. And finally his final book- did you get scared as I said ‘finally?’

It was too loud but it was to wake you up a bit and just for emphasis, you know? So he wrote one book and that is the king of all scriptures – srimad bhagavatam ki jai!

srimad bhagavatam puranam amalam yad vaisnavanam priyam
(SB 12.13.18)

Translation
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the spotless Purana. It is most dear to the Vaisnavas because it describes the pure and supreme knowledge of the paramahamsas.

According to the opinion of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself and according to the bhagavatam, srimad bhagavatam is amala purana, it is perfectly pure. ‘A’ means negative, not existing and mala means dirt, so it is dirt-less. Actually any bonafide scripture purifies our consciousness and our thoughts.

So Sukadeva Goswami stayed in the womb of his mother for sixteen years thinking that if he were to come out then the falsity and contamination of this material world would influence him. ‘This is why it is better for me to stay here where I am.’ So he stayed in his mother’s womb and for how long did he stay? How many years? It wasn’t for ten months or one year, two years, ten years or twelve years. No he stayed for sixteen years!

You can just imagine how difficult that must’ve been for the child, how much inconvenience he bore. Then Vyasadeva called Krishna so that the child could be born and so his wife could gain some relief. So upon arrival, Sri Krishna promised Sukadeva Goswami, ‘first just come out at least. Then you will be safe and I will protect you.’

So he then took birth but as soon as he did, there was no performance of any ceremony or samskara because he immediately started running towards the forest and his father ran after him.

putreti tan mayataya taravo ’bhinedus
(SB 1.2.2)

Translation
His father, Vy?sadeva, fearing separation from him, cried out, “O my son!” Indeed, only the trees, which were absorbed in the same feelings of separation, echoed in response to the begrieved father.

Srila Vyasadeva ran after his son and only this much has been said. The acharyas have written commentaries upon this and they say that Vyasadeva shouted ‘putra!’ (Son) but Sukadeva Goswami didn’t hear anything. Do you hear the crowing of the cock? There are three different ways in which the cock crows just to wake you up.

So the cock will crow slowly but you wont wake up so he will crow a little higher this time but still you don’t wake up. This is what sukadeva goswami was like and so in the teachings of Srimad Bhagavatam this bhakti process has been taught by him. Sukadeva Goswami was also very learned and also renounced and so he went to the forest immediately after birth. Sukadeva Goswami wanted to speak the bhagavatam so that upon listening or reading it what would we then do?

We would distribute knowledge of the bhagavatam. The search continued and Vyasadeva would send his students to go and search for Sukadeva Goswami. Upon finding him, because Sukadeva Goswami was further inquisitive about self realisation, his father Vyasadeva taught him more through srimad bhagavatam.

sa samhitam bhagavatim
krtvanukramya catma jam
sukam adhyapayam asa
nivrtti niratam munih
(SB 1.7.8)

The great sage Vyasadeva, after compiling the Srimad-Bhagavatam and revising it, taught it to his own son, Sri Sukadeva Gosvami, who was already engaged in self-realization.

This is is written in the sloka of today about how firstly Srila Vyasadeva compiled the bhagavatam and then sukam adhyapayam asa- he taught it to his son Sukadeva Goswami. So after Srila Vyasadeva had read the bhagavatam which meant there was sravana and kirtan (hearing and chanting) of the lord, he had become realised in the process of devotional service and realised the lord.

What then happened? Kali Yuga became thirty years old and that is when King Parikshit is cursed with only seven days to live whereupon a snakebird will come. So King Parikshit became ready and wearing only one loincloth he went to the banks of the river Ganges and sat down. The whole world received the news of this and only the lord knows how it spread so quickly and so far. So the brahmanas assembled and asked him what he wanted and he said ‘whatever may happen

Ante narayana smriti
(SB 2.1.6)

Translation
Somehow or other one should remember Krishna at the time of death.

This is when Sukadeva Goswami arrived on the scene and he hadn’t even worn any clothes, had he or not? No because Sukadeva Goswami was thinking-have you not read the gita? What has the lord called the body?

vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya
(Bg 2.22)

Translation
A person puts on new garments, giving up old ones

‘Why are you thinking that I have not worn any clothes? I have previously also worn so many clothes!’ I’m already wearing one set’ (the body). Upon seeing him all the great sages and King Parikshit stood up to receive him with respect. So Sukadeva Goswami’s katha starts in the first canto, nineteenth chapter. We will now have to end this katha but the time we are going back to is the age of Kali being thirty years old.

This information is in the padma purana where it is clearly written that when Kali Yuga was thirty years old Sukadeva Goswami started his narration of bhagavad katha on which date? Navami, the ninth day was when the Katha began and from there how many days did the Katha continue? When must it have ended? Anyway I am not going by the calendar as such. So in the day of purnima which is the seventh day was when the katha ended.

And which purnima was this? Bhadrapada purnima (the seventh day) and what is the date today? You have all forgotten, yes today is the tenth. So when must the katha have started? Yes, today is the third day of the katha. So in the twelfth canto chapter thirteen, sloka thirteen of bhagavatam there is mention of Bhadra Purnima where it is said that if on the full moon day of the month of Bhadra one places srimad bhagavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.

sa yati paramam gatim
(SB 12.13.13)

Translation
he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.

So param gati means going back to godhead. So in either gita mahatmya or bhagavad mahatmya it is said and we also have gita marathon in the month in which the lord spoke bhagavad gita. In the same way we are having bhagavatam distribution in the same month when Sukadeva Goswami spoke bhagavatam, Haribol!

Are you all pleased about this? You did not cry out Haribol or show any signs of happiness. (Shouts of Haribol)! So this was by force, not natural. So now in the matter of distribution of bhagavatam sets, last year Iskcon, I think in mostly India they distributed twenty thousand sets of Srimad Bhagavatam.

And this year we have also started in some places and so just like Srila Prabhupada used to say ‘it’s never too late.’ I was in Pune last year and I heard that Iskcon Pune has made a target and that they are alone going to distribute five thousand sets of bhagavatam. So see to this Iskcon Ujjain, and see who is going to win this marathon as they are the real winners.

All glories to Srimad Bhagavatam.

Radhastami class
14th September 2021

Nanda ke ghar ananda bhayo- there is a great occasion of joy in the house of Nanda Maharaja. In the same way today there is joy in Icchakaranji. So there was joy in the house of Nanda and this Katha of what occurred many years ago. Sri Krishna Janmasthami Mahotsava ki jai! And today there is joy in the home of king Vrishabhanu.

You have all heard the name of Nanda Baba and Nanda Nandan and you must have heard of Yashoda also. Who is talking, making noise? So we know less about Radharani and we could say that may be because talks in relation to her are confidential. So king Vrishabhanu was a king and Kirtida was the mother of Radharani.

So five thousand two hundred and forty seven years ago – if I say it in English you will remember it better. So that is when Radharani appeared here on this day! (Shouts of Haribol)! And to celebrate the appearance of Radharani all the people of Vraj went running to that place. The whole of Vraj- you understand Vraj, yes? Vrindavan Dham ki jai! Vrindavan is also called Vraj so Vraja Mandal or when we say Vraja Mandala Parikrama.

Vraja or Braja, Vrindavan and so the whole of Vrindavan- do you know Gokul? How many of you have been to Gokul? If you have been then you can put your hand up otherwise do not put it up. I do know that you you have hands so.. (laughter). Okay so this is nice, many of you have been to Gokul. So just a little away from Gokul there is another village which is called Rawal. In the village of Rawal on the banks of the river Yamuna Radharani appeared.

So Radharani appeared and just like Krishna, Radharani’s birth is not like my or your birth.

janma karma ca me divyam
evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti so ‘rjuna

Translation
One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.

Krishna is saying to Arjuna that ‘my birth and also Radharani’s birth, how is that birth? Janma karma ca me divyam.’ Radharani and Krishna’s birth is Divya, transcendental. Hari Hari. In actual fact Radharani is never born, she is a-janma. When we are born what happens? We take a new body which is not actually our own. There are many births that one takes.

punarapi jananam punarapi maranam punarapi janani jathare sayanam,?iha samsare bahudusare krpaya’pare pahi murare
(Bhaja govindam verse 21 Adi Shankara)

Translation
So you have had many births and each time we stay in the womb of a mother who may be a woman or a female dog or otherwise a female donkey. You may also get a mosquito mother and so in every life we get a mother and father. So every time we get a new birth we have a new body, a new form. But the form of Radharani when she appears is the same as it is before her appearance.

That is why she appears or you may say she incarnates in this world rather than being born like an embodied living entity. So Vrindavan is the abode of the lord so Vrindavan Dham ki jai! It is also called Goloka.

goloka namni nija dhamni tale ca tasya devi mahesa hari dhamasu tesu tesu te te prabhava nicaya vigitas ca yena govindam adi purusam tam aham bhajami
(BS 5.43

Translation

Lowest of all is located Dev?-dh?ma [mundane world], next above it is Mahe?a-dh?ma [abode of Mahe?a]; above Mahe?a-dh?ma is placed Hari-dh?ma [abode of Hari] and above them all is located K???a’s own realm named Goloka. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, who has allotted their respective authorities to the rulers of those graded realms.

So the abode is called Goloka. So one you know is Gokul where Rawal is situated just close by as I was saying. So Radharani comes and appears in Goloka Dham. So in the same way Lord Krishna also comes down to this earth planet and whenever he does he brings Radharani with him. She stands behind him when they appear.

tapta kanchana gaurangi
radhe vrindavaneshvari
vrishabhanu-sute devi
pranamami hari-priye

Translation
O Srimati Radharani, I offer my respects to You whose bodily complexion is like molten gold.
O Goddess, You are the queen of Vrindavana. You are the daughter of King Vrishabhanu, and are very dear to Lord Krishna.

Radharani’s name is fixed up and she also has many other names apart from Radharani, she has a thousand names. Vishnu or Krishna have a thousand names and so Radharani has a thousand names as well and all these names are eternally there. In the same way Radharani’s form is eternally the same and her form is always the colour of Tapta kanchana gaurangi- she is the colour of gold.

We are sometimes black or white or blue or yellow or whatever else but Radharani’s form is the same one form forever. Tapta kanchana gaurangi radhe vrindavaneshvari. So from Goloka Radharani appeared on the auspicious day of today in Rawal which in close vicinity to Gokul. How many years ago was this? Five thousand, two hundred and forty seven years ago!

So the day was today and it was during the midday period Radharani appeared. So it was the month of Bhadra and it was the light fortnight. Krishna was born in the dark fortnight and that is why there is that saying ‘why are you dark and I am white?’ Or ‘you are dark and I am white.’ So Radha is light skinned and Krishna is dark skinned because Krishna was born in the dark fortnight he is dark.

Radha was born in the light fortnight, Shukla – do you understand Shukla Paksha? So in this fortnight Radha had appeared so she is light, or the colour of molten gold because this colour is even more beautiful than the white complexion. Yamuna Maiya ki jai and so king Vrishabhanu was on the banks of the Yamuna and he saw a lotus flower in the waters.

From that lotus flower there was radiating bright golden light and therefore great inquisitiveness arose in the king’s mind. ‘What is this wonderful glow which is coming out from this lotus flower?’ So he went forward and looked inside and there he saw in the lotus a small baby girl. At that very moment he heard a voice from the sky which thundered ‘oh king, accept this girl as she is your daughter.’

Haribol! The king thereafter took the small baby girl in his arms and ran back to his palace where he put this baby girl in front of his queen, Kirtida. Jai Radhe jai Radhe! There was no limit to their joy upon seeing the baby girl and therefore they were swimming in an ocean of happiness, having attained Radharani as their daughter.

So this news was spread all over Vraja ‘jai Radhe jai Radhe! Radha has appeared so please come, you all come, come!’ Everyone was sent an invitation and great big groups of people came to take darshan of her on the same day she was born. She was born and instantly on the same day each and every household in Vraja got the news of her birth. Every person in Vraja got the news that Radharani had taken her birth.

This news they received even faster than an SMS which is the thing these days, you all know SMS? So there must have been such wonderful communication that the whole of Vraja heard the news and all the people of Vraja dressed up in their best clothes and ornaments and proceeded hurriedly towards Rawal with many gifts for the baby girl.

In these great groups of people were present Nanda baba from Gokul along with Yashoda and Rohini and they had also bought along with them Krishna and Balaram. So at Radharani’s first birthday party Krishna Balaram were present there also. Sri Krishna Balaram ki jai! The king and queen had put the baby girl in a beautiful decorated cot and everyone used to go to that cot and have a look inside to see the baby girl.

All the people would bless the baby in auspicious ways, wishing her a long life and like this. So there was a big queue to see her just like there was here today when you were all waiting to bathe Radharani. In the same way there must have been a bathing ceremony for Radharani that day in Rawal. So here in Icchakaranji you were bathing the deity form of Radharani a while ago today and the experience the residents of Rawal and the Vrijavasi’s experienced back then is the same experience we tried to have today when we were bathing the deity form of Radharani.

Have you ever seen such a vision which the residents of the village Rawal and the Vrijavasi’s experienced? Has there ever been a bathing like that? Here people are done with bathing in thirty seconds then finished. With much difficulty you get a little bit of water to take bath and sometimes there is much shortage of water as well and so where is the question of bathing?

Just like Radharani herself is transcendental and very special, in the same way her Abhishek is also of the same nature and this was performed by Kirtida and king Vrishabhanu along with the Vrijavasi’s. And on this day you all residents of Icchakaranji have performed this Abhishek in the same way. (Shouts of Haribol)!

So that same Radharani is present here in the form of her deity and the deity is also called an incarnation of the lord or his potency. The lord appears or incarnates in the form of his deity and in this way he gives us all an opportunity to serve him in various ways.

sri vigraharadhana nitya nana
srngaira tan mandira marjanadau
yuktasya bhaktams ca niyunjato pi
vande guroh sri caranaravindam
(Guru Astaka 3)

TRANSLATION
The spiritual master is always engaged in the temple worship of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. He also engages his disciples in such worship. They dress the Deities in beautiful clothes and ornaments, clean Their temple, and perform other similar worship of the Lord. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.

So the spiritual master arranges in such a way- Srila Prabhupada ki jai! Being Iskcon’s founder Acharya, he has made arrangements for us in such great ways and he has given us Radha Shyamasundara. He has done this in more than one hundred countries. Just like we have celebrated Sri Krishna Janmasthami
and now today Radhasthami is being celebrated in one hundred and fifty countries! Shouts of Haribol!

This I have told you to give you this information that Radharani has reached so many countries. She has reached Burma? Yes she has reached there. And China? Yes she has reached China and today we have devotees present here from China. You can stand up Chinese devotees, and so this Mataji has come from China, Haribol!

Where is our Maharaja, Sri Krishna Chaitanya? He has come from New York and Gaura Krishna Prabhu has come from Denmark and so this shows you that the lord has reached so many countries. The people of these countries had never before even heard the name of Radha or Vrindavan and today in these very same countries Radhasthami is being celebrated! Shouts of Haribol!

So her birthday party being celebrated today is not just here in Icchakaranji but actually it is being celebrated all over the universe. So the lord appears in his deity form, Vigraha, which you understand? It means the deity form which is called Vigraha. In the deity form the lord incarnates and this very deity form we worship. This worship is called Aradhana, do you understand this word?

Radha is always performing Aradhana, worship and therefore her name is Radha which is derived from the word Aradhana. Krishna and Radha also appear in the form of their names.

kali kale nama rupe krsna avatara
(CC Adi-lila 17.22)

Translation
Krsna descends in this Kali yuga in the form of His holy name

So what Yuga, age are we living in now? Kali yuga. So the lord appears in this age in the form of his holy name and what name is that? In fact there are many names but what are the the foremost names?

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

There is one God and Hare Krishna means Radha and Krishna. You all are continually hearing ‘Hare Krishna Hare Krishna’ and so this Hare is Radharani. So the word is actually Hara and Hare is the vocative case of Hara. When you call out to Hara that is a call out to Radha just like when you call out to Sita the vocative would be Site. If you call out to Gita it becomes Gite. In the same way to call Hara we must call out ‘oh Hare, oh Radhe.’

Krishna Krishna Radha Radha
Radha Raman Radha Raman
Raman Raman Radha Radha.

So these are all names of Radha and Krishna. There are sixteen names in the Maha Mantra with thirty two syllables but the names are only two, one name is Radha’s and the other is Krishna’s.

(Maharaja sings Kirtan of Radha Radha Krishna Radha).

We have left Radharani over in Rawal in the Katha we were speaking. And so all the people have gathered and Krishna Balaram have also reached there and they are now walking towards the cot to see the baby girl and they want to congratulate the baby girl. They were about one years old and so were not even walking properly yet. They were learning how to walk, so the lord is learning how to walk!

So as the lord reaches the cot he is trying to hold onto it and in doing so he falls over but then finally he catches hold of the cot and holding onto it he goes to take a look inside. There he sees the baby girl and at that same moment the baby girl also looks at Krishna. Shouts of Haribol! So this was the first meeting of Radha and Krishna.

There’s one more thing which I can also tell you now and that is that when king Vrishabhanu found the baby girl on the banks of the Yamuna in the lotus, upon seeing her he found that her eyes were closed. Then after taking the baby girl back to his palace he still found that her eyes remained closed.

So with great pleasure he was thinking that ‘my daughter is so very beautiful but she is blind. She is not opening her eyes.’ So because of this both the mother and father of the baby girl were very sorrowful but she was not blind at all. She had purposely kept her eyes shut as she was thinking ‘I will use my eyes in the first instance by taking darshan of Krishna. I do not want to see the faces of any others.

I would like to see Krishna.’ So as Krishna was looking upon Radharani’s face, she immediately knew that it was the lord because she is all-knowing just like Krishna is. So Krishna didn’t have to touch her or say ‘hey Radhe! I have come so open your eyes.’ So Radharani knew instantly that ‘the lord of my life has arrived.’

They both are the life of each other, Radharani’s life is Krishna and Krishna’s life is likewise, well who is it? It is Radha. So Radha opened her eyes and took darshan of Krishna and therefore as she opened both her eyes to take darshan, it could be seen that she had great big eyes. Hari Hari. Jai Radhe.

(Maharaja sings Kirtan of jai Radhe).

Preach more and more
Islamabad Karachi
4th July 2021

Should I speak in English or Hindi? Okay, I do not know Urdu but thank you Shyamanand Krishna Prabhu and Rama Yajna Prabhu who have always been in my association from the beginning and I also remember one time that I had addressed the devotees of Pakistan.

Ram Yajna Prabhu has remembered me again and so by his endeavour and request I am today meeting you all in Iskcon Pakistan and I am meeting the devotees of Gaura-Gaura Bhaktas. It is a meeting which is quite difficult as we do not meet often and have not met much before. We may have met a few of us before, either at Mayapur or Vraja Mandala.

Do you come to Mayapur or Vrindavan or Jagannatha Puri Dham ki jai! Some are saying that they come to the holy places from Karachi so there is a possibility that we have met. Anyway whatever it may be, we are meeting now and I am very happy to be meeting you all. You are all spirit souls and now you are a part of Gaudiya Vaisnavism by the mercy of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

You are becoming Gaudiya Vaisnavas. You are either becoming Gaudiya Vaisnavas or have become Gaudiya Vaisnavas. So therefore it is natural that when one Gaudiya Vaishnava meets another Gaudiya Vaishnava – we are constantly meeting other people in this world. There are so many different types of people all belonging to different religions.

There are people with different Karma, different situations and they have so many different problems but out of all these people are Vaishnava- actually Vaisnavas are from different Sampradaya’s, sects but to be a Gaudiya Vaishnava is the greatest thing. It is better than any other thing, the topmost thing and Gaudiya Vaisnavas will be found in Vaikuntha as well. Hindu, Muslim, Christian and whatever else is of this material world.

These labels are binding and they are false designations, but to be a Vaishnava is not just another designation. This is the actual recognition of the living entity, to be a Vaishnava. Those who worship Lord Vishnu are called Vaisnavas and these Vaisnavas you will find in Vaikuntha. There are also the Lord’s abodes like Ayodhya and Saket where you will find Vaisnavas.

Then there is Goloka where you will also find the Vaisnavas and these Vaisnavas in Goloka will be called ‘Gaudiya Vaisnavas.’ So amongst the Vaisnavas also, the best of Vaisnavas are Gaudiya Vaisnavas, the followers of Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

So I am meeting today the topmost of all Vaisnavas and we are meeting just now and so it is natural that because we are meeting, this has become a festival. This can be am called a ‘Milan Uttsava’ as we are meeting one another and so yes, it is a festival.

satam prasangan mama virya samvido (SB 3.25.25)

Translation
In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart.

So this then becomes a festival. Sat Sanga, a meeting of Sadhu’s becomes a festival and ‘mama virya samvida. This is where they remember or speak of my activities, pastimes and my beauty.’ So some of you are in Karachi or some are in Rawalpindi, then some of you are in Hyderabad. There may be other places as well where some of you are from but anyway I cannot remember any other names of places.

So many places, towns and villages were put together and it was all named Pakistan but actually all living entities are brothers. ‘Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai.’ In saying this I have remembered that when I was young, yes when I was young and was studying in school – this is in around 1962 or 1963.

At that time China and Bharat, India were at war with each other and Bharat is always dedicated to the motherland but there is the feeling of brotherhood with everyone. This is the specialty of India and Indians. So at that time they were teaching the children throughout India a poem. What was this? ‘Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai. Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai.’

Maybe you have heard it or read it somewhere or probably you were not even alive at that time so you wouldn’t know but I was there and I was so small. And as you heard they would say this and in one village which is not so far from here in Pandharpura I was born and we would all shout this ‘Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai.’ We were saying this, all us children but we understood that Hindi is a language and Chini means sugar in Hindi language.

But it was said ‘Bhai Bhai’ brothers, so it wasn’t making any sense. How could sugar and the language of Hindi be brothers? But as we got older we began to understand that Hindi meant the people of Hindustan and Chini meant the people of China. So we understood this much and so we put together that these two kinds of people are brothers.

But I was thinking at that time and anybody else would think as well that when can these two kinds of people actually become brothers? What should be the common factor? The father should be the same, one common father and then they will be brothers. So I could not understand how the people of Hindustan and the people of China could be brothers and have one common father.

How could we have one common father and if we did then who was that personality? Was it Modi or some president, the president of China? ‘Is he the father of the Hindustani and Chinese people?’ So I was not getting the answer to this question but when I joined the Hare Krishna movement and reached the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada and he was reading Bhagavad Gita then I understood.

aham bija pradah pita (BG 14.4)

Translation
I am the seed giving father.

Krishna has said that ‘I am the seed giving father of all the living entities.’ This is the translation in English. I am the father, mother, grandsire.’

tvam eva maataa ca pitaa tvam eva
tvam eva bandhush-ca sakhaa tvam eva (saranagati gadyam)

Translation
You truly are my mother and you truly are my father.
You truly are my relative and you truly are my friend.

The Lord is the mother and father and all of us Hindu’s and all of the Chinese people. Their father is one and that is the supreme Lord and so we Hindu’s and Chinese become brothers in this way. So I was saying as a boy that we are all brothers, Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai, but we have to understand that it is not just us Hindu’s and Chinese that are brothers.

Actually the people of Hindustan are brothers with the people of Pakistan or Balochistan or Afghanistan or Khalistan (laughter). As many ‘stan’s’ there may be like America-stan or Autrailia-stan, all the people of all these places have one common father. For this reason we must know this and understand that we are all brothers and sisters.

We can say that this knowledge is derived from Bhagavad Gita or in Gaudiya Vaishnavism and we can say that this knowledge is of the religion of God. This is knowledge of Sanatan Dharma, or it is knowledge we attain as Indians and in the same Indian culture we hear:

ayam nijah paro veti gananaa laghuchetasam
udaar charitaanam to vasudhaiwa kutumbakam (Maha Upanisad ch.6)

Translation

Only narrow minded persons have two different outlooks towards common matters relating to themselves and others, whereas for noble and broad minded persons the entire world is like their own family.

So in this verse we see that some people say ‘these people are my own! These Pakistani people are my own people, long live Pakistan! And these people of Hindustan, they are outsiders- death to Hindustan!’

So these feelings of ‘my own and outsiders, ayam nijah, these are my people and these are outsiders’ gananaa laghuchetasam, these thoughts and outlooks are of those who are laghuchetasam, these are people whose thoughts are narrow minded. People who think like this have a small heart as well as narrow-minded thoughts. So this verse is speaking about these sort of narrow minded people.

Udar charitanam vasudhaiwa kutumbakam

But those who have good character are ‘Guru’ which means heavy- laghu means light and Guru is heavy. So those who are ‘Guru’ have high thoughts and are noble hearted and they see things from far. Udaar charitaanam to vasudhaiwa kutumbakam. Their thoughts are ‘as many people there are on this whole planet, they are all my family members.’

Of course that means the that they feel that not only humans but other living entities such as animals and birds and all living beings and a part of their family. Vasudhaiwa means the earth and ‘so all the living beings of this earth planet are my family. This is my family and each family has a head of the family and so the head of this family is Lord Krishna or Allah.’

Allah means god is great and how to say this in one word? Allah. God is great, why not? So we say ‘Krishna’ and we say ‘Allah’ as well, but our Muslim brothers will never say ‘Krishna.’ We will say ‘Allah’ but they will never say ‘Krishna.’ This is of course their misunderstanding and Krishna means Ya karhati sa Krishna. So one who attracts everyone is Krishna and so this is the supreme Lord.

So everyone will have to accept-all Muslims and Christians and actually they do accept that the Lord is all attractive. Everyone will accept this but we will not call the all attractive Lord ‘Krishna.’ We will accept for sure that the Lord is Lord of all the foundational knowledge which this world has of religion but this has now been distorted and there are deviations.

Aside from this the world has become divided in the form of different countries and partitions and also therefore in the form of different religions. The other partition is of those who say ‘we are religious’ and those who claim ‘we are atheist.’ The other partition is ‘we are Hindu and we are Muslim!’

‘You are Hindustani’s and we are Pakistani’s! We are black and you are white people.’ If someone is a woman then someone a man. If someone is poor then someone is wealthy and we are being crushed by these dualities. Okay so your problem here is that these Hindu’s and Muslims who are actually brothers are fighting at present. We have forgotten and so we are not Krishna conscious at the moment.

We are not even Allah conscious and there is no love of god. When we are truly Allah or Krishna conscious we will embrace one another. We are ignorant and have forgotten the Lord and we have forgotten each other. We are brothers and eternal friends but here in this material world we become the greatest enemies of each other and in Kali Yuga this is happening more and more.

Kali Yuga means the Yuga, the time of Kali and the two characteristics of this are one, hypocrisy which is so prominent and the other is quarrel in which there is constant fighting. These two activities are happening all over the world. So wherever you are there will be present these dualities. Krishna has said

yadrccha labha santusto
dvandvatito vimatsarah (BG 4.22)

Translation
He who is satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord, who is free from duality and does not envy, who is steady both in success and failure, is never entangled, although performing actions.

So to be free from dualities one has to rise above that duality. This means black and white and actually the world is full of dualities. Between woman and man, poor and rich, East and West, Hindu and Muslim, communism and capitalism and this and that. There are thousands of different dualities, mine and yours, countrymen and foreigners, insiders and outsiders and high class people and low class people.

So the situation you are in, wherever you may be there will be a type of duality. So you are trapped in these dualities and there are definitely problems due to this. Just like you can understand that there is communism which is there in Russian and the devotees there face so much pain and trouble due to this. They have had to go to jail and they have been arrested and beaten.

In Africa black people are being beaten up and so this discrimination is continuing in each part, each corner of this world. There is always some turmoil, some problem due to religion and problems in other places due to money or because of being black or white. Women say that ‘we are women and we want equality’ and in this way women are fighting.

So in all places to more or less degrees there is this discrimination. And the more we perform devotional service to Lord Krishna and preach devotional service in the most quarrelsome places and most difficult situations, as we are doing now, these tough situations propose to us a preaching opportunity.

The Lord becomes happy to see a devotee performing devotional service in normal conditions when they are in a happy situation and there are no political restrictions to performing that service and sadhana. So this is good and the Lord is happy to see this naturally, but devotees like yourselves in your situation which is not very favourable and you don’t have freedom, the Lord has made your circumstances a little difficult to perform devotional service so he is more happy to see you perform devotional service in your situation.

I am sure that you all have so many challenges and so you should
all stay united and be together. United we stand and divided we fall. In this way we can face any challenge just like you are doing. In doing this, please understand that you are not alone because the Lord is with you! The devotees are with you as is Shyamanand Prabhu who is always standing behind you.

Gopal Krishna Maharaja is there for you and I am here. I may not be there physically but my blessings and thoughts are always with you. All desires that we have in devotional service are there by the blessings of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and this mission is that of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

ajanu-lambita bhujau kanakavadhatau
sankirtanaika pitarau kamalayataksau
visvambharau dvija varau yuga dharma palau
vande jagat priyakaro karunavatarau (Caitanya bhagavata 1.1.1)

I offer my respects unto Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu, whose arms extend down to Their knees, who have golden yellow complexions, and who inaugurated the congregational chanting of the Holy Names. Their eyes resemble the petals of a lotus; They are the maintainers of all living entities; They are the best of brahmanas, the protectors of religious principles for this age, the benefactors of the universe, and the most merciful of all incarnations.

This Karuna Avatar, merciful incarnation is Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and sankirtanaika pitarau, the founding fathers of the Sankirtan movement are Gauranga and Nityananda Prabhu. They are the ones who are reestablishing the principles of religion. Guru Gauranga Jayataha, we say.

There is the pradarsaka guru, then siksha guru and diksha guru and then there is the Chaitya Guru which is Krishna in your heart. So in this way they all support you and are with you and the situation you are currently in over here at the moment is the same situation they previously had in Mayapur and Navadwipa, Bengal. The Muslims had reached over there and they are there even now and that is where Chand Kazi was also.

When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s kirtan party would start Sankirtan over there –

udilo aruna puraba bhage?
dwija mani gora amani jage,?
bhakata samuha loiya sathe,?
gela nagara braje (Arunodaya Kirtana 1)

When the rising sun appeared in the East, the jewel of the twice-born, Lord Gaurasundara, awakened, and, taking His devotees with Him, He went all over the countryside towns and villages

When the Lord at sunrise would take many devotees with him and would come out,
then:

‘tathai tathai bajalo khol,?ghana ghana tahe jhajera rol

The mrdangas (khol) resounded “tathai, tathai,” and the jhanjha (large metal karatalas that look like small cymbals) in that kirtana played in time

mukunda madhava yadava hari,?bolena bolo re vadana bhori

All the devotees chanted the names Mukunda, Madhava, Yadava and Hari, their mouths being filled with the vibrations.

The devotees are singing mukunda madhava yadava hari and they are chanting

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

Just as they were chanting like this the agents of Chand Kazi came and stopped the kirtan, broke the Mrdangas and they had no problem in breaking the devotees’ bones. This is right there at the time of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Not only this but if you see the history of this and what was happening five hundred years back in Bengal, in Navadwipa, in Mayapur you will find that despite all this, Sankirtan never stopped.

So go on chanting and go on practicing Krishna consciousness and carry on celebrating the festivals like Jagannatha Rathayatra Mahotsava and Janmastami. So you know very well, what a state those bad, sinful people made of Haridas Thakur. They dragged Haridas Thakur through twenty two market places.

But he told them that ‘you can break my body into pieces but I will keep chanting the holy name wholly and fully.’ And indeed he did just this and he did not leave the chanting of the holy name. So once Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave a special darshan to the residents of Mayapur, Navadwipa.

He gave darshan for twenty one hours to different devotees and it was a very special darshan in which everyone was getting different realisations of the Lord. So when the Lord met Haridas Thakur at this time, Haridas Thakur noticed that on the Lord’s back there were many marks and indents of being hit by a stick.

So Namacarya Haridas Thakur asked the Lord, ‘what is this? What kind of marks are these?’ So Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu answered, ‘do you remember when the agents of Chand Kazi were beating you mercilessly? I could not tolerate this and so I took all that beating on my back.’

So in this way the Lord helps his devotee. He promises to always protect his devotee and the Lord is true to his promise. So go on practicing and preaching, the Lord is with you and so are the Vaisnavas. Also expand your preaching and stay in each other’s association and come together for Sat Sanga, stay in touch.

dadati pratigrihnati
guhyam akhyati pricchati
bhunkte bhojayate caiva
shad vidham priti lakshanam (Upadesamrita 4)

Offering gifts in charity, accepting charitable gifts, revealing one’s mind in confidence, inquiring confidentially, accepting prasadam and offering prasadam are the six symptoms of love shared by one devotee and another.

Rupa Goswami Prabhupada has said ‘dadati pratigrihnati’ offer gifts in charity and accept gifts. And if there is anything a devotee has on his mind then he should reveal his mind and you can help them. You can also be that devotee who needs to reveal their mind and in this way you can take help.

guhyam akhyati pricchati, if there is something close to or pleasing to the heart or something confidential you may inquire about it confidentially, guhyam akhyati pricchati – inquire and reveal your mind. Bhunkte bhojayate caiva, feed Prashad and take Prashad yourselves. Not just that you go to others’ homes to take Prashad yourselves.

You can also call those Vaisnavas to your homes and you can offer them Prashad and by taking Prashad together and performing devotional service together, doing Kirtan together and having Sanga’s together and giving Prashad, by doing all these things our relationship with each other will become stronger, solid relationships.

And this is what is needed and then when you come together you will be able to do many more amazing, magical things. In the jungle if a buffalo is attacked by a tiger, if it is alone then it will be a little difficult for the buffalo but one more buffalo comes and then another. When three or four buffaloes come then even the tiger will run away.

It’s the same thing with us so you all to have to be united and be together to support one another and to have common vision. The goal is obviously the same, to attain the lotus feet of Lord Krishna and to serve the Lord’s lotus feet. Do this in support of one another and expand the preaching. At least those who are Hindu, you can bring them back to the path of Krishna consciousness.

They are Hindu by birth and by their Karma and activities only, but this is not the way to attain devotional service so engage these people and attach them to the activities of Iskcon and to the movement. Because we are talking about Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu I will say that he had said before he departed that he was the only gardener.

‘How many fruits can I pluck alone and being all alone how many fruits can I gather? How many can I distribute alone?’ So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is saying ‘distributers wanted! Come and take the fruits of Krishna Prem.’ just like you would fill baskets with fruits in the same way come and fill your book bags with books and go out and distribute them!

Otherwise fill your baskets with prashad and distribute it! ‘How much can I distribute alone?! You all come and bring more. Distribute this all!’ So this is Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki jai! This is his movement and his order. So this is how he is thinking and this is his strategy.

This is the strategy that Srila Prabhupada has implemented throughout the whole world. So the world has made this distinction that ‘these are people from Hindustan and these are from Pakistan.’ This is all that has been done now but at one time the whole earth was under one banner called ‘Bharat.’

The emperors were those such as Raja Parikshit and King Yudhushtira and grandfather Bhishma. Their kingdom was Hastinapura, the headquarters of the whole world, Bharat, but it became partitioned slowly more and more and now we have a UNO in New York, United Nation of organisations.

Whenever Prabhupada would go to New York and pass this UNO building in the car- he was not driving the car himself but when he would pass in the car he would say ‘hey! One more flag and another one! What kind of United Nations is this?! It is the disunited nations!’ At one time there was just one flag, one Bharat and everybody was under that one nation, and mthey were known as Bharatiyas.

Every human being and every citizen was from the same one country and Bharat was the name of that country of which we all belonged. But in this Kali Yuga the policy is that of divide and rule and so the time factor is dividing the people under different banners, countries and under different religions, different this and different that.

So before sixty, seventy years ago India and Pakistan were one country and it could be that at that time the people of Afghanistan must have been saying ‘oh those people who are on the other side of the river Sindhu.’ Do you know the river Sindhu?

gange ca yamune caiva godavari sarasvati
narmade sindhu kaaveri jale asmin sannidhim kuru

Translation
Oh Holy Rivers Ganga and Yamuna, and also Godavari and Saraswati,
Oh Holy Rivers Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri; Please be Present in this Water (and make it holy).

So the seven most pure rivers in Bharata Varsa are remembered even today and amongst them is Sindhu Maiya ki jai! So there is Ganaga Maiya and Sindhu river where the kingdom of Sindh is where Gandhar was. Where Gandhari was from and in Mahabharata there is description of this. So everything was under one flag and then we all divided it and split it all up.

Just like when the children of the family are small and all living together but when they become older what happens? They become separated and then they stop meeting one another. They do not even look upon each others’ faces. Once a man asked his friend, ‘do you ever meet your brother of not?’

The friend answered ‘yes, sometimes we meet. Whenever we have a court case to attend or a settlement we see each other there’ (laughter). Do you all understand? Those who used to meet at their home and play in the garden and embrace each other, without whom life became difficult to live and therefore they used to be together and live together always. And now, ‘yes, we meet.’

‘Where do you meet?’ ‘In court.’ So this is Kali Yuga. So wherever you may be in this situation, just expand your preaching

yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’ upadesa (CC Madhya lila 07.128)

Translation
Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Sri Krsna

Preach to as many people as you can. I keep getting reports of rathayatra in Karachi and in Pakistan and here and there. This news is then printed in Indian newspapers and with great pride the Indians read this and talk of this to others. ‘There was Jagannatha Rathayatra in Pakistan! In Pakistan this and in Pakistan that.’

So think and see how you can use ideas and leadership management to preach in this way. The leaders and organisers there like Shyamanand Krishna, you are a zonal supervisor or something, yes? So there are these managers of the temples and you must have so many festival committees.

I’m not sure but do you organise Padayatra or not? Actually this is a different thing. Bangladesh at one point was the same as Pakistan. There was West Pakistan and East Pakistan and Bangladesh was East Pakistan but Bangladesh was the popular part of Pakistan which has now become Bangladesh.

And actually there is so much Iskcon preaching in Bangladesh, have you heard or read about this or not? So there are thousands of devotees there and I myself have gone many times there and when there was rathayatra in Dhaka I attended. This was five, ten years ago and I saw that there were so many followers of Iskcon, Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

There were so many people in that rathayatra of a Muslim country-Bangladesh, Dhaka and as you may or may not know, I travel the whole world and I perform so many padayatra’s and am a part of so many rathayatra’s but the rathayatra I saw in Bangladesh, in Dhaka, I have not seen anywhere else outside India.

In India in Jagannatha Puri and Calcutta many people come together and my experience was that there were so many people in Dhaka also that the police who were all Muslims were controlling the crowd. There is also Padayatra happening there and I think we have over one hundred centres over there with many Namahatta’s in Bangladesh.

There is so much youth preaching and festival celebrations with book distribution happening and this was where the popular part of Pakistan, Bangladesh is. There is so much preaching over there and maybe this much preaching is not happening even in West Bengal. In India, as much Iskcon preaching as there isn’t even in West Bengal there is in India’s East Bengal, in Bangladesh.

So in this way you can see how you can take inspiration from all this and from these devotees. At one time they were also part of Pakistan and you are also Pakistani’s here. Actually you are all Vaikuntha Vasi’s, residents of Vaikuntha, not Pakistani’s and you know that the spirit soul has no connection with Pakistan or Baluchistan or Afghanistan.

But as I was saying that the people of Afghanistan may have been saying previously, ‘do you know those people, those on the other side of the river Sindhu? They are in Hindustan.’ So where they were pointing towards, the people of Afghanistan, that was also Pakistan because that was a part of Hindustan at the time. And Nepal was there as well as Lanka and Burma, all a part of Hindustan.

So get a little organised and increase your preaching online. Due to the coronavirus, all travelling and preaching has stopped and I am in Pandharpura for the last one and a half years. In my whole life I have never been in one place for such a long time and actually just maximum three days I have stayed in one place since taking Sannyasa.

Then next, next, next. So I have been stopped here and not only me but the whole world has stopped and there’s no movement. But along with this a good thing has happened and the government is also encouraging this working from home. So there is no need to go to office from home and we can stay there and so all your office work you do at home.

E-commerce and E-that and online this and online that but this was all happening. Now at least in India they are slowly opening things up again and so there was a demand in India. ‘We want wine! We want wine! What kind of life is it without alcohol?’

So what is the first thing that the Indian government did? They opened all the liquor shops. The thing which is most needed, the most essential thing, if we start contemplating on all such essential things then the first thing will be the liquor shops. So everything is happening online and the whole world is online so along with the world the Hare Krishna people are doing their preaching work online.

Just like you can see with Shyamanand Krishna and everybody else, we are in business right now, we are in business. Our preaching is happening although there is a lockdown. So as much as I have been stuck here now in Pandharpura, I have never stayed anywhere else before but as much preaching I have done in the previous one and half years or two years, I have never done before.

At the moment I am preaching here in Pakistan and in the afternoon I will be addressing another country at addressing another temple, another state in India and there are different meetings also. Today we have a meeting of Indian bureau in the evening but there is nowhere to come and go. We are stationed in one place and the social media such as zoom is the medium through which we can reach very far.

So at one time we were saying that the whole world has become one global village and that this internet has made the whole earth one village. Just like how we can easily go from one village to another and talk with the villagers there, in the same way we can do that now and we are doing that through the internet. So in the same way all you followers and organisers of Iskcon Pakistan use this internet as a medium and increase your preaching, communication and community.

You can even use Amazon to increase book distribution and in this way, preach. Ram Yagna Prabhu was saying to me that nobody comes to Pakistan to preach. Sarvabhauma Prabhu used to come but now since three, four years he hasn’t come.

Shyamanand Krishna who I was speaking about comes for half the year. So I was thinking that online Sanga and addresses or whatever else we can do, take advantage of this and you can invite senior devotees from all over the world and all over India who can address you all and you can have Sat-Sanga.

This could happen and by this happening you will get more inspiration and knowledge as well as devotion through preaching. Then you can preach more and this will definitely happen if you have more interaction with senior devotees from different parts of the world and from India.

Okay so like that keep performing kirtan

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

Chant your prescribed number of sixteen rounds daily with attention and follow the four regulative principles strictly. What else will you do? Read Srila Prabhupada’s books and distribute Prabhupada’s books. Honour Prashad, distribute prashad and go to Iskcon temples. First you make your own homes a temple and in this way reside in Vaikuntha.

There must be an altar and I am sure that you have one and Tulsi Maharani can be placed there. Can you also keep a cow, yes? Do you keep a dog? You can keep a dog but you cannot keep a cow, this is the problem (laughter). So give your full support to Iskcon, to Iskcon means give support to the supreme Lord and his service.

So whatever is happening, this Harinama is happening in the whole of Pakistan, this is the prediction of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

prithvite ache yata nagaradi grama sarvatra prachara haibe mora nama.

Translation
In as many towns and villages as there are on the surface of the earth my holy name will be preached.

So just as Mahaprabhu said, this is happening and will continued to happen. This Harinama preaching will spread and it will expand. It seems very difficult, ‘how is it possible? What?! In Pakistan and in Russia?’ Why not? Mahaprabhu has said ‘sarvatra prachara haibe mora nama’ and so this will definitely happen.

So there is no doubt about it. So I should stop now? Okay I can take some questions.

So wherever there is a temple you can have a Sunday school for the children like a Prahlad school and just like I said, make your homes a temple and the parents can put that example before their children. So by seeing this the children will become good-mannered and good children.

Prabhupada used to tell us that when he was a child he used to be sleeping and his father Gaur Mohan De would perform mangal arati and there would be the sound of ringing the bell and blowing of conch. So with these sounds small Abhay would awake and he would listen to mangal arati and watch the arati. So from his childhood Abhay had this spiritual training.

So you can do something like this maybe in the future when circumstances become favourable. You can run a farmhouse or something and have a farm community. There you can have Gurukula and Goshala. I don’t know if you have anyone here who can organise this or not. So you can think about this okay? Next question.

So you have worries that when we go to Vaikuntha will you have small children or not? Will you have your wife or not? ‘If this is the case then I will not go to Vaikuntha!’ You do not have worries like this, I hope? Okay so over there our soul is the one residing there in the spiritual world and the soul has a form and the soul has a name and a certain duty to fulfill.

The soul is a personality and it is not just a lump of mud , no the soul is
solid and has a form. So when we get liberated and we reach Vaikuntha or Goloka, whatever paintings we see of the Lord with his friends in the spiritual world, we see the devotees in the paintings, all these are the pure spirit souls, not the body.

There is no material body there, just spirit which is the body. The material body of five elements stays here and finishes here and the pure spiritual body is left which is the spirit soul and that spirit soul is what the Lord brings back to Vaikuntha loka and the soul stays there. Each spirit soul has a relationship with the Lord and each has a different Rasa, mellow with the Lord.

There are Santa rasa, Dasya rasa, Sakya rasa, Vatsalya rasa and Madhurya rasa which are the five prominent mellows and Rasa’s and then there are seven indirect Rasa’s. So all these different mellows have different flavours and that’s why they are called Rasa’s (juice). So each and every living entity has a relationship in a certain Rasa with the Lord.

In this way each Jiva stays with the Lord and the Lord plays with a particular devotee in a certain mellow or Rasa. In pastimes the Lord also needs the devotee, right? So along with the soul there is the supersoul, the supreme Lord and the Lord enjoys his pastimes in the spiritual world with his devotees. Over there all the relationships exist and there are the families of all the Jiva’s.

End.

Nityananda Katha

25th February 2021

Nityananda trayodasi ki jai!

This trayodasi is important because of it’s having been joined to the name of Lord Nityananda. Today is a very auspicious day, is it not? So because you know what day it is, you can say whether it is an auspicious day or not. So Balaram hoila Nitai, Balaram became Nityananda Prabhu and today is his appearance day.

So this is the reason why it is an auspicious day.

vande sri krsna caitanya
nityanandau sahoditau
gaudodaye puspavantau
citrau sandau tamo nudau (CC Adi lila chapter 1 text 2)

Translation
I offer my respectful obeisances unto ?r? Krsna Caitanya and Lord Nity?nanda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen simultaneously on the horizon of Gauda to dissipate the darkness of ignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all.

So who is it that is being offered obeisances? Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. Gaudodaye puspavantau, in Gaudadesh the two Lords have arisen on this day. Gaudodaye puspavantau- just like the sun and moon arise in the sky, in the same way the two Lords have appeared in the horizon of Gauda.

Citrau sandau tamo nudau.

They are unique and will always be unique. So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was always there and Nityananda Prabhu was always there and now they are not here. This is never the case with the Lord. But we are here today and gone tomorrow, so what faith can you keep in this life?

Just think that the Lord is eternal and his pastimes are eternal as well, and in being so they are also unique. So Nityananda Prabhu is also amazing, unique. Citrau sandau, Sa means peace. Do you want peace? So Nityananda Prabhu gives one this peace, sandau. To give us peace the Lord appeared on this day.

citrau sandau tamo nudau. Tam means darkness or the mode of ignorance from which darkness appears. Tamo nudau. To the Lord who gets rid of this darkness, ignorance, to that Nityananda Prabhu we offer our obeisances.

tamaso ma jyotir gamaya

Translation
From darkness, lead me to light. (Shanthi Mantra from The Brhadara?yaka Upanishad)

‘Leaving the darkness, go towards the light’ and so Nityananda Prabhu appeared to take all us, conditioned souls towards the light. He has come to guide those who are going towards the light and also those who are in the opposite direction of the light. In the form of Guru, the spiritual master, he is the original spiritual master.

So in this way we can say

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

So Nitynanda Prabhu being the Adi Guru, first spiritual master means that this prayer should be put at his lotus feet. It is a prayer.

ajanu lambita bhujau kanakavadhatau
sankirtanaika pitarau kamalayataksau
visvambharau dvija varau yuga dharma palau
vande jagat priyakaro karunavatarau

Translation
I offer my respects unto Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu, whose arms extend down to Their knees, who have golden yellow complexions, and who inaugurated the congregational chanting of the Holy Names. Their eyes resemble the petals of a lotus; They are the maintainers of all living entities; They are the best of brahmanas, the protectors of religious principles for this age, the benefactors of the universe, and the most merciful of all incarnations. (Caitanya-bhagavata 1.1.1)

Are you all listening? Even if you are listening, it is difficult to understand what language this prayer is in. So the prayer I have just recited is a Stuti. Do you understand what Stuti is? We do not perform Stuti (praise) so how will one understand what that is? Because we are so egoistic why should we offer praise to others?

So Vrndavan das thakur was always ready to praise others and Vrndavan das thakur was himself Vyasadeva. Krishna has become Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Balaram has become Nityananda Prabhu. Balaram hoila Nitai. We must understand this once and for all and so please understand who Nityananda Prabhu is. Who is he? Balarama.

So Balarama has become Lord Nityananda and so to speak of the glories and pastimes of Gaura Nitai, Srila Vyasadeva has appeared. He appeared once before to write the glories of Bhagavatam. This is Srila Vyasadeva who has written the Vedas and Puranas and he appeared again five hundred years ago. He then wrote another Bhagavat, first he had written Srimad Bhagavad and then he wrote the Chaitanya Bhagavad. What is the name, please say! Chaitanya Bhagavad. Words like this do not even come out of our mouths and we don’t even listen or think these wonderful, auspicious thoughts. So we should practice these things.

So the first thing written in Chaitanya Bhagavad is this, ajanu lambita bhujau.
Two personalities whose arms are long. How long are these arms? Ajanu where the a means extending. Extending up to where? The knees, and so like this, ajanu lambita bhujau.

There are two personalities, Gauranga and the other is Nityananda Prabhu. Ajanu lambita bhujau kanakavadhatau. And both have been described as being golden in complexion. Krishna varna, the complexion of Krishna was Krishna, dark. But when he becomes Gaura Nityananda, they are both golden in complexion.

Balarama was Shukla Varna, white in complexion and so the complexions of both personalities have been described. But the clothes are the same colour, yellow. Lord Vitthal also wears yellow clothes because he is Krishna and so Krishna has become Chaitanya Mahaprabhu so Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is like the rising sun.

Krishna wears yellow cloth and therefore Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wears yellow coloured cloth. Balaram and therefore Nitynanda Prabhu too, what colour clothes do they wear? Blue, Nilambar. So Pitambar and Nilambar. Kanakavadhatau sankirtanaika pitarau. They have both appeared to propagate the holy names of the Lord.

So they initiated this Sankirtan movement and they stated ‘Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam.’ All glories to the process of Sankirtan ki jai! Sankirtanaika pitarau.

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

The procession of sankirtan that takes place is flooded by the holy name. Just like the waves in the ocean which come in big ways and go up to the sky, then falling down. In this way we are called a movement, the Hare Krishna movement in which movement means to move or sway and dance.

Sankirtanaika pitarau kamalayataksau

Both Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu are being described here and both of them are lotus-eyed, not like us who have eyes like monkeys. And what kind of eyes they have? Lotus eyes and karana pariyantam, their eyes are blossomed like a blossomed flower where the petals have opened up.

So their eyes are so beautiful and blossoming that they look like they are looking behind and sideways as well. So the Lord’s eyes are like this and if you really want to know the Lord, you have come here to learn about the Lord. Then consider that this whole life has been awarded to you to understand the Lord.

So to know the Lord means to learn about his form. Does he have a form or not? Yes! So where should we start looking and learning about the form of the Lord? One is ajanu lambita bhujau. This is a description of how his long arms reach his knees. The Lord is Vishal, great and Prafulit, always joyful. He has lotus eyes with a lotus glance, this is a description of his eyes.

Dvija varau, they are the best of Brahmanas because Dvija means Brahmana. Dvija means twice because a Brahmana is he who has taken birth twice.

janmana jayate sudrah samskarad bhaved dvijah (Skanda Purana 239.31)

This is a second birth, Dvijah. Also the teeth are called dvija due to the fact that teeth are also born twice. Birds are also called Dvijah because they are born twice. So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the son of a Brahmana and also the best of Brahmanas. The Lord’s father’s name was what? Yes, Jagannatha Mishra. So who was the father of Lord Nityananda?

Yes, Hadai Pandit, so both these personalities were Pandits, scholars and Brahmanas as well. So Gauranga and Nityananda Prabhu were the sons of the best of Brahmanas. This is why it is said dvija varau yuga dharma palau. Understand this, yuga dharma palau. What is this current Yuga? Kali Yuga, yes.

And what is the process of attaining devotional service in this Yuga? We have to find out, but the Lord of course knows what Yuga is coming.

dharma sansthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge (BG 4.8)

Translation
To protect the righteous, to annihilate the wicked, and to reestablish the principles of dharma I appear on this earth, age after age.

So the Lord appears even in Kali Yuga and in this Kali Yuga the Lord himself has appeared but in other Kali Yuga’s Gaura Narayana comes and makes his appearance, not necessarily the supreme Lord himself. He is Gaura, golden in complexion and he is Narayana or Vishnu, Vishnu Tattva. But actually in this particular Kali Yuga the Lord himself has appeared. Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki jai! He is actually the supreme Lord.

ete camsa kalah pumsah
krsnas tu bhagavan svayam

Translation
All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord ?r? K???a is the original Personality of Godhead.

So ‘ete’ means all of these mentioned incarnations that Suta Goswami has mentioned in the first canto of Srimad Bhagavatam in the third chapter. Twenty four incarnations were supposed to be described but there is mention of only twenty two incarnations. So after counting the twenty two incarnations Suta Goswami says ‘ete camsa kalah.

All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Sti Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam.’ So Krishna is the original personality of godhead and so who is Balaram?

Balarama is Svayam prakash, the first manifestation of Krishna and so Krishna and Balaram are both the original supreme Lord. So both Krishna and Balaram appeared at the end of Dvapara Yuga and in fact we should say that they appear Kalpe Kalpe, not Yuge Yuge. Because in each Kalpa there is an appearance of Krishna and Balaram who are the source of all other incarnations.

So these very same Krishna Balaram appeared in the beginning of Kali Yuga, five hundred years ago. Gaura Nityananda ki jai! In the form of Gaura Nityananda these two Lords appear and what is their message?

dharma samsthapanarthaya (BG 4.8)

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

It is said in the Stutis

sankirtanaika pitarau kamalayataksau
visvambharau dvija varau yuga dharma palau (Chaitanya Bhagavad 1.1.1)

Translation
I offer my respects unto Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu, whose arms extend down to Their knees, who have golden yellow complexions, and who inaugurated the congregational chanting of the Holy Names. Their eyes resemble the petals of a lotus; They are the maintainers of all living entities. They are the best of brahmanas, the protectors of religious principles for this age, the benefactors of the universe, and the most merciful of all incarnations.

It says herein sankirtanaika pitarau kamalayataksau. Both of these Lords have appeared as protectors of the religious principles of this age and they have also established these principles. So now let’s just say what these principles are.

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

This is the dharma, the true religion, to chant Hare Krishna and to hear the Mantra as well. By hearing and chanting what will happen? Smaranam, remembrance and to do all this is the true Dharma, religion. When you were just dancing and chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, you became the best of religionists.

You performed Dharma, duty of religion and so by doing this you are the protectors of religion and the inaugurators of religion as well. This is what we become on behalf of Gaura Nitai. It is also said

dharma sthapana hetu sadhura vyavahara (Chaitanya Caritamrta Madhya 17.185)

Translation
A devotee’s behavior establishes the true purpose of religious principles.

A saintly person’s each action should be in connection to what? To establish the principles of religion. So all of the actions of Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu – actually the Lord does not act or rather the Lord’s actions are called ‘lila’ pastimes. The Lord performs pastimes.

gaurangera madhura lila jar karne pravesila hridoya nirmala bhelo tar
(The Glories of Sri Gauranga from Prarthana verse 1)

Translation
If anyone gives submissive aural reception to the pleasing and sweet pastimes of
Lord Caitanya, then immediately his heart becomes cleansed of all material contamination.

Whatever the Lord does, each of his actions becomes a pastime. When we hear these pastimes our heart, which is so dirty becomes cleansed. Just like you wash your clothes with soap.

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

So they gave this Dharma, religion of chanting the holy names and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu both together established this principle of religion of chanting the holy names of the Lord.

jagat priyakaro karunavatarau

Translation
They are the best of brahmanas, the protectors of religious principles for this age, the benefactors of the universe, and the most merciful of all incarnations. (Caitanya-bhagavata 1.1.1)

Whatever Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu have done is for the welfare of the whole universe.

golokam ca parityajya
lokanam trana karanat
kalau gauranga rupena
lila lavanya vigrahah
(Markandeya Purana)

In the Kali-yuga, I will leave Goloka and, to save the people of the world, I will become the handsome and playful Lord Gauranga.

Which place are Gauranga and Nityananda Prabhu from? Goloka. Goloka namni nija dhamni. And in Goloka there is Navadwipa, Mayapur and in Goloka there is Swetadvipa which is also known as Navadwipa, Mayapur. From there Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu have descended.

Golokam ca parityajya, he has left Goloka behind, he has renounced Goloka and today, on this day Lord Nityananda has reached here. For what reason he has done this? Golokam ca parityajya lokanam trana karanat. So Nityananda Prabhu has appeared on this day in Ekachakra Dham as the son of Hadai Pandit and Padmavati, he has become their son.

Nityananda Prabhu was very beautiful, and should he be so or not? He is the actual ornament of all beauty and original beauty is his only. The Lord is the one who steals our consciousness, this is what type of form he has and this is exactly what was happening in Ekachakra Gram. In Ekachakra Gram everybody, all the residents’ beloved, star of their eyes was Lord Nityananda.

When people would look towards the Lord they would look at him wide-eyes. They would just continue to stare with wide open eyes and their eyes would not even blink. They would then drink in the beauty of Lord Nityananda. They were not understanding why this was happening as they probably were not understanding that this is the supreme Lord.

But at the same time they were thinking ‘there is something special about this child. He is amazing and he is a such beautiful child.’ Just like we were saying the other day, they must have got some clues because just like children continuously play, in the same way Nityananda Prabhu would go to school, Gurukula.

Just as children in school play, just like here they are currently making a playground for children and the children become happy. Children by nature like to play and Nityananda Prabhu was a child as well and so he played almost all the time with his friends. But all their playtime would be the enacting of the different pastimes of Krishna in Vrindavan.

So in the mood of Balaram, Lord Nityananda played his pastimes and Nityananda Prabhu would also become Balaram. Balaram is there as Nityananda as Dhenukasura is being killed and Pralambasura is being killed in his childhood play. So Lord Balaram was very fond of honey and he would get some honey and he would drink to his satisfaction.

He would become intoxicated after drinking the honey and would then reach the banks of the Yamuna and he would be remembering his Rasa dancing and then on the banks of the Yamuna Lord Balaram would perform his Rasa dance. In Vrindavan there is a place called Ram Ghat where Balaram would perform his Rasa dancing pastimes.

So in Ekachakra Gram there would be many pastimes that Nityananda Prabhu would perform all the time. So many pastimes they would enact, just like the pastimes in Sri Lanka. So Rama and Lakshman have reached Lanka. Yes, Lakshman has reached. And who is Lakshman?

Nityananda Prabhu has become Lakshman. In Rama lila, who was Lakshman? Nityananda Balaram was Lakshman in Treta Yuga. In Dwapar Yuga he is Balaram and in Kali Yuga he is the one and only Lord Nityananda. So all this play was going on and then one day a Mahatma, a great saint reached the home of the Lord’s father.

So atithi devo bhava. What is the meaning of this? So a guest must be welcomed in one’s home because a guest is meant to be understood as being a demigod. So the saint stayed for some time and when it was time for his departure he said ‘give me this child, could you do so please?’

So his father said ‘yes, you can take him.’ He did not want to give his son and be apart from him but a sage was asking for his son and so how was he to refuse? One cannot refuse a saintly person so when the Lord was still only a child, the saintly person took him away with him.

Lord Nityananda did yatra, pilgrimage with that saintly person through the whole of India, Bharat (India) darsana. Would you like to do like this? (Shouts of Haribol)! Then you have to leave your homes. You have done your Haribols but think again. ‘Hey we have to leave our homes?!’ But leaving one’s home to perform Yatra is a very joyful experience.

Just to perform yatra, pilgrimage is such a joyful experience. This joy is much greater than the joy of household life at home. So in this way Lord Nityananda Prabhu was always in a joyful mood. Once a pilgrim was coming from Pune to Dindi and he stayed some days in Pandharpura and he was interviewed about his experience.

So he was asked ‘how is your pilgrimage going in Dindi, is everything well?’ So this Warkari, devotee was from Puri and so he said ‘well there is no peace here as there is always a storm or some other reason for concern, so no peace here but there is happiness!’ (Shouts of Haribol)!

He also said ‘in Pune there is a peaceful, comfortable life but there is no happiness over there.’ So in Pune there was comfortable life but no happiness and in Dindi there is no peace but there is happiness. This shows that happiness is not dependent upon peaceful situations. So the means of attaining peace is there in

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

So in whatever situation, peaceful or not, just perform devotional service. Hari Hari. Take the Lord’s darsana and take prasadam as your diet. In doing this you will find only happiness. So Nityananda Prabhu was acting in the exact mood of Lord Balarama and acting in the same way as Balarama.

At the time of the Kuruksetra war, Lord Balarama was around. He was not participating in the war but he was somewhere at the time. And Lord Balarama was not happy at the prospect of there being a war and so he didn’t want to take any part in it. Therefore whilst the war was going on, Lord Balarama set off on a tour of pilgrimage to all the holy places in the whole of Bharat, India.

So this very Balarama has come as Nityananda Prabhu and so in the same way that Lord Balarama performed pilgrimage, Lord Nityananda is performing Yatra as well. So Lord Balarama during his travels whilst on pilgrimage came to Pandharpura. (Shouts of Haribol)!

This is the information we have and so if Balarama Prabhu came then Nityananda Prabhu would have come as well. So Nityananda Prabhu reached Pandharpura and he stayed in Pandharpura for some time. He became a resident of Pandharpura for some days, you can say.

Jagannatha Snana Yatra
Iskcon Mauritius
26th June 2021
Hare Krishna. Jagannatha Baladeva Subhadra ki jai.

Srila Prabhupada ki jai.

Okay so I see some devotees some Mataji’s, Prabhu’s and Maharaja, there is Sri Krishna Chaitanya Swami Maharaja and I think there are so many more that I cannot see. I think you are most probably seeing me but it is also important that we also see the devotees.

Then I was thinking that it is more important just to see the Lord otherwise what good are these eyes if they do not show us the Lord and we don’t use the eyes to see the Lord? English is okay right, I think, yes? There is no-one to tell me yes or no. I think yes.

Jagannatha Swami nayana patha gami bhava tume
(Jagannatha Astaka)

This prayer is part of Jagannathastaka. And He will be there, nayana patha gami. Nayana are the eyes and patha is the path so eyes on the path. In Sanskrit it is Patha so they have just borrowed this word patha from the mother language Sanskrit.

‘May you be on the path of my eyes or be there wherever I turn. Please give me darasana.’

So that is the prayer and so that Jagannatha Swami is giving is darsana in the form of the deity. Kindly He is giving darsana in the form of deity and He gives us an opportunity to not only see but serve also. And today is that opportunity of seeing and serving Jagannatha on His snana yatra day.

Jagannatha Snana Yatra Mahotsava ki jai!

So this is one of the great festivals of Jagannatha Puri and of Jagannatha.

Jagannatha Puri is known for its festivals, a series of festival after festival and it is full of festivities. Jagannatha Puri is known for its festivals but today is a very special festival and of course in Jagannatha Puri it was held a few days ago, precisely on Jyestha Purnima day. Chitra, Vaishakh, Jyestha. This is the third month and then a full moon. Jyestha Purnima day is the day of snana yatra in Jagannatha Puri.

So a long, long time ago, don’t ask me how long ago (laughter). Probably no one knows or no one could say exactly how long ago. On that day of Jyestha Purnima, King Indradyumna also did snana (bathing) of Lord Jagannatha. In fact that was the first ever snana of Jagannatha and that first snana yatra day is considered the birthday of Jagannatha Baladeva Subhadra.

On that day they officially appeared as Jagannatha Baladeva and Subhadra. So what we do every year is celebrate the birth anniversary of Jagannatha on snana yatra day, Jyestha Purnima day. And there’s a whole process that is followed since long, long time ago in Jagannatha Puri. A process which is there in the scriptures, on snana yatra day.

Snana yatra day is one of the two days, two times where He comes out of his mandir, Jagannatha Mandir (temple). And then the rathayatra day. So that is the second time and so there is only two times He comes out. So Jagannatha, He doesn’t come, He is brought, He doesn’t have legs to walk so devotees pick Him up.

I was just remembering your Jagannatha in Mauritius, your Jagannatha is a huge Jagannatha, you have a big Jagannatha, I haven’t seen any big size Jagannatha like your Jagannatha in Mauritius which is right behind the screen curtain there. but of course Jagannatha Puri’s Jagannatha is the biggest deity in the world.

Otherwise also He is Jagannatha, so he has to be the biggest one and the heaviest one and that Jagannatha, the Panda’s they carry Him to the altar outside in the courtyard of Jagannatha Puri temple. I don’t know, probably you have enjoyed Jagannatha’s prasadam in Jagannatha Puri temple. There is a whole ananda bazaar, they call it.

Tons of prasad is sold, distributed and many buy and they just sit down there and they just relish Jagannatha prasadam. So in that area, the ananda bazar area, there is a special altar and it is always there. And only once on that day, once in that week and once in a year they have snana yatra day and at that time it is very well, beautifully decorated and the deities preside over on that alter.

And then exactly like rathayatra day, that kind of crowd gathers in Jagannatha Puri. Probably this is the next big crowd in Puri, Snana Yatra day. Thousands in attendance to witness, today of course only ten, fifteen devotees have come. Of course more could have come but because of this pandemic I could see you all with a mask on.

But in Puri a big gathering comes to attend this festival and to witness this festival. The bathing of Jagannatha Baladeva Subhadra happens only once in a year on Snana Yatra day. On ofher days they do Abhishek of Uttsava Murti but on Snana Yatra day they directly pour water on Jagannatha Baladeva Subhadra and this water is not from anywhere and everywhere, it is not tap water or well water, no.

In Jagannatha Puri temple in the courtyard next to Jagannatha’s kitchen- Jagannatha has a huge kitchen, a big kitchen. I had an opportunity to visit the kitchen. Of course we saw it from outside through the windows and doors and it is like a small, quite small but good sized factory and so next to the kitchen there is a well. So they draw the water from that separate well in either golden or silver or they may sometimes use copper pots.

This is part of the process which they follow and which is being followed for a long, long time. It is said that Brahma was the one who was presiding over the function of temple opening and deity installation of Jagannatha Puri temple. Brahma! Brahma personally was present!

arati karena brahma adi deva gane

As we sing everyday in sandhya arati that Brahma offers arati of Gauranga and Jagannatha is Gauranga, He is Krishna.

jei gaura sei krishna sei jagannatha.

So Brahma was present and he is worshiping Jagannatha including the snana yatra process. So they follow that and it is all written and they follow that. So water is then bought in a procession and there are special pujaris, daitas, and only they can carry those pots. Then with mantras and singing with playing instruments, water pots are bought to the altar and the grand abhishek, the auspicious ceremony of bathing Jagannatha Baladeva and Subhadra, this snana yatra takes place.

There are thousands who come to witness the snana yatra of Jagannatha Swami.

Jagannatha’s Swami ki jai!

The different bhoga offerings go on and the offering of flowers and prayers happen and this is the day where in the evening or during the day there is a very special dressing. The Lord is dressed like a Gaja. Gaja vesha, like an elephant with a trunk and big ears and he looks exactly like an elephant, all the three deities Jagannatha Baladeva Subhadra, on this day of snana yatra day.

I don’t know whether you were here but that is what you should be also doing, offering obeisances to this Hathi vesha to Jagannatha. There was some time in the past when a devotee of Ganesh was visiting Jagannatha Puri temple on snana yatra day. Of course his Istha Deva (worshipable Lord) was Ganesh and so he was expecting Jagannatha to also look like Ganesh.

As He had come and seen Jagannatha but there was no resemblance the Lord was not looking like Ganesh so this devotee was disappointed and he was going away. So Jagannatha realized the disappointment and then the Lord prompted one of the Pujari’s. ‘Hey go call that particular person and ask him to come back.’

So that is what the pujari did and the Ganesh bhakta was back in front of Jagannatha and the Lord was dressed, or rather the Lord had dressed Himself and He gave darsana looking like Ganesh, looking like an elephant as you know. Ganesh’s half elephant head part and the rest is human like. So that is another speciality and so from that time Lord Jagannatha displayed that pastime of looking like and dressing like Jagannatha.

So from that day onwards or that year onwards on snana yatra day that is the dress Jagannatha wears. So as you know I don’t know what season you have in Mauritius but the rainy season is here in India at that time and in Jagannatha Puri also. So while bathing Jagannatha the cool wind is blowing and this caused the sickness, Jagannatha becomes sick and feverish so the day after snana yatra is another utsava, another festival if you want to call it a festival.

They call it Annavasara Utsava, festival and this lasts for two weeks and the speciality of this festival is that the Lord is playing the pastime of a sick person. He is sick and he is not well! The doctor comes and the diagnosis is done and the prescription is bed rest for the Lord. No visitors. So from the day after snana yatra all the doors are completely closed shut and not a single visitor is allowed inside.

And Jagannatha Swami is on a diet. There is no deity in the world who enjoys as much quantity of bhoga, the amount of bhoga offerings that Jagannatha has. The Lord enjoys so much rice and other preparations. We have seen and I have seen that six times a day, as I told you that the factory, the kitchen of Jagannatha has one thousand cooks! How many people do you have in Mauritius? There are one thousand cooks cooking for Jagannatha and he enjoys big meals six times a day!

So the Lord is known for His dancing in Rasa Lila in Vrndavan and like that in different places He is known for different things and in Jagannatha Puri the Lord is known for His big bhoga.

bhoktaram yajna tapasam
(B.G 5.29)

Translation
‘I am the enjoyer of all sacrifices.

So He is a big bhogi, big bhokta, big enjoyer but during this time He drinks some juices with some herbs and therefore this is quite a austere program for Jagannatha as He is not well. The doctors and Laksmi personally is looking after the Lord and of course this is a lila, a pastime of the Lord. The snana yatra abhishek is a pastime and in getting sick, that is a pastime also.

Our getting sick, could that be called a pastime? ‘You know I have coronavirus – I am a positive case and this is my pastime. I am playing a pastime.’ We can’t say that so that’s the big difference between us and the Lord or our bodies and Jagannatha’s body. In fact Jagannatha does not have body but Jagannatha is the body.

We have a body and we think we are that body. This ‘we are’ is our illusion. We are the soul and we have a body. So there are two things but in the case of Jagannatha, He is the body, He is the form. When we get sick and this happens to us and that happens to us and so much suffering, the reactions of this karma and that karma. Karma catches up with us we are inconvenience and we have to suffer.

After all this we still have to take another birth but that does not apply to the Lord, does He have to take another birth? No, He is getting sick and these are His pastimes, this is not bad Karma.

na mam karmani limpanti
na me karma-phale sprha
(BG 4.14)

Translation
There is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action

The Lord has already declared in the Bhagavad gita that karma cannot entangle or bind the Lord. So during his Annavasara, snana yatra this is another festival of the Lord getting sick, but does He really get sick and does He really have fever? One year there were some Iskcon devotees, Yatri’s in Jagannatha Puri and they were talking amongst each other and some were saying ‘Hey does He really get sick? I don’t think so, I don’t believe it.’

So some talk was going on and then this reached some Panda’s ears and then that Panda said, ‘Are any of you doctors here?’ There were some doctors so he asked them ‘Do you have a thermometer?’ They said ‘Yes we do’ so that pujari, the Panda brought that thermometer and touched the place under the arms, the arm pit.

After some time the reading was measured, 104 fever! The pujari showed that to the Hare Krishna walas, just see. And the devotees were convinced, ‘Yes yes the Lord is sick, Lord is sick.’ So in Jagannatha Puri you will not get darsana of Jagannatha during that period. If you really want to have darsana of Jagannatha at that time you will have to travel some twenty or thirty kilometres away from Jagannatha Puri.

What is that place? It is called Alarnath. Lord Jagannatha gives darsana in Alarnath where He is a deity and He doesn’t look like Jagannatha. It’s a Vishnu form and the Alwar’s from South India have been serving this deity. So from Alwar it became Alarnath, the Nath (Lord) of the Alwar’s.

The Alwar’s are special vaisnava poets and they are great devotees of the Lord, always glorifying the Lord. So they have been taking care of this deity near Jagannatha Puri, so the name is Alarnath. In Jagannatha Puri He is Jagannatha and over there He is Alarnath. So that used to be Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s program, during this Annavasara period Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would go to Alarnath and take darsana.

At one time He was taking darsana and He fell flat on the ground and in fact He fell on a rock and by the touch of Gauranga Mahaprabhu’s Gaura Anga, His golden form, His ecstatic and trembling form, as this form touched that Sila, that rock, it melted! After dandavat pranam, offering of obeisances like a stick, as Mahaprabhu stood up He left an impression of His form on that stone.

And if you ever go to Alarnath, we have been there a number of times and we have seen the Sila. It is there and you can take darsana of that Sila and it will remind you ‘Yes, Mahaprabhu was certainly here taking darsana.’ So in Jagannatha Puri there is festival after festival and a series of festivals beginning with snana yatra and then Netra utsav and Gundicha marjana and then rathayatra and Hera Panchami and Ulta ratha.

Okay Sri Ksetra Jagannatha Puri Dham ki jai!

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

Rukmini Dwadashi Class
Iskcon Amravati
24th May 2021

aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa tanayas tad dhama vrndavanam
ramya kacid upasana vraja vadhu vargena va kalpita
srimad bhagavatam pramanam amalam prema pum artho mahan
sri caitanya mahaprabhor matam idam tatradarah na parah

Jai sri krsna caitanya prabhu nityananda
sri advaita gadadhara srivasadi gaura bhakta vrnda

hare krsna hare krsna, krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama, rama rama hare hare.

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

Our obeisances are not only unto Vasudeva but again and again we offer our obeisances to the lotus feet of Rukmini Devi. If Rukmini is pleased then Lord Dwarkadhish, the Lord of Dwarka will be merciful to us and without Rukmini’s mercy we cannot attain Krishna’s mercy.

Rukmini is the one who recommends us, ‘Prabhu Prabhu look here and look there. Look at that devotee over there and look there! He is certainly worthy of your service, so engage him in your service as well.’ This is what we say in Marathi, that recommendations come from Rukmini in Dwarka.

There are other queens and the principal queens also and Rukmini is a principal queen, a Maharani and there are many other queens. There are the palaces of the main eight principal queens and then another sixteen thousand one hundred palaces plus the principal eight.

So of all this and of all the queens, their principal queen is Rukmini and they all got married one after another to the Lord. The first marriage of the Lord is with Rukmini and I will briefly speak to you about how this gathering of sixteen thousand one hundred and eight came about and why is it such a specific number of sixteen thousand one hundred and then eight.

This is not the talk of astotara sata, one hundred and eight, no. The eight principal queens are Rukmini and then Satyabhama,Jambavati, Kalindi, Satya and others. So like this there are eight and the remaining sixteen thousand one hundred princesses were imprisoned by Bhaumasura.

So Lord Krishna went at that time taking Satyabhama with him because he needed to go to the heavenly planets. So first they go to Pragjyotishpura where this Bhaumasura was ruling and so this was his kingdom. He was a demon and was also the son of Bhumi (Earth) therefore his name was Bhaumasura. The Lord has battled there first with the demon Mura who was Bhaumasura’s bodyguard or it could be said his defence minister.

The Lord had killed him first, this Mura and so after this the Lord’s name became Murari, Ari means enemy and so the enemy of Mura, Murari. After this Bhaumasura was also vanquished, Haribol! Then after this the Lord goes into the dark prison house where the princesses were being held captive. There were sixteen thousand one hundred, that is how many princesses Bhaumasura had captured.

So the Lord freed them from the prison house and not only from the prison did he free them but also from all bondage in this material world by giving them his darsana. At that time all the young princesses pleaded to the Lord, ‘Oh Lord please accept us because who else will marry us now that we were held captive in the prison house of that demon? Please accept us.’

So there was no marriage over there but the Lord sent them away after having them nicely adorned, in palanquins and elephants to Dwarka and then He Himself went from Pragjyotishpura to the heavenly planets and then returned to Dwarka with the Parijata tree. Thereafter the sixteen thousand one hundred marriages took place.

There were also sixteen thousand one hundred palaces and so in those palaces each marriage took place. The eight marriages to the eight principal queens had already happened and now the sixteen thousand one hundred marriages are taking place. In this way those princesses have also become the queens of Lord Dwarkadhish.

So now there are sixteen thousand one hundred and eight queens and out of these the main marriage of the Lord is to Rukmini. This is some bonus katha that I have spoken because today is the appearance day festival of Rukmini. Rukmini Maiya ki jai!

So you must all have reached here to hear Rukmini Katha and you are now thinking ‘oh Maharaja what is this you are speaking about? Please speak about Rukmini.’

So welcome to you all again. It is a welcome to you all who were not here yesterday and for those who were here yesterday, welcome to you all again. So yesterday I was speaking to you about the childhood pastimes of Rukmini and how as a small girl she would go to gatherings of Vaisnavas to hear them speaking the of the glories of Lord Krishna. Her father would invite the saints to have sat sanga.

satam prasangan mama virya samvido (SB 03.25.25)

In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart.

When there is a gathering of devotees, mama virya, the Lord is saying that ‘there is then talk of my activities and my glories.’ So Rukmini was listening from childhood to these types of discussions and by constantly listening to these discussions of the Lord she was doing sravanam kirtanam visnoh. So by remembering Vishnu also, because she was listening to His glories, she gave her heart to the Lord.

Now at the time of her marriage you have all heard how Rukmini had written a letter and so now she has sent out a Brahman with this letter and the homework that was given to you all is to read that letter. She had given a signal as she was very smart and you will understand when reading that letter the strategies and words she has used to prove her intelligence.

‘You are calling me there but when I come to Kaundinyapura and come into the palace to kidnap you at your father’s place, they will then all follow me, Sisupal and company who will have arrived there. Then your home will become a battlefield, just like Kuruksetra and there will be bloodshed, so how will we avoid this?’

This sort of question Krishna could ask her and so she was thinking this question could come in the mind of Dwarkadhish, she was thinking like this in advance – this is called proactive. One is reactivity and other is proactivity. Thinking from the beginning of the answer to this, Rukmini said ‘No no no, do not worry about this’ so in this letter she has spoken about the meeting point as well and where that point will be.

‘The meeting point will not be in the palace but I will go to offer worship to Girija Devi before the marriage takes place and after the worship when I am returning on my way back and going back towards the palace, then you come. There will be a wide space there and you can meet me there.

Whatever you have to do over there you may do.’ So in this way Rukmini was very clever and this is all written in that letter, where to meet when the Lord arrived. Many other things are written in that letter and the godly Brahman has taken this letter and has reached Dwarka with it. This Brahman has been welcomed graciously and he has read this letter to the Lord.

When the Lord heard this letter He said a few things thereafter. The Lord first of all said ‘I agree with all these things spoken in this letter. I too cannot sleep at night and although I am lying on my bed I have sleepless nights. Why is this? Because I am always thinking of Rukmini all the time.’

I was supposed to mention some of these things before but how can I when you do not give me the time to do so? It is one talk after another. Anyway then the Lord got ready to leave and He has readied His chariot and seated the Brahman upon it. In one night only He has reached from Dwarka to Kaundinyapura just like when a storm arises.

He has gone just like a storm. Just a few days ago the cyclone and wind was blowing for so many hours and so like this in one night, from Dwarka to Kaundinyapura which is central India, near Nagpur and Amravati, this must easily be a thousand kilometres which the Lord has passed in one night and reached his destination.

So the next morning when everybody awoke in Dwarka, Balarama especially was thinking ‘Where is Dwarkadhish?’ He knew immediately, ‘Oh I know! He must have gone to Kaundinyapura to kidnap Rukmini as He is going to marry her. But there must be other kings there as well including those lowest of the human beings, Sisupala, Shalva, Jarasandha and others.

There is a great possibility of a great battle occurring.’ In this way Lord Balaram was thinking, so he took a small army with him as he had understood ‘the Lord has gone but he has gone alone without taking an army or any person with him, not even a bodyguard.’ So Lord Balarama has gone as well following the Lord and both Krishna and Balarama have been welcomed in a grand way in Kaundinyapura.

King Bhishmaka has arranged a wonderful welcome for the Lord and for His stay there. The marriage is to be performed that very day or maybe the next day and it is Rukmini’s marriage. She is a princess, daughter of a great king and therefore all the citizens of the kingdom of Vidarbha have reached there.

Sukadeva Goswami has spoken of how all the citizens have welcomed Lord Balaram and they have taken His darsana. They are drinking in the beauty of this darsana, all those citizens of Vidarbha. So it has been said that the citizens of Vidhabha had made their eyes into glasses and they were drinking the beauty of Krishna Balarama, filling their cups with their beauty through the eyes.

They were then drinking this beauty from the cups of their eyes and after drinking like this they would again and again fill these cups and drink in the beauty of the Lords. Just like our brahmacaris fill cups of sweet rice and keep eating and drinking it and they shout ‘me too me too’ to devotee who is serving the sweet rice.

They have just now had one cup of sweet rice and they are shouting for another and so they drink again. So in the same way the thirst of the citizens was not being satisfied even by drinking in the beauty of the Lords again and again.

Sri Krishna Balaram ki jai!

So Rukmini is anxiously waiting for the news from the Brahman and when she cannot see any sign of him arriving she is thinking ‘why has he not returned? Will he even come, maybe he will not even return.’ So she was going through a very difficult time but at the end when she saw the Brahman from afar she could understand that he had returned. So now was the time that she would go to perform worship of Girija Devi because she had written in the letter where were they to meet.

When she was to go for her worship of Girija Devi, upon her return from there on the way back she had told the Lord to come and take her. So she is now going, the most chaste Rukmini, varanana Rukmini. She was lovely faced and she was Vaidharbhi, the daughter of the King Vidharba. So youthful Rukmini was walking alongside many girlfriends.

There were many Brahmanas walking alongside her, chanting auspicious hymns for her good fortune and for her well being and this wonderful party was going along on their way towards Girija. A beautiful thing Sukadeva Goswami has said and what is it that he has said?

He says that Rukmini is going towards the feet of the goddess but how is she going? She is going with her feet, walking towards there by foot. So although she is going in this way by foot towards the temple of the goddess, towards the goddess’s feet, she is thinking in her mind of the Lord’s lotus feet. This is the game of the feet. There are three pairs of feet, Rukmini who is using her feet to walk towards the feet of the goddess and then there is the lotus feet of the Lord, upon which Rukmini is meditating.

This is Krishna consciousness or otherwise this is

man mana bhava mad bhakto
mad yaji mam namaskuru (BG 18.65)

Translation
Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me.

Always remember me.

smartavyah satatam visnur
vismartavyo na jatucit (CC Madhya 22.113)

Translation
Krsna is the origin of Lord Vishnu. He should always be remembered and never forgotten at any time.

So the Gopi’s are doing just this and they are always remembering the Lord. They cannot forget him, not even for one moment and one Gopi Chandravali from Vrndavan, she is the very same Rukmini who is always remembering Krishna. Upon reaching the temple, Rukmini performs her worship to the goddess and at the end of the worship there is also a prayer.

The prayer is the same as the prayer the Gopi’s made in Vrndavan to the goddess Katyanyani on the banks on the river Yamuna one year. This very same Katyanyani is here in the form of goddess Girija and here is the banks of the river Vardayini where Chandravali is present as Rukmini. The prayer is also not any different.

Nanda gopa sutam devi patim me kuru te namah (SB 10.22.4)

Translation
Please make the son of Nanda Maharaja my husband. I offer my obeisances unto you.

‘In the form of my husband may I have Lord Krishna, Dwarkadhish,’ this is the prayer of Rukmini as she reaches the temple of the goddess. So those who pray to the demigods

kanksantah karmanam siddhim yajanta iha devatah (BG 4.12)

Translation
Men in this world desire success in fruitive activities, and therefore they worship the demigods.

Here for Rukmini there is no other desire, nothing else to attain, no, zero! She wants Krishna only in the form of her husband and the goddess has heard her prayer and that is the arrangement that will now take place. Now Rukmini is returning back to the palace where she has to go back to but actually she knows that she will not go back to the palace.

On the way back she knows she will meet Dwarkadhish and this will be the first meeting as she has never before met Dwarkadhish or even seen him. She had only heard about Him again and again and in this way love for Dwarkadhish had awakened in her and now she just wants to attain him only.

Now that moment is not so far away and she knows that just as it was written in the letter about where to meet, Krishna is going to follow the script. When there is a drama performance or a movie in making then first of all there is a script. Rukmini had already sent the script so of course the show will take place according to the script, of this she is confident.

So just as Rukmini is coming back from the trip to the temple, what happens is that the whole party of Sisupala who were coming on behalf of the groom have also arrived and are standing near the temple which Rukmini has just visited. They are all there, all the important kings along with their entourage and they are all standing on both sides of the road.

They are all there and how are they all settled? Some are standing on the ground and some are on horses and some on elephants. Other kings are sitting on palanquins and they are there ready with their weapons at hand because they have a feeling that maybe Krishna may come and give some trouble, put some obstacles their way so they will have to attack if this happens.

This is another reason why they are gathered there in this manner. Now Rukmini is walking along, returning back and there is a wonderful description of her beauty and her beautiful walking, just like a swan she is walking. She is walking in this style and is moving forward and there is further description of her thin waist and lotus like face. There is description of her hair and some of that hair is also covering her face, so how she is removing some of that hair with her hand to be able to look at the kings in sidelong glances.

All these descriptions have been spoken of by Sukadeva Goswami. So when Rukmini is moving ahead from there, she has fascinated everyone and with everyone’s focused attention upon her, this Rukmini is going ahead and all the kings’ hearts are enticing. ‘Rukmini is so beautiful, can I also get her as my wife? Wow, what beauty!’

Everyone is saying ‘wow wow’ and it is also written that they are not aware that at the time they are sitting on the back of the horse or riding on an elephant. So the weapons they had in their hands are falling down one by one. They are all falling, dropping from their hands.

And one by one as Rukmini is moving forward, so those kings alongside where she passes, those Maharajas, who are sitting, riding on a horse or on the elephant, they are also falling. And thus she is defeating everyone, all are enchanted and fascinated, as she is attracting everyone’s attention to her. What is the purpose behind this?

It is because in this way no one’s attention will go towards Krishna and the path easily become clear for Krishna to come without the kings noticing. No one should note that ‘Look Krishna has come, Krishna is here, Krishna is here.’ So no one will be ready to attack. So wherever the kings were standing, she kept them there and she attracted their attention towards her. The weapons of some of the kings are falling, many are falling, so now Krishna can reach there with great ease.

Then it happened in the same way, that Rukmini suddenly saw the chariot of the Lord with the flag marked with the Garuda and as she saw the flag, she understood that ‘this is the chariot with Garuda on the flag, this should be Krishna’s chariot, this should be Krishna’s.’ So now Rukmini is moving forward towards that chariot and Dwarkadhish is also moving swiftly ahead where Rukmini is.

Okay now that hour, that auspicious moment has arrived, now the chariot is moving forward and Rukmini is also moving forward and now Rukmini is right next to the chariot. They have both now seen each other, Rukmini and Dwarkadhish and as they meet their eyes lock together and meet their hearts. Now Rukmini, she knows what to do next and that she needs to get onto that chariot so she has extended her hands forward and Krishna has extended his helping hand.

So that Rukmini could to climb with great ease, Dwarkadhish has made it easier in this way by helping her on.

Rukmini Dwarkadhish Ki Jai!

So now Rukmini gets seated in that chariot and the next departure is for Dwarka. Dwarka Dham Ki Jai! Dwarka is far away but then in Krishna’s chariot.

mahati syandane sthitau (BG 1.14)

Translation
On the other side, both Lord Krsna and Arjuna, stationed on a great chariot drawn by white horses

What a beautiful chariot and who can describe that chariot as well as Dwarkadhish who is standing before it? Only Anantasesa can do it, Nagpur Amravati can’t do it, they can also do many things, but only Sahastravadan can describe this chariot and only he can describe Dwarkadhish’s name, qualities, pastimes and abode. So such Dwarkadhish, when he started off with Rukmini, as the departure started, all Sisupala and company woke up. Hari Hari!

Then they all started following the Lord and His chariot, but who can catch Krishna? How much effort yogi’s make in their meditative state for thousands of years to attain Krishna, to be in association with him or to touch or attain the Lord’s lotus feet?

So that, and actually if Krishna wants then only it is possible for him to be caught. All these kings them did not want to receive the Lord or touch him, please him, so then they were just following and futile efforts were being made. By the way, there is a certain thinking, such a demonic tendency, and all those demons, Asuras Kings who were from this category of demons were thinking, ‘where is this fox?’

They were referring to Lord Krishna as a fox, ‘where is this fox? Amongst us lions kings of the forest, Kesari Vanraj, how did this fox come and kidnap Rukmini? Who is this fox amongst us great lions? Who is this fox among us lions?’ So the matter was just the opposite and things were happening in the right way but by thinking and saying the wrong or opposing thing, these demonic congregations produce vomit from their mouths by such talk.

Everything that they talk they vomit by speaking the opposite. So all these so-called Kings, Maharaja’s had come there from Sisupal’s side, these were the actual foxes and Sri Krishna is Vanraj Keshari, the king of the forest, the lion.
Narsimha Bhagwan ki jai!

Narsimha is lion. He is also a lion and when He once showed himself as a lion, it is not that he had became a lion for the first time. He is the one lion and the whole world is full of foxes. If there is a lion, it is Shri Krishna, it is Narsimha. So all of them followed the chariot and then some fighting continued. Rukmi was also following all of them and was also fighting and then Balaram scolded him, shaving his head with a sword and defeating all.

After this Krishna and Balaram along with Rukmini departed to Dwarka Dham. Dwarka Dham ki jai!

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

So ‘Shubh Mangal Savdhan.’ Shubh Mangal’ happens in Dwarka, then there is Rukmini Mangal, which is I think Rukmini Mangal Mangalyakarya or Shubh Mangalya, an auspicious time, it can be said like that and it happened in Dwarka.

tada mahotsavo nrnam
yadu puryam grhe grhe
abhud ananya bhavanam
krsne yadu patau nrpa (SB 10.54.54)

Translation
At that time, O King, there was great rejoicing in all the homes of Yadupur?, whose citizens loved only K???a, chief of the Yadus.

By the way, a festival was being celebrated in every place in every house in the entire city of Dwarka and the people of Vidarbha had reached that festival in Kaudanyapur and the marriage is about to take place. Rukmini is getting married, so let us go. So many people have got dressed and adorned themselves for the marriage and as you know, especially ladies are wearing beautiful saris and make up with beautiful ornaments.

They have embellished themselves and they have reached Vidarbha, have reached Kaudanyapur. But that marriage for which they had originally come did not take place. Krishna spoilt the whole thing or now rather that so called bad thing was being celebrated everywhere in the entire city of Dwarka, in every household. And under at festival, the people of entire Vidarbha had reached Kaundanyapur.

‘Now Rukhmini is getting married so let’s go.’ Innumerable amounts of people had reached Kaundanyapur like a huge marriage party. But then that marriage for which they had arrived did not take place. Krishna spoiled the whole thing. Now talk of that bad thing will be made in Dwarka as the most wonderful thing. So now the preparations for marriage have started in Dwarka and the marriage festival has been announced.

So all the people of that state have reached Dwarka all the way to clean India, and surely to clean Dwarka and the citizens have made Dwarka clean and green. By the way, Dwarka is already clean. But cleaning should be done thinking like this, even when cleaning is not required, even if there is no garbage, keep cleaning. That is Chintamani Dham, sacred and clean. All the decoration for the marriage is described and what
is called talk of the town has become a topic of discussion.

How Dwarkadhish kidnapped Rukhmini, and how he went overnight, went alone to Kaundinyapura in reply to Rukmini’s letter. Whatever sequence of events happened, the news had reached Dwarka of all the happenings. So everyone was discussing haran lila, the pastime of the kidnapping of Rukmini amongst themselves. So because it has been explained by Sukadeva Goswami and written by Srila Vyasadeva, we read and discuss these pastimes regularly.

There is always some discussion going on, but in those days the kidnapping of Rukhmini had just happened, so we can imagine how much they were talking and for many days this went on, the talk of how Krishna had kidnapped and married Rukmini after she had sent him a letter. So all these discussions which were about Krishna’s bravery between all the residents of Dwarka, such is written by Sukadeva Goswami.

Rukminya haranam srutva
giyamanam tatas tatah
rajano raja kanyas ca
babhuvur bhrsa vismitah
(SB 10.54.59)

Translation
The kings and their daughters were totally astonished to hear the story of Rukmini’s abduction, which was being glorified in song everywhere. Here that discussion is happening everywhere.

dvarakayam abhud rajan maha modah puraukasam
rukminya ramayopetam drstva krsnam sriyah patim
(SB 10.54.59)

Translation
Dvaraka’s citizens were overjoyed to see krsna, the Lord of all opulence, united with Rukmini, the goddess of fortune.

Now what is to be said, that’s all, the marriage is done. Shubhmangal Savadhan, chanting of all auspicious mantras and with great joy and glee. First there was kidnapping of Rukmini and later Dwarkadish and Rukmini’s marriage took place in Dwarka.

yam brahma varunendra rudra marutah stunvanti divyaih stavair
vedaih sanga pada kramopanisadair gayanti yam sama gah
dhyanavasthita tad gatena manasa pasyanti yam yogino
yasyantam na viduh surasura-gana devaya tasmai namah
(SB 12.13.1)

Translation
Unto that personality whom Brahma, Varuna, Indra, Rudra
and the Maruts praise by chanting transcendental hymns and reciting
the Vedas with all their corollaries, pada kramas and Upanisads, to
whom the chanters of the Sama Veda always sing, whom the perfected yogis see within their minds after fixing themselves in trance and absorbing themselves within Him, and whose limit can never be found by any demigod or demon – unto that Supreme Personality of Lordhead I offer my humble obeisances.

The scriptures are the words, they sing this story. ‘And us Lords – Brahma, Varuna, Indra, Rudra and the Maruts, all thirty three crore Lords, we keep listening, chanting such pastimes, and we do the same thing, we have been doing the same since morning, we are listening and reciting it. It is our religion to do this, our dharma. The Lord did such leela, He manifested these pastimes.

Rukmini was kidnapped just like people take part in sports games. It’s all a game
and so simple for Krishna to do these things, we say when something is easy that it can be done with the left hand like child’s play. So this is how easily Krishna kidnapped Rukmini and then this pastime was narrated in Bhagwat katha.

Sukadeva Goswami spoke this pastime and so many others, so in this way this topic has become a topic of discussion through the whole world, and for this purpose it has been composed. This lila also happened, and was also written so that

mac chitta mad gata prana
bodhayanta? parasparam
kathayantash cha mam nityam
tushyanti cha ramanti cha
(BG 10.9)

Translation
With their minds fixed on me and their lives surrendered to me, my devotees remain ever contented in me. They derive great satisfaction and bliss in enlightening one another about me, and conversing about my glories.

On this point Rukmini listened to Dwarkadhish’s pastimes from her childhood. She awakened her love for Krishna and established her relationship with Krishna. So it is the same with us if we follow the lotus feet of Rukmini. We will also do the same by listening and by performing kirtan.

sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam (SB 7.5.23)

Translation
Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name,form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Vishnu,remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one’s best friend and surrendering everything unto Him – these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service.

This devotion begins with hearing and kirtan. By doing this, our affectionate relationship will also be re-established with the Lord. This is called yoga, Bhakti yoga. Some short circuit has happened in this illusory world. When we come, there is a short circuit and we connect our relationship with the whole material world. And we become the demons of the world.

This idea and illusion keeps us rotating round and round. But when they listen and do kirtan

Apuliya hita jo ase jagata, dhanya matapita tayachiya
Kuli kanyaputra hoti ji saatvik, tayacha harikh wate deva
Geeta Bhagwat kariti shravan, akhand chintan Vithobache
Tuka mahne maj ghado tyachi seva, tari mazya daiva paar naahi (Tukaram Gatha Abhanga 4)

Translation
Parents of a person, who knows what is in his best interest, are really blessed (by having given birth to him). Even Lord
is overjoyed about those persons in whose clan children of pious thoughts are born. Where there is unceasing reading of Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavan and contemplation of Lord Vitthal; If people in such place are served by me, then I will consider my fortune as unparalleled.

So this is the same for whoever listens to Gita, lila, Katha, and especially on this day the story of the kidnapping of Rukmini, the story of Rukhmini Dwarkadhish. So we are also back on the track, we have come on the right track. There is a chapter in the Srimad Bhagavatam, the name of the chapter is the forest of enjoyment. This forest is of enjoyment, of consumption. So this world has also been called wild again.

It is a forest but it is a forest which has caught fire, a wild fire. We could avoid this
fire but then the corona virus has increased the fire further. The fire was
enough or needed a little more fuel to intensify this fire and so
coronavirus came. Then India variant arrived, South African, England
variant arrived and now the latest black fungus has arrived. Enough is enough,
no more, or do you want more of this fire, should we make it bigger?

So we, who have become so ghostly minded do not improve or become better by kicks, so we are being kicked again and again, so who knows when we will become proper. We will be proper only when we get the grace of K?ishna.

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru krana prasade paya bhakti lata bija
(C.CMadhya Lila 19.151)

Translation
According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of K???a. By the mercy of both K???a and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.

You will come in contact with the devotees and in touch with Hare Krishna mantra. Then we will chant

Hare Krsna Hare K?sna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

We will sing

ekam sastram devaki putra gitam
eko devo devaki putra eva
eko mantras tasya namani yani
karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva

Translation
Let there be one scripture only, one common scripture for the whole world — Bhagavad-gita. Let there be one Lord for the whole world — Sri Krsna. Let there be only one hymn, one mantra, one prayer — the chanting of His name

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna
Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Let there be one work only-the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

We will study the scriptures of Gita, there is also continual Bhagavatam
service. We will listen to Srimad Bhagavatam Katha. If we do so

nasta prayesu abhadresu nityam bhagavata sevaya
bhagavaty uttama sloke bhaktir bhavati naisthiki
(SB 1.2.18)

Translation
By regular attendance in classes on the Bhagavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Lordhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.

bhaktir bhavati, you will get devotion, bhagavaty – to the Lord, not a Goddess. In the Lord only, there will be devotion at the lots feet of the Lord. It became a topic of discussion in Dwarka, kidnapping of Rukmini was being discussed. You also discuss in your own home, in the locality, in the state, in the country, all over the world. Perform talk of the town, in Mauritius, in Russia, in Bangladesh, everywhere in the World and in India of course.

Only concern of devotee is welfare of others
May 22, 2021
Ujjain

All you devotees of Ujjain are doing the best work for everyone. The representatives of Iskcon Ujjain including Bhakti Prem Swami Maharaja, Prem Avatar Prabhu and Upendra Priya are all belonging to Iskcon Ujjain, isn’t it?

So in celebration of Nrsimha Chaturdasi mahotsava there is not just katha for the one day but usually for seven days and here you are all having katha since nine days. So thank you all of you that you are giving me the opportunity to speak some small broken, imperfect words which even I am able to speak. This is for the service of Nrsimhadeva or you could say in the service of Prahlad Maharaja alongside the service of Srila Bhakti Charu Swami and all of you.

I am the servant of everyone and so I am your servant also so again thank you that you gave this servant an opportunity to perform service and also a very big welcome to you all. Some are not yet here so there are still people coming and I have just sung Jaya Radha Madhava and you played that recording. In doing so you have made my work easier.

mahaprabhoh kirtana nritya gitavaditra
madyan-manaso rasena (guru astaka 2)

Translation
Chanting the holy name, dancing in ecstasy, singing, and playing musical instruments, the spiritual master is always gladdened by the sankirtana movement of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

In lockdown the kirtana performers cannot meet nor can those who play musical instruments in kirtana meet and so those who were late did not hear but those who were present heard and I also heard the recording of Jaya Radha Madhava. So Nrsimha Chaturdasi is not far away, only two days to go and we are all counting the days or moments.

We are eagerly awaiting that auspicious moment or time and so I was thinking that when the Gopi’s sang their geet, their song, the Lord appeared amongst them and in the same way if we sing Nrsimhadeva’s bhajan and remember Him then Lord Nrsimha will appear before us.

tatra tisthami narada
yatra gayanti mad bhaktah
(SB 4.21.41)

Translation
I remain where My devotees engage in glorifying My activities.

So we do not in one sense even have to wait because as soon as we start to sing about Lord Nrsimhadeva, tatra tisthami, the Lord says ‘I appear there.’ So the Lord will certainly keep his word and Lord Nrishma can appear two days in advance. Before that though we have to bring the Lord into our heart. It is a good thing that the Lord appeared in Ahobilam or somewhere else as well, sambhavami yuge yuge.

But our goal or rather every soul’s goal should be what the devotee’s desire is, ‘That the Lord please appear just for me.’ So we will glorify the Lord and remember Him and everyone will think of Him and that is the place where the Lord appears, tatra tisthami narada. You are all reading different slokas here and in Srimad Bhagavatam canto seven in many chapters there are the pastimes of Lord Nrsimhadeva.

So Nrsimhadeva is not alone in these pastimes, Prahlad is also present and Nrsimhadeva is the Isa, the Lord of Prahlad. So the Lord’s pastimes came to an end and the demigods appeared along with Lakshmi. This is all described in many of the chapters in the seventh canto. We will read today the ninth chapter verse 43 where twe will hear Prahlad Maharaja speak, Sri Prahlad uvaca.

So before we start reading, we offer our pranam to Nrsimhadeva, although we do not know how to offer prayers, the prayers that have been spoken already and are known to us have been taught by Srila Prabhupada.

Also when we go to parikrama and go to Jagannatha Puri, we go behind the temple, where there is a Nrsimhadeva deity. This is where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu offered prayers and it is the same prayer, the Nrsimha prayer we sing daily. So let’s now go to our sloka for today of Srimad Bhagavatam canto seven, ninth chapter Sloka 43.

naivodvije para duratyaya vaitaranyas
tvad viryam gayana mahamrta magna cittah
soce tato vimukha cetasa indriyartha
mayavsukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan

Translation
O best of the great personalities, I am not at all afraid of material existence, for wherever I stay I am fully absorbed in thoughts of Your glories and activities. My concern is only for the fools and rascals who are making elaborate plans for material happiness and maintaining their families, societies and countries. I am simply concerned with love for them. (SB 7.9.43)

Okay so you are all looking and reading the sloka as I read it and so we do not need to recite it repeatedly as you have all heard and read it. Let us do the transliteration.

‘I am not disturbed nor afraid.’ Who is saying this? Prahlad Maharaja is saying this. So on the day of Nrsimha Chaturdasi, this is going back to Satya Yuga, Nrsimhadeva has appeared and vinashaya ca duskritam, He has also killed that dustha, demon. All the demigods and goddesses present there are quite somewhat afraid even of the Lord.

The display the Lord has shown of His anger along with the screaming and roaring has scared them. The whole world is afraid of this roaring and so are the demigods. Lakshmi is standing far away and Brahma has prompted Prahlad Maharaja to go forward. ‘Go close to the Lord’ and Prahlad Maharaja has done just this as he was unafraid even then.

Naivodvije, Na means not, ‘I am not afraid.’ Prahlad Maharaja wasn’t afraid at that time and actually he was never afraid. So Prahlad Maharaja has gone close to Nrsimhadeva and is offering his prayers and from these prayers I have recited one sloka to you, this sloka here.

So this is the situation of the Lord appearing and after the appearance there is this prayer of Prahlad Maharaja and we are reading his prayers. So anyway you have been reading Bhagavatam for many days so you must know up till where we have reached. So okay.

Naivodvije para duratyaya means that it is difficult to overcome vaitaranyas, the river of this material world. Tvad virya means by glorifying the activities of the Lord through kirtana or by spreading the Lord’s glories. Maha amrta is the great ocean of nectarean spiritual bliss. Magna cittah whose consciousness is absorbed. I am simply lamenting tatah – from that; vimukha cetasah – the fools and rascals who are bereft of K???a consciousness; indriya- artha – in sense gratification; maya sukh?ya – for temporary, illusory happiness; bharam the false burden or responsibility (of maintaining one’s family, society and nation and elaborate arrangements for that purpose) udvahatah – who are lifting (by making grand plans for this arrangement); vimudhan – although all of them are nothing but fools and rascals (I am thinking of them also).

Please listen with rapt attention. Who is speaking these words? Prahlad Maharaja and so these are his words so we must listen carefully.

Translation
O best of the great personalities, I am not at all afraid of material existence, for wherever I stay I am fully absorbed in thoughts of Your glories and activities. My concern is only for the fools and rascals who are making elaborate plans for material happiness and maintaining their families, societies and countries. I am simply concerned with love for them.

Srila Prabhupada’s purport now. Srila Prabhupada ki jai.

Throughout the entire world, everyone is making big, big plans to adjust the miseries of the material world, and this is true at present, in the past and in the future. Nonetheless, although they make elaborate political, social and cultural plans, they have all been described herein as vimudha – fools.

The material world has been described in Bhagavad-gita as duhkhalayam asasvatam -temporary and miserable – but these fools are trying to turn the material world into sukhalayam, a place of happiness, not knowing how everything acts by the arrangement of material nature, which works in her own way.

prakrteh kriyamanani
gunaih karmani sarvasah
ahankara-vimudhatma
kartaham iti manyate

Translation
The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by nature. (Bg. 3.27)

There is a plan for material nature, personally known as Durga, to punish the demons. Although the asuras, the godless demons, struggle for existence, they are directly attacked by the goddess Durga, who is well equipped with ten hands with different types of weapons to punish them. She is carried by her lion carrier, or the modes of passion and ignorance.

Everyone struggles very hard to fight through the modes of passion and ignorance and conquer material nature, but at the end everyone is vanquished by nature’s laws. There is a river known as Vaitarani between the material and spiritual worlds, and one must cross this river to reach the other side, or the spiritual world. This is an extremely difficult task. As the Lord says in Bhagavad gita

daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya (B.G 7.14)

Translation
This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome.

The same word duratyaya, meaning “very difficult,” is used here. Therefore one cannot surpass the stringent laws of material nature except by the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Nonetheless, although all materialists are baffled in their plans, they try again and again to become happy in this material world. Therefore they have been described as vimudha — first class fools.

As for Prahlada Maharaja, he was not at all unhappy, for although he was in the material world, he was full of Krsna consciousness. Those who are Krsna conscious, trying to serve the Lord, are not unhappy, whereas one who has no assets in Krsna consciousness and is struggling for existence is not only foolish but extremely unhappy also.

Prahlada Maharaja was happy and unhappy simultaneously. He felt happiness and transcendental bliss because of his being Krsna conscious, yet he felt great unhappiness for the fools and rascals who make elaborate plans to be happy in this material world. So these are very important words of praise by Prahlad Maharaja and Srila Prabhupada again and again would quote these prayers of Prahlad Maharaja and he has said ‘vimudhan’ (fools and rascals). He has also said ‘naivodvije, I have no fear nor any worry and that too under any situation, Prahlad Maharaja is saying.

So someone may ask ‘why do you not get afraid, unhappy or worried?’ So Prahlad Maharaja answers that ‘actually no sorrow or problem or situation in this world can disturb me.’ He says ‘duratyaya vaitaranyas.’ So the river known as Vaitarani which Srila Prabhupada has described in his purport is very difficult to cross.

In the same way this world is duhkhalayam asasvatam, full of miseries (B.G 8.15) and also mama maya duratyaya, ‘my material energy is so difficult to overcome’ (B.G 7.14). So Prahlad Maharaja is also using the world duratyaya here in his prayer. He is saying that to overcome the Lord’s material energy and this material world and also the river Vaitarani is duratyaya, so very difficult.

Mama maya duratyaya. ‘But these very difficult things are actually very easy for me. Without difficulty I overcome these obstacles and am above the difficulties and dualities of these things.’ How is this? Tvad virya gayana mahamrta magna cittah. So this is Prahlad Maharaja. How is Prahlad Maharaja? He is he who promises ‘yes, naivodvije para duratyaya vaitaranyas.’

‘So how is this possible that you are never worried or sorrowful or troubled? What is the secret to this and how is it possible?’ Tvad virya, Tvad virya. Tvad means you, so this is where Prahlad is talking to the Lord and the Lord is not far from Prahlad Maharaja at this point but is standing by his side. He is there and is sitting there, he has appeared. Nrsimhadeva Bhagavan ki jai!

So therefore whilst addressing the Lord, Prahlad Maharaja is saying ‘Tvad virya, your glories and activities.’ Mama virya samvido. When there is glorification of the Lord amongst devotees, Lord Kaplia is saying that ‘the devotees sing of my glories and activities.’ So Prahlad Maharaja is this kind of saint, a Mahatma and he is also a Maha Bhagavad, one of the twelve Mahajanas, great personalities. Prahlad Maharaja ki jai!

prahlado janako bhismo
balir vaiyasakir vayam

tvad virya gayana mahamrta magna cittah (SB 7.9.43)

Translation
O best of the great personalities, I am not at all afraid of material existence, for wherever I stay I am fully absorbed in thoughts of Your glories and activities.

So Prahlad Maharaja’s thoughts are always absorbed in the Lord. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that the devotee’s thoughts are always in him.

mac citta mad gata prana
bodhayantah parasparam
kathayantas ca mam nityam
tusyanti ca ramanti ca
(B.G 10.9)

Translation
The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are surrendered to Me, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss enlightening one another and conversing about Me.

So the Lord is saying that this is an introduction to my devotee. ‘So where do my devotees’ thoughts stay? Mat cittah, in me. Kathayantas ca mam nityam
tusyanti, they are always conversing about me. This is where they derive great satisfaction.’ This is exactly the same thing as what Prahlad Maharaja is saying.

Tvad virya gayana mahamrta. When the glorification of the Lord is there, there is an ocean of nectar and bliss of the Katha. ‘So this is the ocean of bliss in which I keep diving into and there I taste the nectar of that bliss.’

Radha krishna padaravinda bhajananandena mattalikau (Sad goswami 2)

The six Goswamis are absorbed in the mood of the gopis and are engaged in the transcendental loving service of Radha and Krishna.This Sloka is in reference to the six goswamis of Vrindavana so Ananda matta, magna. In the same way Prahlad is saying ‘my consciousness is aways absorbed in you, my Lord and that is why for myself I have no problems or concerns. For me I don’t care for myself. I am happy and satisfied.’

I am not afraid at any time. So the Lord may say ‘okay so you do not have any concerns for yourself nor any fear or worry. So is that all you have to say?’

‘No, no! I want to say further that not for myself but I keep thinking and I am always worried for them. What will become of them?’ So who are these people? Vimukha cetasa. ‘Those who are fools and rascals. Because I myself am Shanmukha.’ These two words have an opposite meaning to each other.

They are facing face to face, these two words. ‘I am Shanmukha because your devotees are Shanmukh but few others are Vimukha,’ which means their back is towards the Lord. They are going away from the Lord and so vimukha cetasa means the devotee’s contemplation and thoughts, feelings and meditation is towards the Lord, Vimukha.

They do not do this by facing away from the Lord but by facing towards the Lord and why do they do this? The answer is not in this specific Sloka but Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport that people make elaborate political, social and cultural plans, they have all been described herein as Vimukha fools. Therefore their feelings and thoughts and intelligence is also foolish.

Indriyartha is mentioned in this verse because for the satisfaction of their senses they keep trying different things and then maya sukhaya, they look for happiness in Maya and in this way they are carrying a great burden upon their selves, the burden of Maya in the guise of duties and responsibilities, ‘saying this is mine and this I must do.’

That is why bharam udvahato, those who are not facing the Lord and are Vimukha are lifting the false burden of responsibility. Bhaar means a heavy load, a burden which they keep carrying just like an Ass does. An Ass carries tons of the washerman’s clothes and in the same way those who are indifferent, not facing the Lord are carrying so much other burden.

Those who are facing the Lord as devotees, those who are faithful and righteous, are free from burden, Saragahi. So one is Bharavahi who carries a burdensome load by not surrendering to the Lord and the other is Saragahi who doesn’t accrue burden.

So a devotee like Prahlad Maharaja or devotees who follow Prahlad Maharaja, these are all Saragrahi. One poet has written, saar saar ko gahi rahe totha de udai. So the people of the material world keep trying to wash away what they feel is a burden of work in devotional service and true devotees like Prahlad Maharaja keep washing the burden of maya sukhaya bharam and so they wash the burden of false responsibility.

Udvahatah is a reference to those who are lifting by making grand plans for their arrangements. These plans can be called Ugra Karma, what kind of work? Ugra Karma, unpleasant work and so the whole world is busy performing unpleasant work. Prahlad Maharaja says ‘Vimudhan.’

He says that these people are nothing but fools and rascals, vimukha cetasa, because they are bereft of Krishna consciousness. They are always endeavouring to gratify the senses and attain material happiness by performing Ugra Karma, unpleasant works and therefore they have been called Vimudhan.

Ahankara vimudhatma. Prabhupada is giving meaning to all these terms in his translations and so

ahankara vimudhatma
kartaham iti manyate (BG 3.27)

Translation
The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.

They believe themselves to be the doers, they are not just Vimudha, fools but are first class fools. So Prahlad Maharaja was speaking his prayers and feelings to Nrsimhadeva and in this way he was revealing his own feelings and thoughts. This is Prahlad Maharaja’s high thinking and his own life was simple living but the thinking was high thinking.

But still he has great concerns for those low thinkers, those who are slowly thinking or lowly thinking.

mandah sumanda matayo
manda bhagya hy upadrutah (SB 1.1.10)

Translation
O learned one, in this iron age of Kali are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.

These things have been noted in regards to the age of Kali and so how will the people of Kali Yuga be? Manda, slow. Like if they should go to temple or a gathering of devotees then they become so slow in thinking and in willing to go. So Prahlad Maharaja is worried and so he is telling the Lord of his high thinking.

So although his thinking is high thinking and his living is simple living his concern is for those who are high living in these modern times. This modernisation which started in the western countries and has reached India long ago already, this is what Prahlad Maharaja is describing.

Imitation is happening in India as well and so what kind of lifestyle do Indians now have? High living and low thinking. Their high thinking is that ‘even if we die we will die in style.’ This style and that style and so many styles people take on in their lifetime. ‘We will die in a five star hospital and we will have a high lifestyle in a five star hotel whilst living and we will enjoy.

So we will have a high living in a five star hotel.’ The thinking remains low thinking and what do they say? ‘ just do it!’ Many walk around in a t-shirt which has this slogan and there is a thumbs up sign and it is written ‘just do it!’ This means do not even think about what you are doing, but just do it.

So this is not even low thinking because low thinking means that at least there is some thinking, but here ‘just do it’ means there is no thinking at all. Not low thinking but no thinking at all and so these are Vimudhan, fools and rascals.

This is the problem and now the whole world is suffering in this coronavirus. Greediness leads to misery and disease and these fools and rascals become greedy, indriyartha. The Lord says in the Gita ‘yogi bhava, become a yogi’ but the preaching is ‘become greedy, become Bhogi!’

Okay that’s fine, be a Bhogi, become greedy but what will be the result of this? One shall become sick and diseased. If you become greedy then you have no choice but to suffer with disease.

ye hi samsparsa-ja bhoga
duhkha-yonaya eva te (BG 5.22)

Translation
An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses.

Krishna has said this and we will say a little quickly as we won’t be able to elaborate too much. The Lord has also said, Ye hi samsparsa ja bhoga (BG 5.22). ‘If you become greedy by wanting entertainment for the senses then okay.’ First the Lord warns ‘don’t do it don’t do. It!’ But when they don’t listen, ‘okay, go ahead. What is the result of this? Dukha yonaya eva te. It is also here in this verse ‘maya sukhaya. So whatever situation or person gives you happiness is going to also be the reason for your misery, oh fool!’ So prevention is better than cure and therefore some people listen to what the Lord is saying and to what Prahlad Maharaja is saying. In this way they bring the true art of living into their lifestyles.

In this way some people make improvements and adopt a new lifestyle in Krishna consciousness and this misery is then avoided. Prevention is better than cure so then you will not have to become diseased. So devotees like Prahlad Maharaja make this kind of endeavour for themselves and preach to others to do this and remind people of these things. They continue to be concerned for fools and I was just thinking that when the prayers of Prahlad Maharaja will end in a while the Lord will then say

prahrada bhadra bhadram te
prito ‘ham te ‘surottama
varam vrnisvabhimatam
kama puro ‘smy aham nrnam (SB 7.9.52)

Translation
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Prahlada, most gentle one, best of the family of the asuras, all good fortune unto you. I am very much pleased with you. It is My pastime to fulfill the desires of all living beings, and therefore you may ask from Me any benediction that you desire to be fulfilled.

There are some other things but we will get to the point and so the Lord says to Prahlad, ‘ask for a benediction! Ask, ask!’ The words Prahlad has offered in prayer to the Lord has pleased the Lord very much. So the Lord asked Prahlad to ask for a benediction and what did Prahlad say? He has said in the tenth chapter

nanyatha te ’khila guro
ghateta karunatmana?
yas ta asisa asaste
na sa bhrtyah sa vai vani (SB 7.10.4)

Translation
Otherwise, O my Lord, O supreme instructor of the entire world, You are so kind to Your devotee that You could not induce him to do something unbeneficial for him. On the other hand, one who desires some material benefit in exchange for devotional service cannot be Your pure devotee. Indeed, he is no better than a merchant who wants profit in exchange for service.

‘Hey no no no no! I am not performing devotional service unto you with some desire to get something back. I never had done so and so even if you give me some benediction or blessing being pleased with me, I will never perform devotional service thinking that this pleasure of yours in my performing devotional service will grant me any benediction from you.

Those who do so are sa vai vanik, merchants doing business in wanting something in exchange for their devotional service. So one who does this – na sa bhrtyah, he can not be (na sa) your servant.’ After speaking thus Prahlad Maharaja said ‘if you really want to give me something then

varam varaya etat te yad anindat pita me (SB 7.10.15)

Translation
Prahlada Maharaja said: O Supreme Lord, because You are so merciful to the fallen souls, I ask You for only one benediction.

So this is Prahlad Maharaja and there is a description here where Prahlad Maharaja says that he is not worried for himself but for those fools, ‘I want something for their well being.’ So that father who had become Prahlad’s enemy kept going against Prahlad Maharaja. He was also against Lord Vishnu and the Vaishnavas, this Hiranyakashipu.

What can be said more? So much trouble and pain he had caused to Prahlad Maharaja. ‘Throw him off the top of the mountain!’ That is exactly what happened and he ordered to have his son thrown into the boiling oil. Wherever there are snakes and poisonous things, lock him up amongst these in a cave!’

In so many ways he gave so much pain to hurt him and so when the Lord is asking Prahlad for a benediction then this very father is the one who Prahlad asks benediction for. He said ‘not for me but if you want to give something then please give for my father.’ So he isn’t calling him Vimudha a fool but actually he is meaning to say ‘my father is a Vimudha, a fool. So I am worried for him.’

So this is Prahlad Maharaja. So once a scorpion fell into a pond or lake and as it was drowning it was lamenting as it could not reach back to the safety of the lakeside. So some saintly people had reached there to have a bath and they wanted to help the scorpion. But as they held the scorpion the scorpion kept on striking to bite them.

So one person was walking past as this was going on and he said ‘oh saintly persons! Let this scorpion die because you want to help it by saving it but it is trying to constantly strike you!’ So in answer to this the saintly persons replied, ‘oh friend, the nature of the scorpion is to bite and it is therefore performing it’s natural duty in trying to bite us. In the same way our duty is to be merciful.’

titiksavah karunikah
suhrdah sarva dehinam (SB 3.25.21)

Translation
The symptoms of a sadhu are that he is tolerant, merciful and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime.

So the saintly persons continued ‘how can we give up our duty?’ If even the scorpion does not give up his natural duty then why should we give up ours?’ So this is what saintly persons are like, the Mahatma’s, and this is what a devotee should be like and then only can he be called a devotee. This is what Maha Bhagavad’s like Prahlad Maharaja are like.

I also have one more sloka that I am remembering here. In the discussion between Vidhura and Maitreya which happened in Haridwar, as soon as the discussion started Vidhura spoke

janasya krsnad vimukhasya daivad
adharma silasya sudukhitasya (SB 3.5.3)

Translation
O my Lord, great philanthropic souls travel on the earth on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to show compassion to the fallen souls who are averse to the sense of subordination to the Lord.

I didn’t recite the full sloka as it is pointless to do so but here Vidhura is talking about those fallen souls and we were also talking about those who are Vimukha. Those who are Krishna Vimukha, those who are facing away from the Lord, Krishna or Lord Nrsimha, what happens to them?

Suduhkhitasya. Those who are Vimukha, fallen souls they are Suduhkhitasya, they are definitely going to be miserable. So here it is not said Duhkhitasya but it is Suduhkhitasya which means they will nicely suffer. So Suduhkhitasya, note this what Vidhura is saying, those who are facing away from the Lord, Vimukha’s, they will be very miserable.

Why is the whole world miserable? Do you have an answer? It is because the world is Vimudha, godless. Then it is said in the next part of the same Sloka

anugrahayeha caranti nunam
bhutani bhavyani janardanasya (SB 3.5.3)

O my Lord, great philanthropic souls travel on the earth on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to show compassion to the fallen souls who are averse to the sense of subordination to the Lord.

The people are Vimukha and for that reason they are in distress but those who are devotees of Lord Janardana or Lord Rama or Lord Krishna or Lord Nrsimha, it has been said about them, ‘bhutani bhavyani janardanasya.’ They are divine beings, being devotees of the Lord.

Bhutani bhavyani janardanasya. So what are these devotees always doing? Caranti, they are wandering about to preach the glories of the Lord. So wherever there are people in difficulty and misery, that is where the devotees go just like the Parivrajakacharya’s who are preachers.

Anugrahayeha caranti nunam. To make those fallen souls, those foolish people who are always unhappy, to make them happy the devotees put their merciful glance upon them. Caranti nunam, the devotees will certainly wander here and there and continue to do so. So they are Para dukha dukhi, unhappy to see others unhappy. So Srila Prabhupada was happy in his meditation upon Radha Damodar.

Radha krishna padaravinda bhajananandena mattalikau
vande rupa sanatanau raghu yugau sri-l jiva gopalakau

Translation
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvamis, namely Sri Rupa Gosvami, Sri Sanatana Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Sri Jiva Gosvami, and Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, who are very expert in scrutinizingly studying all the revealed scriptures with the aim of establishing eternal religious principles for the benefit of all human beings. Thus they are honored all over the three worlds and they are worth taking shelter of because they are absorbed in the mood of the gopis and are engaged in the transcendental loving service of Radha and Krishna.

sri radhika madhavayor apara
madhurya lila guna rupa namnam
prati-ksanasvadana lolupasya
vande guroh sri caranaravindam
(Guru Astaka 5)

Translation
The spiritual master is always eager to hear and chant about the unlimited conjugal pastimes of Radhika and Madhava, and Their qualities, names, and forms. The spiritual master aspires to relish these at every moment. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.

So Srila Prabhupada was very happy and satisfied in Vrindavana but still he left to go overseas and went to New York, why? Same thing as Prahlad Maharaja said. ‘If I am concerned then it is for the sake of these fools and rascals, Vimudha.’ So soce, they do not think about themselves or only of themselves.

‘Naivodvije, for myself I have no worry but soce, I am thinking and am worried for them.’ Para dukha dukhi. So Srila Prabhupada went overseas with this same feeling, this same concern and so meditating on the lotus feet of Prahlad Maharaja, Prabhupada went overseas.

And we can say that our Sri Srimad Bhakti Charu Swami was also happy. He was with you all here in Ujjain and there was so much Katha and Kirtan happening on a daily basis and you were all tasting this nectar and were also making others drink this nectar. Still Maharaja went overseas to America and he sacrificed his life. What was the feeling, the thought? The same.

soce tato vimukha cetasa indriyartha
maya sukhaya bharam udvahato Vimudhan
(SB 7.9.43)

Translation
My concern is only for the fools and rascals who are making elaborate plans for material happiness and maintaining their families, societies and countries. I am simply concerned with love for them.

He went for these foreigners or countrymen and their betterment. Our, or my Bhakti Charu Swami also set out for America in the same way and so we must always remember him along with remembering Prahlad Maharaja because Bhakti Charu Maharaja has come in the disciplic succession of Prahlad Maharaja and Srila Prabhupada.

Bhakti Charu Maharaja was also a great devotee of Lord Nrsimhadeva and we can to see that Ujjain has a deity of Lord Nrsimhadeva, right? Yes there is and so it is Bhakti Charu Maharaja who has installed the Nrsimhadeva deity. When we used to go to the Mayapur festival during the GBC meeting, Bhakti Charu Maharaja would always be there to do Nrsimhadeva’s Arati.

Sometimes there would be a competition where others would try and get there first or I would try to be the first to open the doors to reach first. Whenever I got there, sometimes very early, I would see that ‘oh, Bhakti Charu Maharaja is already there and is doing Achamana and is getting ready to offer Arati.’

There is the rule of first come first served over there so whoever reaches first will do the Arati. Bhakti Charu Maharaja would be there before everyone including myself and then he would perform the Arati and so I would help him in opening the doors and closing the doors and Bhakti Charu Maharaja would be standing right there offering Arati.

I would take this opportunity to take darshan of the Lord with Prahlad Maharaja and I would take darshan of Bhakti Charu Maharaja as well. The view would be of Bhakti Charu Maharaja performing Arati for the Lord and Prahlad Maharaja. So I have seen this and have kept this image in my mind forever. These are deep impressions you could say of that scene.

Nrsimha Chaturdasi Mahotsava ki jai.
Prahlad Nrsimhadeva ki jai.
Srila Prabhupada ki jai.
Srila Bhakti Charu Maharaja ki jai.
Iskcon Ujjain Bhakta Vrindo ki jai.
Gaura Prem Ananda Hari Haribol.