Temple of Vedic planetarium Mayapur
7 May 2017

Hare Krishna Dear devotees and Jaya Srila Prabhupada, Jaya TOVP ki jaya!
Well I’m here standing before you to make an announcement. TOVP is planning to, well they are doing advanced planning for next year’s Mayapur Festival and as you know how TOVP works. They had installed chakra on the top of the monument one year ago, and they opened last year the pujari floors and next year 2021 there’s a plan of installing Srila Prabhupada murti. And as Prabhupada said, “Mayapur is my place of worship”, so a murti that is worshipable will be carved by the original artist Locan Prabhu in America and have Prabhupada sitting in his asan in TOVP. What is GBC doing and what are you all doing to complete the TOVP? TOVP is committed and determined to open the temple in 2022 Mayapur Festival Time.

So, next year on 25th of February there is Nityananda Trayodasi, three days festivities are planned, beginning with Nityananda Trayodasi. TOVP is like Lord Nityananda’s dream project, He predicted and he would like to see that it’s completed of course. Next day 26th will be the official opening of Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja’s samadhi. Sri Srimad Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja was a great supporter of TOVP, so his samadhi opening will be on 26th. And then on 27th the installation ceremony of Srila Prabhupada’s murti in TOVP at the final destination where Srila Prabhupada is supposed to be.

The next year 2021 is the 125th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s appearance. There is a very important landmark or event, eventful year. So TOVP is installing Srila Prabhupada’s murti during that year, this is very appropriate. There will be a Maha maha abhishek. Abhishek meaning different kalashes, copper kalash, silver kalash, golden kalash, platinum kalash. And this is where you come into the picture, would you like you to sponsor these different kalashes? Be there to perform abhishek of Srila Prabhupada’s murti. If you cannot be present it can be done on your behalf on that day. We had done this some 24 or 25 years ago. During 1996, I remember how I could forget, I was a centennial minister and we did abhishek, of course that year Srila Prabhupada abhisek was conducted in all the temples around the world with sahasra tirth jal. The idea was also to raise funds, so we did that, this is 1996 story and lots of funds were raised.

Because of this pandemic situation, construction has been kind of slowed or even stopped, so we need some urgent need of funds to get started and that we also have a very short time before the opening of the TOVP. So, we appeal to you all that please step forward and book your kalash. This is 27th february 2021 and the mood is going to be from now on in fact “Prabhupada is coming, Prabhupada is coming”. And in order to accomplish this we need you, we need help, help, serve, serve. So, this is a service opportunity and I’m confident you will go for it.

TOVP ki Jaya!
Nityananda Prabhu ki Jaya!
Srila Bhakti Caru Maharaja ki jaya!

Krishna consciousness is meant to spread all over the planet.
Vilnius
24th April 2016

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

In the country of a population of only three million people in this country, there are so many devotees here in a country of not many people.

manushyanam sahasreshu kashchid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3)

Translation

Amongst thousands of persons, hardly one strives for perfection

Krishna says in the Bhagavad gita that one out of a thousand would be interested in Him. They will endeavor for some spiritual perfection. So you are those rare, one out of a thousand thousands who are present here. So that Krishna conscious time has come for you or in your place. I was just thinking that fifty years ago it was just the one Srila Prabhupada in New York.

During kirtan there was no big hall like this with hundreds in the audience and the microphone system and the guitar also and the deities. None of this was there and it started with one person on the footpath. You understand footpath? I mean I am sitting on a big cushion here and there was someone to invite me and offering me a seat but in New York no-one was offering Prabhupada. And with one pair of kartals he would do kirtan.

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

So that was fifty years ago and there was but one person, the founder acarya of the international society of Krishna consciousness. There was but just one temple in New York where Prabhupada gave the name ‘International society’ to this society. This is a local society in one of the states, New York which is one state in America.

So he was thinking that in the future this society is going to be international society for Krishna consciousness. Even one day in Lithuania, Krishna’s name will be chanted. Srila Prabhupada had that confidence; he had full faith in the prediction of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who predicted

prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama

Translation

“In every town and village, the chanting of My name will be heard.” (Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya 4.126)

‘My name will be chanted in every town and every village of this planet.’ So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared and then He disappeared after the forty eight years that He was on this planet. God was on this planet, Haribol! God is not some light or some concept but he is a personality, solid, spiritual, eternal.

He had a name, and you could put the name and the face together and that is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And His activities and His associates and His abode and we all, His parts and parcels. It doesn’t matter where you are from or where I am from, it doesn’t really matter. So the Lord said

mamaivamso jiva loke
jiva bhutah sanatanah (B G 15.7)

Translation
The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts.

‘All the living entities are my parts and parcels.’ Okay fine you are born in Lithuania now, but fifty years ago you were not Lithuanians and in the next life what would be your nationality? This keeps changing all the time. There is not much dust here but it’s like dust particles which keep floating, coming in and going out.

Sometimes the window is open and you see some dust particles just moving around and going in and coming out. Like that all of us living entities are moving round and round and down. Two thousand years ago Christianity existed since two, three thousand years only. But what about before that?

It was Vedic culture, Krishna consciousness that pervaded the planet. Christianity is two, three’s thousand years and Islam is fourteen hundred years, Sikhism is five hundred years and like that. Before that there was just one family all over the planet, Bharat Varsha. And that’s why there is a concept, a thought in Vedic literature that says

ayam nijah paroveti ganana laghu chetasam
udaracharita vasudhaiva vutumbakam

(Sanskrit subhashita)

Those who think ‘oh, these people are my people but these are some outsiders, some others’ those who think like this are counted as laghu chetasam.

Their chetana, their thoughts are narrow. Small minded think like this. Narrow minded people think in terms of ‘ours and theirs and my country and their country. Those who are kind hearted think in terms of the whole world being one family

Those who are udaracharita, who have chetana or broad minded consciousness, they are big hearted. So if the Lord is in the heart then the heart becomes big hearted. They think that everybody on this planet is part of my family. So these are all man-made countries and also they divide. This country, that country and this religion, that religion, but the soul is transcendental to all these designations and boundaries and divisions and fragmentations.

So, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki jai!

He is the Lord, He is the Lord. Jesus is the son of the Lord and a good son of the Lord. A good son, a very good son but how could god have only one son and how could we limit god? How many sons do you have, you sir?

One, two? Okay. So this gentleman could have two children, is there someone with three or four children here? Yes so here we are, here they go, so many of them. Someone has half a dozen? So human beings have two, three or four. In India to have or in Mauritius to have one dozen children is not a big thing (laughter).

We know even Bhakti Vinod Thakur had a close to a dozen children. So how could god have just one son? God must have unlimited sons and we can see that we are all sons and daughters of the Lord. Maybe we were all bad sons but now it is the time to become good sons and good daughters of the Lord.

And the Lord is Lord, He is everybody’s Lord like the sun is everybody’s sun, it’s the same sun in the sky. It doesn’t become Lithuanian sun and ‘oh no it’s the Japanese sun and oh no now it’s the Russian sun or now it is the American sun.’ The sun is sun of all of us and this is a common thing that everyone understands that the Lord is but one for all of us, one god.

One only difference is that the Vedic literature or Krishna consciousness or sanatan dharma or Bhagavad dharma has so much detailed information about god. Srila Prabhupada used to say that we even know the phone number of god. What is that number, he would say

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

So if you are in difficulty don’t call the police but call out for mercy and chant the holy names of the Lord and He will respond. So Krishna consciousness is something that’s meant to spread and spread till it reaches every town and every village of this planet. How will this happen?

Some impossible thoughts like that may come, but if this much could happen, if someone was told in India or even here in your country say even fifty years ago, that in 2016 in the month of April on the 24th in this hall there is going to be a house full and all of them would be waiting to have the holy name, who could have believed this fifty years ago? Who could even have believed that?

What is this Hare Krishna? Fifty years ago nobody would have believed such a thing, this is impossible. So if this much is possible then the rest of whatever is also possible. So many in the last fifty years- this is the fiftieth year of the ISKCON golden jubilee celebration of Iskcon which is at the moment celebrating just like a victory celebration.

Param vijayate sri Krishna sankirtan, this is the victory. In ’66 we had one temple and now in 2016 we have seven hundred temples (shouts of Haribol)! There are now a countless number of followers, chanters of the holy name. Many now study the Bhagavad Gita and millions of copies of Bhagavad Gita have been distributed in the last fifty years.

I was in Czech Republic where the population is ten million but you would be amazed to hear that the devotees there have distributed two million copies of Srila Prabhupada’s books. In a population of ten million, two million books have been distributed in just the last twenty years or so. So in another twenty years or in another fifty years or in another hundred years you can imagine how it is going to spread.

There was also a report in a magazine called news week, the cover story that said ‘the fastest growing religion in the former Soviet Union is the Hare Krishna religion.’ Haribol! They also said, I don’t know where they got that number from but they said that there were seven hundred thousand followers of Hare Krishna in the former Soviet Union.

So spreading of Krishna consciousness and spreading of the holy name all over the world is just a vision of the Lord, a plan of the Lord and a prediction of the Lord. There is no power on the earth that can stop this from happening and it doesn’t matter how super that power may be. Super duper, they say ‘super duper’ power and so it doesn’t matter how much it is.

If the Lord wants this to happen then this must happen and we are seeing it happen. There are so many good results and the Hare Krishna’s are good people, good human beings. They are well behaved and very pious and they love their neighbours. Just like the bible says ‘love thy neighbour as thy self and thou shall not kill’ the bible says.

We are the ones following that and so our devotee, he was asked that question in India ‘why did you give up your religion? You were Christian and now you have become a Hare Krishna, Hindu.’ He said ‘no no no I have not become a Hindu! I have become a better Christian. Before this I had heard that thou shall not kill but I was killing or someone else was killing for me.

Turkey on thanks giving, but I don’t do that anymore. Our bible says ‘love thy Lord with all thy heart and all thy soul and all thy strength. And now I know the Lord and I am loving the Lord and serving the Lord with all my heart and all my strength. So I was Christian in name only but now I have become a better Christian.’

In the Quran you will find ninety nine names of god, Allah. So their rosary, so their japa beads has ninety nine beads to chant the names of Allah. Hallelujah, no? So this Hallelujah has made their name be hallowed or glorified, so like that. So all religions talk of chanting the holy names of the Lord. Allah Akbar, you have heard this?

In the mosque they pray five times a day and they say ‘Allah Akbar, god is great.’ Allah means god who is great. So that is fine that the Lord is great. Prabhupada said that ‘yes they say that god is great but how is he great? What makes him great? They cannot say so much.’ A Muslim also means one who is surrendered unto god and if that is the understanding then we are Muslims also as we are surrendered unto God.

Hari Hari
Nitai Gaura Prem Anande Hari Haribol.

Life time achievement award
Pune
10 February 2020

Prabhupada used to say, ‘Even Hippies have become Happies. Once, those who were Hippies, became HAPPIES.’ So, there is much to say. Talks related to Lord Ananta are Ananta, unlimited.

Thanks to all for your presence and for accepting me as one of you and for this honor and award etc. In fact this is the honor of the Lord or the honor of India. Or this honor is of our, we can say Bharat-ratna (the jewel of India), Bhakti Vedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, he was the gem. He understood India, the wealth of India. Therefore Prabhupada used to, ‘I haven’t come here in your country to take something.’ So far whoever came, the politicians, scientists, etc, they came to take something. ‘Give to us, give to us!’

Therefore our country at one time, now gradually the situation or their thinking or acceptance is changing. But, they used to ask me also, ‘From where you have come?’ ‘Oh! India!’ ‘Oh! That beggar’s country? You came from that beggar’s country?’ Such is the publicity, image, because whenever we went, we went to take something. Give us loan, give us computer, and this and that. ‘That beggar’s country?’ But Prabhupada used to say, ‘I have not come here to take anything. I have come to GIVE you. Take this wealth of our country.’ He, the Bharat-ratna Bhaktivedant Srila Prabhupada, understood the glories of this country, the real wealth of this country.

It is very necessary, technological point of view, the west countries are advanced. Prabhupada used to say, ‘But they are blind. Indians are having eyes, little eyesight, but they are lame.’ Prabhupada used to talk about ‘Andha-pangu-nyaya’, the logic of blind and lame. One is blind and another one is lame. They both want to go to one place, so what they can do? One who is lame can sit on the shoulder (of the blind). This lame man will show the way and the blind will walk. In this way they both could help each other. Technology, science and this and that of the West and the culture and religion of the East, or India, combination of these two, friendship of these two, they could help each other. And they should do so.

Bharata bhumite manunya-janma haila yara
janma sarthaka kari’ kara para-upakara [Cc. Adi 9.41]

Si Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, ‘if we have taken birth in India and want to make our life successful, then what we have to do? Kari’ kara para-upakara, do para upakara, do well to others. Don’t only take but also give. So, that which we have with us to give, give Krsna, give Bhagavad Gita.
Here also we have our ISKCON’s temple. We have thousand temples all over the world. It is here in Puna also. Today only discussion was going on. Our Puna temple, in the month of December, that month in which comes appearance day of Bhagavad Gita, that month in which Lord gave the instructions of Bhagavad Gita,

dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre

In that month our temple devotees as well as congregation devotees, many of them are present here, all together they distributed 3,14,000 Bhagavad Gitas in one month. This is the score of one temple. Of course, this year ISKCON Pune is number one in the world. We have inter-temple competition. In this competition, through all over the world, in book distribution, our ISKCON Puna temple won. Here, Radhesyama Prabhu is the temple president. He is M Tech and what not. He is highly educated youth.

Our international society for Krsna consciousness is doing the work of character development of the highly educated youths. Quality of the person, qualified person is required. There is no need of reducing the quantity. It is the misconception that we will become more prosperous, everyone will get more food and home and more clothes and roads and more water if the quantity will be less. This is misconception. Un till we are selfish, till then, if we will keep reducing the quantity more and more and when by the end there be only two persons left on the earth, then also what they both will say? Two is too many. How many should be there? Only one, and that one is me. This aham, selfishness, is the enemy.

So the character development work, developing qualities, this work is being done by the International Society for Krsna Consciousness. And their news, news of their work and news of truth, news of Gita, Bhagavat, Prabhupada Ghat which is established in Pandharpur, or there are goshalas and Harinama Sankirtana is going on and this and that, so many news. Our great grandfather, Bhakti Siddhant Saraswati Thakur, used to say, ‘there are so many spiritual news that we can publish newspapers at every minute.’ There are so many good news; the best news!

So, let all of us together serve the Lord, let us serve the souls of the Lord; not only service to the bodies of the living entities, not the senses but the souls. Then that soul will become happy, will become happy, will become devotee and then ultimately by attaining the Lord, amhi jato amuchya hava, I am going back to Godhead, this will also take place. And then after reaching there, deva deyila visava, we will live peacefully. So our home is like this, where the Lord lives and we are His children, Vithu maza lekurwala.

So, we are trying to do such kind of guidance and preaching; let us do this work together, work of dharma, religion, establishment of religion. When there will be establishment of religion then,

dharmo raksati raksitah (Manu Smrti)

If the religion is saved then only that religion will save us. Otherwise the world is facing very difficult situations and they have no solutions. There is solution, solution is Gita; solution is in Bhagavatam. You have no solution, actors and politicians of now a day they have no clue. God knows, His devotees know. They are scientists. One who understands Bhagavad Gita is scientist in real sense. Gita Bhagavatam is sastra, idam sastram. Not only chemistry is sastra, and not only bhugol (Geology) and khagol (cosmology), but it is a big gol, zero. There should be one. And in front of ‘one’ when one zero comes then it becomes ten and with two zeros it becomes hundred. But if there is no ‘one’ then these zeros together will become a BIG ZERO. Then how come we are hero, Zero!

So, this is the honor of all of you, honor of all living beings, it is the part of Lord’s glorifications. Otherwise everything is opulence of Maya. How can the living being be saved from the clutches of Maya? This is the question. And there are answers to this question. So the International Society for Krsna Consciousness is letting everyone know all these answers to all over the world,

sarvatra pracar hoibe mora nama

Lord caitanya said, ‘My Holy Name will be heard in every town and village of the world.’) [CB Antya-khanda 4.126]
Okay thank you. Let one time say everyone together, raise your hands and say loudly,

‘Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare’!

How Chaitanya Mahaprabhu fulfilled Prabhupadas desire

The Lord’s senapati-bhakta Srila Prabhupada blessed us by saying: This preaching on Padayatra is a very noble attempt and if you sincerely preach, Krishna will give you intelligence.

In 1976 we were travelling with German buses, which had to leave the country and Srila Prabhupada conceived a novel mode of transportation, travelling with the bullock cart.

Srila Prabhupada inaugurated the Bullock Cart Sankirtana Padayatra in Vrndavan and then by the grace of Guru and Gauranga we had an easy journey from Vrndavan to Mayapur planet.

Srila Prabhupada in his last days in Vrndavan expressed a desire to undertake a bullock cart pilgrimage and asked me to organize this travelling with the bullock cart to Govardhan as an experiment. However, this was cancelled due to Prabhupada’s failing health.
Prabhupada next proposed travelling with the buses and he asked me again to take the leadership role here. As we were in the middle of organizing the pilgrimage with the buses, suddenly Prabhupada departed.
For the next six years Prabhupada’s desire remained unfulfilled.

The 500th Anniversary of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave us a chance to take Srila Prabhupada and Gaur Nitai on pilgrimage from Dwarka to Mayapur.

This Caitanya Mahaprabhu 5th centennial Padayatra lasted for 18 months and Iskcon padayatris walked for 8000 Km through the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and finally reaching Mayapur in West Bengal.

Gauranga is Krishna is Jagannatha.
Prayers of Vausdeva Ghosh,
13 June 2018
New Vraj Dham Hungary

You know Nilacala? Everyone knows Nilacala?
How many of you know about Nilacala? How many of you know Nilacala? Some do.

So Nilacala is Jagannatha Puri, but to understand more ‘Nila’, ‘Nila’ means blue, and ‘acal’ means: not moving, so “acal” means immovable, and there is a mountain. So Nila-cala is a bluish mountain and Jagannatha Puri is on the top of that bluish mountain, hence the name Nilacala – Jagannatha Puri.

So, in Nilacala, in Jagannatha Puri, the Lord holds symbols of shankha, chakra, gada, padma. Well, normally we see two hands of Jagannath, but also He could have four hands, holding all the 4 symbols. And then same Jagannatha in ‘nadiya nagare danda kamandalu kara’ When He appears in Nadia, then He is Sachinandana, then he takes sannyasa, and holds symbols kamandalu and danda, He is holding ekdand, “ekdhand”, not three dhand, and kamandalu.

keha bale purabete rabana badhila
golokera vaibhava lila prakasa korila

Translation:
Some wise souls say that in ancient times he killed Ravana. Some say in Goloka he enjoys glorious pastimes.

So Lord Jagannatha, when He appeared in treta-yuga, “ravana vadhila” -He killed Ravana, Jay Sri Ram! Jay Sri Ram!
Golokera vaibhava lila prakasa korila-And then the same Jagannatha appeared in Dwapara-yuga. In Dwapara-yuga He appeared in Gokul and He displayed and manifested Goloka pastimes in Gokul, or He exhibited the appearance of Golok in Gokul.

Sri-radhar bhave ebe gora avatar
hare krsna nam gaura korila pracaR

Translation:
To taste the ecstasy that Radha feels in Her love for Him, He has now incarnated here in the form of Lord Gaura. As Lord Gaura He preaches the chanting of the holy names of the Hare Krsn a mantra.”

And then, the next stage, the age of Kali appeared, and in this age “Sri Radhar-bhave”, Lord assumed the mood, bhava of Radharani and He appeared as Gaura Avatar, gora or gaura same things, Golden avatar Gauranga.

Gauranga!

hare krsna n?m gaura korila pracar

And then, in that advent He propagated Hare Krishna Mahamantra and while He was propagating, spreading the Holy name all over Indian continent we could say, He also predicted that this names will be chanted in every town, every village, including in Hungarian villages and there will be one village or valley called “Krishna Valley”. There also my name should be chanted. This prediction of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has come true and we have Srila Prabhupada, he is doing that and now on behalf of Srila Prabhupada you are taking it far and wide.

hare krsna nam gaura korila pracar
jei gaura sei krsna sei jagannath

Translation:
Vasudeva Ghosa says: Folding my hands, I declare: Gauranga is Krsna and He is Jagannatha.
You see this name Vasudeva Ghosh. He was one of the very close associate of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu,

kiba nara hari adi kori camara dhulaya”

And then “sajaya mukhunda vasu, gosa adi gaya” those names “vasu ghosh, adi gaya”, they were singing, some are offering camara. This is during the arti of Gauranga.

arati korena brahma adi deva gane

Brahma is offering arti, Nara Hari is offering camara and Vasudeva Ghosh is singing, “vasudeva ghoaa bole kori joda hat”. So this song that we are about to sing is 500 years old and compiled by Vasudev Ghosh. During the arati of Gauranga he used to sing, so he is in this song in the end, “kori joda hat”. He said that with my folded hands I want to submit something and what is this submission? Which is also his realization?

Jei Gaura, sei Krishna, sei Jagannatha

Jei Gaura means one who is Gauranga, sei Krishna is Krishna and sei Jagannatha is also Jagannatha. So one who is Gauranga is Krishna is Jagannatha.

71st Vyasa Puja offering to Jayapataka Maharaja

4 April 2020

Today we are celebrating Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja’s appearance day, birthday, Vyasa puja day. Vyasa puja which is being celebrated today in Mayapur and it is not as big it is in previous years. It will be celebrated in a low profile. Every year Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja’s vyas puja is a huge celebration but due to this corona virus issues this Vyasa puja is taking place with very few devotees. Of course his disciples and other devotees are also celebrating this Vyasa puja in their respective homes as well as temples. Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja has thousands, thirty to forty thousands of disciples, so they must be celebrating and also my disciples, I would encourage them to celebrate Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja’s vyas puja.

You must have noted that Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja’s appearance day is on ekadashi also Srila Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja appearance day is on ekadashi and also I was born on ekadashi. Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja and I, both were born in 1949, he is just a few months older than me. Age wise he is a few months older but when it comes to knowledge, experience, maturity he is much more mature and experienced. Srila Prabhupada and Gauranga Mahaprabhu have their special mercy on Jayapataka Swami Maharaja. He joined Srila Prabhupada’s Hare Krsna Movement many years ago, way before me. I guess he joined in 1968 in Canada and I joined in 1971.

There is one important thing which is being talked about him. When he was newly initiated devotee, whenever there was kirtan he would sing and shout the Hare Krsna maha-mantra very loudly. He would create a commotion while doing kirtan, singing the Hare Krsna maha-mantra loudly. He not only shouted the maha-mantras in the temples and asram but whenever he was – on streets, lanes. He would forget where he was and would loudly chant Hare Krsna. That was his way. Neighbors and passersby would get annoyed. They would go to the police and lay a complaint that some individual from the Hare Krsna movement was being a nuisance. “He is disturbing us and disturbing our peace”. When Srila Prabhupada came to know about this behaviour. Srila Prabhupada decided to send Jayapataka Swami Maharaja to somewhere. Srila Prabhupada decided to send him to Bharat, India. “In India we will send Jayapataka Swami Maharaja to Mayapur”. On reaching Mayapur he can do whatever loud chanting he wants to. He is welcome. No one is going to complain about this behavior in relation to this shouting and chanting the maha-mantra loudly.

Jayapataka Swami Maharaja was not a swami then, but he was the oldest among the ones at that time. Then Srila Prabhupada sent him to Mayapur. Amongst the disciples whom Srila Prabhupada had sent to India Jayapataka Swami Maharaja was the first one. Acyutananda Swami was also sent to Mayapur, but Jayapataka Swami Maharaja was one of the first ones or possibly the first one whom Srila Prabhupada sent to Mayapur. He was given responsibilities of the temple. He was also handling the Calcutta temple activities. Gradually he also became a Governing Body Commission (GBC). There was a time when Gopal Krishna Maharaja and Jayapataka Maharaja were the only two GBCs in India. After the steadily the number increased. Srila Prabhupada gave Maharaja the very big responsibility of building the Mayapur temple project. The responsibility of constructing the TOVP project was also given to Jayapataka Swami Maharaja with some other devotees.

Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja ki jai!!

I love Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja. I was thinking when we were little younger we felt both love and hate. Sometimes he had love and other times there was envy because of our anarthas. But now not only I like him, I love him. May my love towards him always increase. My love of brotherhood, love among my god brothers and love for Jayapataka Maharaja must increase day by day. This is what I want to pray today.

Jayapataka Maharaj has become a miracle. Even in his present health condition, operations, diseases, he is always active. He is always busy, thinking about how to increase preaching. He attends each and every meeting. Some of the members may miss some of the meetings but Jayapataka Maharaja is very dutiful. He never misses a meeting. He is a miracle. Jayapataka Maharaja is a miracle, just miraculous. And whenever there is a magic there has to be a namaskar.

So dandavat pranam from all of us.

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

Vyasa Puja offering to Jayapataka Maharaja by Lokanath Swami
23 April 2021
Online

Jayapataka Swami Maharaj, on the occasion of your 72 birthday and Vyasa Puja day, please accept my greetings and my humble obeisances. I was thinking,

“vipada? santu t?? ?a?vat”

You had been seeing calamities after calamity mostly health related, but the way you handle those calamities I do not see no one sees you getting panicked.

“dhiras tatra na muhyati ”

We are reminded, you remain undisturbed under all those circumstances. You even had an experience of near death out of this body experience. Of course you appreciate the care of the doctors but you have so much faith in the prayers of the devotees, I say doctor’s care but you are more into the prayer of devotees.

You are supposed to be handicapped as a result of these calamities, but now we are amazed to see how you are carrying on with your devotional services, your obligations towards TOVP or zonal responsibilities or making devotees and maintaining devotees or writing books. All these projects are going on undisturbed and your contributions are exceptional for anyone and everyone to take note of. Its amazing. You are like a miracle of ISKCON. I’m very proud of you Maharaja and I pray to Srila Prabhupada and entire parampara, and especially to your dear Gauranga, to give you long, healthy life of active devotional service and I pray that you please keep me in your prayers.

Your dear brother and servant Lokanath Swami here.

Jayapataka Swami Maharaja Appearance day, Birthday, Vyasapuja day ki Jaya!

Gaur premanande, Hari Hari bol.

Rama Katha
18th April 2021

You are all okay? We hope and pray that you are all okay and well, and also that you stay that way. So the whole world is in a problem due to the Corona virus. There are so many other problems anyway but the coronavirus is dominating the scene. So be careful and be alert of all dangers.
Also remember, I was thinking that Kunti Maharani also prayed and actually Kunti Maharani is known for her prayers, this you all know. The first prayers in Srimad Bhagavatam are Kunti Maharani’s prayers and in those prayers she says:

vipadah santu tah sasvat
tatra tatra jagad guro
bhavato darsanam yat syad
apunar bhava darsanam (SB 1.8.25)

Translation
I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.

You can all remember this prayer and so Kunti Maharani is very clever and cunning. She is saying ‘Oh Lord what you should do is that you should continue sending calamities and problems again and again.’ In both situations, vipadah and sampad. Sampad you know what that means, sampati is success. Vipadah means problems and calamities.

So let all the calamities come and sasvat means again and again. So let the calamities come again and again is what is meant by tatra tatra. Bhavato darsanam yat syad. So when the problems come then what shall we do? We will run towards you and we shall call you.’

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

My Lord, Krishna. When problems arise then Krishna’s name naturally comes out of our mouths and we run towards the Lord. ‘So I will run as well’ Kuntidevi says. I don’t if we will all run as well but Kunti Maharani is saying that she will certainly run. So during this coronavirus we don’t know whether we will run towards Krishna or towards the hospital.

Actually we should run towards both. First remember Krishna and then afterwards remember the doctor or the hospital. So one must remember prayers to the Lord and the care of the doctor. With the help of both we will become well.

bhavato darsanam yat syad

‘Whenever problems arise I will take your darshan and I will go to your temple and pray. Wherever that temple may be because you are all pervading, being everywhere.’

So it may not be possible to go to the temple so from wherever we are- Nowadays in Kali Yuga one should call the Lord from wherever he is stationed.

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

By our chanting like this the Lord says ‘I become present there.’

Naham vasami vaikunthe
Yoginam hrdayena ca
Mad bhakta yatra gayanti
Tatra tisthami Narada (Padma Purana)

Translation
Oh Narada! I do not reside in vaikuntha nor am I in the hearts of the yogis. I reside where my devotees glorify my name, form, qualities and my transcendental pastimes.

So Kunti Maharani had already said ‘tatra tatra’ so wherever we may call the Lord, in that very place the Lord will appear for us and come there. Apunar bhava darsanam. So we may understand what Kunti Maharani is saying by learning sanskrit. This will make the meaning of the words easy to understand.

But the bhava, feelings of love of Kunti Maharani in this prayer of her’s, her Krishna bhavana, if we can know and understand that, which we can do if we are serious, is the real success. Otherwise

vaishnavera kriya mudra vijneha na bujhaya (SB 9.5.20 purport)

Translation:
Even the most learned man cannot understand the activities of a Vaishnava.

This has also been said to illustrate that to know the activities of the Vaishnava or Vaishnavi through any other means but devotional service is very difficult. So we must try more and more so that we can attain the bhakti bhava, feelings of love and devotion that Kunti Maharani has. So she is saying that problems will keep coming whether we pray to keep them away or not. It is not our choice. So Kunti Maharani is saying that ‘if the problems come we will approach you and come closer to you by calling you.

We will then want an interview and meeting with you so that guhyam akhyati prcchati can happen. (Revealing one’s mind in confidence, inquiring confidentially from NOI text 4). We will be able to discuss heart touching talks with you.’ The talk could be about some joyful matter that we may speak to you about.’ And then what will be the outcome or fruit of such talks?

Apunar bhava darsanam. This is the smartness of Kunti Maharani. So what will be gained at the end? Na punar bhava darshanam.

Translation
‘I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.”

So first she said ‘bhavato darsanam yat syad. Seeing you means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.’So in these difficult times all of you should remember this prayer as these times are especially hard. Also this is also not a new thing, these problems keep appearing in this material world.

punarapi jananam punarapi maranam Punarapi janani jathare shayanam
Iha sansare khali dustare?krupaya pare pahi murare (Shankaracharya)

Translation:?This ocean of sansara is really difficult to cross oh Lord, kindly save me and help me cross it.
Repeated births and repeated deaths And repeatedly sleeping in the womb of mother.

So this is obvious and therefore I thought to remind you of this. Anyway this is the time to remember Lord Rama. This does not mean that during the time of saying what we said, we had forgotten Lord Rama or that we said something against the principles set by the Lord. Rather whatever we said or what the Lord made us say, that was also connected to Lord Rama or Rama lila.

So Ramanavami Mahotsava ki jai! So if Rama Rama happens (death) we need to be saved from this ‘mara mara’ happened again. Mara means to die and so we have to be saved from this repeated death. This is what we are doing – Karo (perform activities) and then Maro, dying. Then again we take birth and perform activities and again we die.

So we have to call out Lord Rama’s name and Rama’s lila. These pastimes you are about to recite m or you may have already recited Rama lila today. So mother Yashoda also used to tell Krishna pastimes of Lord Rama. Sukadeva Goswami also narrated Rama lila to king Parikshit. Ramayana and also Mahabharata are in skanda purana and there the Ramayana mahatmya is written.

Mother Yashoda used to narrate the pastimes of Lord Rama to baby Krishna. We did mention to mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters that they should always tell the story of Lord Rama to their children and younger siblings. In this way they will become noble and principled. At the moment the whole world is becoming degraded, characterless.

So just think that even mother Yashoda used to narrate the tale of Lord Rama to her child Krishna. That is the tradition of this bharat bhumi, India. Everyone has always heard and told the story of Lord Rama. When we were young our mother used to also tell us the story of Lord Rama or otherwise our older brother or father or school teachers would tell the story.

But now the telling of Lord Rama katha is not even allowed in schools. Krishna katha cannot be told. So as this has became a secular state, this situation has arisen and all religions have become so-called equal. This was called demon-crazy by Srila Prabhupada. This kind of democracy was called demon-crazy. So crazy people have made this constitution and have made this country a secular state.

The Lord has been told to get out! So Rama out, Krishna out. Maya is in and Krishna is out. Hari Hari. Ravana has been told to come in and Rama has been told to get out. So in this way Yashoda used to tell Krishna Rama katha. ‘Darling son there was once a king, king Rama, and there was a queen, Sita. And when they became forest dwellers, they reached Panchavati from Chitrakoot.

‘My son,’ she would say. And Lord Krishna would answer ‘hmm hmm’ and she would continue. So she must have told him the story in this way and then she continued, ‘I have come to beg alms. Then Marichi came in the form of a golden deer. He was able to change his form into anything he wanted.’ So Yashoda must have told Krishna this as well.

Then Sita really liked a deer, ‘I want that deer. Oh dear Rama, bring that deer near me.’ So the Rama went to chase that deer and bring it back. Then There was a cry ‘Lakshman!’ So then Sita sent Lakshman, ‘go go.’ Then Ravana appeared begging alms as Sita Maharani came forward and the evil Ravana had taken the form of a brahmana and he had come to make her cry. He had put on all his make up in the form of a brahmana and was carrying a stick and begging pot and he cried ‘I come begging alms.’

‘As Sita came forward that demon kidnapped her!’ In this way Yashoda is telling the story and as she spoke about how Sita Maharani had been kidnapped by a demon, the supreme Lord was lying on his mother’s lap and was drinking cow’s milk. He would say ‘I will not drink my milk and sleep till you tell me a story. Tell me a story, tell me a story.’

So Yashoda is telling him the story and giving him his milk as she speaks. The Lord is drinking his milk and is also tasting the nectar of the story, katha. Then suddenly as the demon came and kidnapped Sita, as soon as Krishna heard this, he jumped up from Yashoda’s lap and stood up shouting ‘Lakshman! Where is my bow and where is my arrow? Now I will show my strength and I will vanquish this demon! Vinashaya cha dushkritam. I will do this so hey Lakshman, let’s go!’

So child Krishna was listening to the tale of Rama, Lakshman and Sita and so he took on the mood of Rama. Child Krishna became Rama by taking on the mood of Lord Rama the mood of the Lord’s anger. So just like in the bhajan, the Lord comes as Rama or sometimes as Shyam. He doesn’t come as Sai Baba so you should always be careful and alert of this fact.

I am supposed to speak on Rama lila but look what I am speaking of instead. So when I was thinking of reciting this Rama lila after the japa talk was over, I was wondering what lila of Rama’s I should speak on. So there are so many pastimes that come to mind. So baby Krishna would say ‘tell me about Rama or Sita.’ And then there is Lakshman lila so the Lord would say ‘tell me about these things.’

Then there are so many other lilas of the devotees of the Lord. ‘You have not spoken to me anything about Hanuman yet. Tell me about Hanuman and narrate to me Hanuman lila.’ There are so many lilas, so how many you know? In the sastra it is said that just like the waves of the ocean cannot be counted, can they be? No, not even a computer could not count these waves.

They are asankhya, innumerable and there are so many new waves being formed. One set and another set, then another. In the same way there are so many pastimes or we could say that there are innumerable pastimes of each incarnation of the Lord. And how many incarnations are there? So sastra says this also, that the incarnations in themselves are innumerable just like the waves of the ocean.

Just like these waves in the ocean cannot be counted, it is impossible – so in the same way the incarnations of the Lord cannot be counted. How many incarnations are there? Nanavataram akarod bhuvanesu kintu. The Lord incarnates in various incarnations, nanavatara. So we cannot say ‘okay, there are one thousand or one hundred thousand or a million incarnations of the Lord.’

No, the incarnations are innumerable and countless and as such, the Lord’s lika’s, pastimes are likewise innumerable. Then there is one personality who is actually the supreme Lord himself, and he becomes satisfied by reciting the Lord’s pastimes and that is Ananta Sesa. He is also called Sahasra Vadan and he has one thousand mouths.

And through his thousand mouths he constantly speaks the glories of Sri Hari. And from his one thousand mouths there are one thousand different pastimes being vibrated, not that from his one thousand mouths he is speaking the same lila. When there is a function, many times the speaker, when he is speaking they put a speaker, a loud speaker as they call India or a box speaker.

The purpose for this is that the sound can be heard from some distance away, however it is the same thing being said, just one thing. If you go to any corner of the place the same thing will be heard which is being spoken through different speakers. But when Sahasra Vadan Ananta Sesa speaks the pastimes of the Lord, then a thousand different pastimes of a thousand different incarnations is being recited at one time.

At the beginning of creation, the planets need to be supported in their orbits by some source of energy or some personality. So who does this in supporting the planets? Each planet has it’s own set place in which it moves about but that planet is being held in it’s place.
This Ananta Sesa is the one who maintains the planets upon his hoods which recline with the planet’s held on them. So in this way the whole world is placed upon the Lord’s hoods. Hari Hari. So the Lord himself who is maintaining the whole creation with all it’s planets was saying, ’till when will I have to support this burden and hold all these planets and the whole creation?’

Actually for the Lord it is not at all a burden and actually the whole creation is just like mustard seeds upon his hoods. So he is holding them all like mustard seeds, one mustard seed on one hood so maybe he will not even remember that he has put a planet which is like a mustard seed upon his hood. It is just like a small fly which sometimes sits upon our heads (laughter).

So for the Lord this is like child’s play, which it is. It is not a big deal for the Lord to maintain all these planets or the creation but he was still asking that ’till when will I have to carry them on my hoods?’ So he was told to do two things at one time. One was to carry the creation upon his hoods, so that’s one thing.

The other thing he was told to do is constantly speak the glories of the Lord’s name, form, pastimes, qualities and abode. And he was told ‘just as soon as you finish speaking about these and everything has been spoken, covered, then you do not need to hold the planets upon your heads anymore.’
So Lord Ananta Sesa, Sahasra Vadba started to think ‘okay, I have a thousand mouths and so with these thousand mouths I will run a marathon. This mean all day and all night I will continue speaking of the Lord’s name, form, pastimes, qualities and abode. Then it will all be finished quickly and then I will not have to do this work of holding the creation on my heads.’

So then he started speaking the Lord’s pastimes and so he went on speaking and speaking and still he is speaking but this lila narration is not ever going to end. We have become a little tired hearing the pastimes of the Lord, we are finding it a little bit burdensome ‘since when is Maharaja speaking on this katha and when will Maharaja become tired so we can have some rest?’

So this Sahasra Vadan is certainly not tired but his intention was that he would finish all the pastime narrations quickly so he would not have to carry the creation on his heads. But this is not happening even up till this day. Rama’s pastimes are so vast and also Lord Rama is always performing his pastimes. Rama’s lila is eternal and also he does not repeat the same pastimes again and so every time there is some new innovation in the pastimes.

So the pastimes therefore become eternal and go from one universe to another universe. So Rama lila and the Lord’s other lila’s are always happening and the Lord comes as Rama and then as Krishna and then Nrsimha or Varaha. So there is no end to the incarnations and nor their pastimes. So there is an ocean of pastimes, unlimited.

So we are tiny souls and therefore just one drop of the ocean of these pastimes is enough for us. We as the soul are so small, and therefore a drop of this ocean of pastimes, within that we can bathe. Just as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says ‘sarvatma snapanam.’ We have a whole bath, Abhishek in this ocean and we can dive into this one drop of the ocean of the Lord’s pastimes.So we keep flicking drops from this ocean of nectarean pastimes towards you through narration of the Lord’s pastimes and that is enough. So listen to these pastimes carefully and drown in them, dive and bathe in them as well, the Lord’s pastimes, his name and his dham, abode and in prashad. In this way become Rama devotees.

Are the devotees of Noida listening? Is my voice reaching you all? So look, my voice is even reaching Noida, this is how much influence I have (laughter). Hari Hari. This is the influence of being online. So the internet should also get credit for this, including the scientists and whoever else is involved is arranging the internet for us to be online. This is actually the best use and otherwise all else is abuse of the internet and whatever other facility, which most people do. But Hare Krishna devotees use the internet in the proper way. So working from home is happening at the moment, and so sit at home and perform your business from there online, E-commerce. The Hare Krishna devotees are doing the same at the moment and for them, working from home means working from within the temple.

Sitting in the temple, in the ashram, whatever work they have to do to aid preaching, they are doing.
Yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’ upadesa (CC Madhya lila 07.128)

Translation
Instruct everyone you see to follow the orders of Lord Sri Krsna
So with Rama Navami coming up, it is time to hear and chant the lila’s, katha of the Lord. We are sitting here in the temple and preaching and there they are sitting in Russia, the mataji’s, and they are listening. Are you listening Nandini? You understand a little Hindi, yes? And in Ukraine Arjuna is listening.

In Mauritius Chintamani Dham Mataji is listening and like that someone is in Solapura and then somebody else is in Pandharpura or in Noida. So do bhajan of Lord Rama.

Understanding the Super Excellence of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

So that is the theme, understanding the super excellence of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

Srila Prabhupada ki jay!

He was and he is Gaudiya Vaishnava, coming in the line of disciplic succession and we are getting connected. So we are making this presentation, I won’t say this is complete presentation but some introductory presentation to make the point that Gaudiya Vaishnavism is super excellent like,

mattah parataram nanyat
kincid asti dhananjaya
mayi sarvam idam protam
sutre mani-gana iva [Bg 7.7]

Translation:

O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.

Krishna said no one is equal to me and no one is superior to me. So Krishna is super excellent personality of godhead. So like that there are different features of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, so we have picked up a few items which are listed here. Achintya-Bheda-Abheda tattva or philosophy or the commentary on vedanta sutra is of Gaudiya Vaishnavas is super excellent, so that one. And Gaudiya sampradaya is super excellent and raganuga sadhana bhakti.

And Goloka dhama, amongst all the dhamas and there are many of them, is the topmost realm, super excellent and that is Gaudiya Vaishnavas preference, they don’t settle on any other level they go all the way to the top, topmost abode, super excellent abode Goloka. Mellows of bhakti, Gaudiya Vaishnavas only settle for the topmost rasa, madhurya rasa. That is what Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu relished and shared.

Super excellence of Srimad Bhagavatam ki jay!

And Chaitanya Charitamrita amongst all the scriptures, there are plenty of them. Srimad Bhagvatam is super excellent. And of all the personalities of godhead Krishna and Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu are the topmost. Gaudiya Vaishnavism is Krishna consciousness.

Our presentation is based on the statements of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu from Caitanya-matta-manjusa by Srila Viswanatha Cakravarti Thakura.

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 [Caitanya-matta-manjusa]

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna, the son of Nanda Maharaja, is worshipped along with His transcendental abode Vrndavana. The most pleasing form of worship for the Lord is that which was performed by the gopis of Vrndavana. Srimad Bhagavatam is the spotless authority on everything and pure love of Godhead is the ultimate goal of life for all men. These statements, for which we have the highest regard, are the opinion of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

So the last line says, sri-caitanya mahaprabhor matam idam, this is the mat or opinion of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. What is his opinion? It is listed in the previous three lines and then tatradarah na parah, there is nothing superior or better than this opinion. Aradhyo bhagavan, when it comes to aradhana,

aradhananam sarvesam
visnor aradhanam param
tasmat parataram devi
tadiyanam samarcanam [Padma Purana]

Translation

Although in the Vedas there are recommendations for worshiping many demigods, Lord Visnu is the Supreme Person, and worship of Visnu is the ultimate goal of life. The Vedic principles of the varnasrama institution are meant to organize society to prepare everyone to worship Lord Visnu.

The topmost worshipable deity is vrajesa-tanayas, son of Nanda Maharaj. His dham, tad-dhama vrndavanam, that is the topmost dham and this is the opinion of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Then talking of the mode of worship, Sri Krishna is to be worshipped but the way you worship, which way? Radha’s way or Gopi’s way. Gopi’s mood and bhava, this is the best bhava, super excellent and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu recommends you to try to imbibe that spirit, that bhava and follow that mode of worship. Vraja-vadhu-vargena va kalpita, then talking of scripture srimad bhagavatam pramanam, Srimad Bhagavatam is the authority, why? Because Srimad Bhagavatam is spotless puram which other scriptures are not, there are some spots. Some puranas are in mode of goodness, some in passion or some in ignorance but Srimad Bhagavatam is spotless puran and prema pum-artho mahan. The popular purusharthas are dharma, arth, kama and moksha but according to Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu prema pum-artho. You should be striving for prem and not some economic development or ending in moksha. So this opinion of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the topmost, matchless and super excellent. So we are taking the basis of this statement of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

So we will be presenting you starting from zero. There are different vaad or isms siddhantas. Buddha presented voidism, ultimately we have to become nothing, do not even exist, zero.

namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine

Translation

Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvati Gosvami. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Chaitanya deva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.

We always not only hear, say, sing this Prabhupada pranam mantra and that time we say shunyavad and this is shunyavad. Nirvisheshavad, that is one vad that is coming, the next one. The other one is shunyavad, shunya means zero. So what did Prabhupada do? Nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine, western country was saved by Srila Prabhupada and how did he do this? Gaura-vani-pracharine, he propagated Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s message and by doing so he saved the population of the west from the onslaught of shunyavad and nirvisheshavad.

So 2500 years ago, Lord Buddha was on the planet and he preached voidism for some reason. Then Shankaracharya appeared, Shiva appeared as Shankaracharya and before he appeared he spoke to Parvati,

mayavadam asac chastram
pracchannam bauddham uchyate
mayaiva kalpitam devi
kalau brahmana rupina [Padma Purana 6.236.7]

Translation

Mayavada or Advaita philosophy is an impious, wicked belief and against all the conclusions of the Vedas. It is only covered Buddhism. My dear Parvati, in Kali-Yoga I assume the form of a brahmana (Adi Shankara) and teach this imagined philosophy.

Kalau brahmana-rupina, I will be appearing in the form of a brahmin, I will appear in Kerala in the town called Kalady. Mayaiva kalpitam devi, my concoction, my speculation, my speculative theory I am going to present and name of that is Mayavad. This Mayavad is shastras for sure bug what kind of shastra? Asac chastram, it’s a false. Pracchannam bauddham uchyate, this is covered Buddhism or voidism. I am gonna make little progress and going to elevate everyone, stop them from getting into voidism. I will lift them and I will be making presentation of the philosophy, nirvisheshavaad which is also called Mayavad and it is asac chastram.

Here we go, we had a zero before and now we have one, that’s progress right? Zero to one. So what is this one? Advaitvaad. Aa means no and dvait means two, no two entities or personalities, everything is ultimately one. So what are these two parties which are one according to Shankaracharya? Living entity and supreme personality, so they become one or becoming one is the goal, merging into brahman. Buddha dev said don’t even exist, zero and Shankaracharya said don’t become void but just exist and don’t do anything. Doing is maya, seeing is maya, everything is maya, the form is maya, Brahman Satyam Jagat Mithya. So some progress was made from zero to one but still higher to go.

Then 1200 years ago Ramanujacharya appeared and then Madhvacharya, Nimbarkacharya and Vishnuswami. They appeared in four authorised sampradayas, Brahma, Sri, Rudra and Kumar sampradaya. They wrote commentaries on vedanta sutra and their philosophy has become known as dvaita siddhanta of Madhvacharya, visista siddhanta of Ramanujacharya, shudha dvaita siddhanta of Sri Vishnuswami and dvaita advait siddhanta of Sri Nimbarkacharya. Basically they are all talking of two now. It dosen’t sound like that they are, the siddhanta that we just read, they are talking of two. Living entity and Lord, two, eternally they are two.

mamaivamso jiva-loke
jiva-bhutah sanatanah

Statement of Sri Krishna where he says, “Okay we are part and parcels of Lord”. Living entity is the part and parcel of the lord and how long do they remain parts and parcels? How long? Sanatana. “mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhutah”. Jiva loke- in this lokas, jiva bhutah-living entities they are mama-my parts and parcels, for how long? Sanatana-all the time. Eternally they are parts and parcels. So this is vaisnava siddhanta. Especially, this two, two was emphasized by Madhvacharya. So when you see photograph of Madhvacharya, he shows like a victory. Victory over this mayavada. Defeat it and vaisnavism became victorious.

So, he was very much fought, all of his childs fought against shunyavada. Specially against this advaita impersonal presentation. So advaita advaita advaita. Okay from zero to one to two. For that was not everything, still some more progress has to be made or while emphasizing, making the point two two two two. Living entity and the Lord are two. Okay understand two. Not one, two. So this two was too much emphasized.

The Gaudiya vaisnavism did more a balancing act. Separated too much. Too much distance from each other. Stay away, stay away. You are two, you are separated. You are a living entity, you just tiny creature, stay away. so , Brahma, Madhva and then Madhva was already there. So the Gaudiya Vaisnava, Vaisnavism added a dimension and there was a evolution from zero to one to two to two and one. Simultaneously two and one, simultaneously one and simultaeneusly one and different. So it was our Baladev Vidya Bhushan ki .

He also wrote a commentary. At one point we did not have, Gaudiyas did not have our own commentary on vedanta sutra. Gaudiyas were thinking, there’s no need to write another commentary on vedanta sutra. Srimad Bhagvatam is a natural commentary on vedanta sutra. This understanding of Gaudiya Vaisnavas, so they were not writing. But as a result, the others were not taking as seriously, the Gaudiya vaisnavas. Where is your commentary on vedanta sutra? So there were challenges in Jaipur. Whole history and then Vishawanath Chakraborty Thakur. He was the guardian of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism, gaudiya parampara. So he dispatched his disciples Baladev Vidya Bhushan,you Go and then whole debate and then he compiled Gaudiya Vaisnavas commentary on vedanta sutra or he did not write, did not take credit for writing.

It was written by or dictation was given by Govind dev. Jaipur’s or Rupa Goswami’s Govind dev. And he was just writing and Govind was speaking. Radha Madan Mohan ki. And then, so when compilation was completed, he gave the title, they say Govind Bhashya. This Bhashya, this commentary, whose commentary is this? Govind. Govind gave commentary. Govind made the commentary. So that’s how Gaudiya Vaisanavas commentary is known as Govind Bhashya, which was compiled. Baladev Vidya Bhushan became instrument and the philosophy now was “Achintyabhedabhed”. Achintya- Inconceivable, also fact, bhedabhed-bhed and what , abhed. Bhed is what difference, abheda means no difference. There is difference, there is no difference. So qualitatively, living entity and the Lord, Supreme Personality and living entity are quantitatively same and quantitatively they are different. So this way abhed and bhed was established and it took some. How long did it take? Some 2000 years. From zero to one to two, one and two simultaneously. One and difference.

What I meant was style now, there’s no more evolution or any further progress to be made. Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sealed the deal. This is it.

So what we see, you are seeing. This is Mayapur dham. Nawadwip dham ki. And the personality in blue, bluish garments is Nityananda Prabhu and the other one in white robes, that is Jiva Goswami and Nityananda Prabhu gave tour to Jiva Goswami of Nawadwip, Nawadwip Parikrama. But before that happened 500 years ago, all these four acharyas, Vaishnava acharyas that we mentioned to you. Even we showed you how they looked like. They all one by one, during whenever they were on the planet, they were visiting Mayapur Nawadwip and each one of them had darshan of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur talks about this is in Nawadwip Mandal, Nawadwip dham Mahatmya. Scripture that we used as a guide book when we go on Nawadwip Mandal parikrama. So in there, he talks about these acharyas visiting and take a note Ramananujacharya visited some 1000 years ago. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu only appeared 500 years ago. So how come he managed to get darshan. So understanding is Nawadwip is the Lord’s eternal abode and is always there. His …either manifest or unmanifest, prakat or aprakat. So during aprakat lila when lord had not officially appeared or come, not remove the curtain. So before lord making an appearance. So these achayras were encounters with the lord, darshans.

So Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur talks that when he met Nimbarkacharya, once they were going so Nimbarkacharya visited Nawadwip and had darshan encountered dialogue with Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, “You know what I’m gonna do is, I’m gonna accept two of the best qualities from each of these four Vaisnava Sampradaya. They are authorised sampradayas.”

“Sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te nisphala matah”

You have to be connected with authorised parampara so these are the four authorised paramparas. So, that is not only Mahaprabhu said, but he also did that and what are the two qualities from 4 of those sampradayas Chaitanya Mahaprabhu accepted within his sampradaya. This is a list based on, information based on Nawadwip dham Mahatmya.

So from Sri sampradaya, he accepted this two qualities, Ananya Bhakti and Bhaktjan seva.

From Madhvacharya Keval Advaitcharya niraas. Means he was a crusader, he really fought for the khandan. Mayavada khandan,mandan, mundan. So that spirit of Madhavacharya, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu accepted within his sampradaya. And then he also said saying,

“mayavad bhashya sunile, hoile sarvanash, mayavad bhashya sunile, hoile sarvanash ”

If you here mayavad bhashya, you are doomed, you are finished. So this was Madhvacharya’s. He was into this. So that became a part of Gaudiya Vaisnava spirit and fought. So that was from Madhva, keval advaita nirasaan. And nitrya mutri krishna seva. Deity worship. Madhvacharya’s deity worship standards are excellent. So Mahaprabhu accepted that.

From Rudra sampradaya, tadiya-sarvasva-bhava, surrendering, raga marg. A path or process or raga marg. From Kumar sampradaya, ekanta-radhikasraya and gopi-bhava.

So Gaudiya sampradaya become enriched, but then Mahaprabhu took 2 good qualities from other sampradayas making his own sampradaya richer or excellent and matchless. That is a speciality of Gaudiya Vaisnava parampara, Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Sadhana bhakti has two parts, Vaidhi sadhana and Raganug sadhan. We go behind. Anu -to follow, to go right behind, what raga, we follow raag. Raag- attachment. Attachment with the Lord. Raganuga. We are Rupanuga, like that.

So, Krishna’s contemplation before his descent as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So in Goloka, Krishna is still there and he wants to come down to the earth. So before appearance, thinking, who is thinking? He could think right. He is a thinker .God is thinking . Contemplating. Stop, Think, Proceed. Right. Before proceeding to come down here, he has stopped and he is thinking. Okay what are his thoughts. So this is based on Chaitanya Charitamrita (Adi lila 4.15) .

r?ga-m?rga bhakti loke karite prac?ra?a
prema-rasa-niry?sa karite ?sv?dana

Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is contemplating on ‘I want to relish this raga marga’, bhava bhakti marga, gopi bhava, radha bhava, ‘I want to relish and propagate and share this.’ Love weakened by sense of majesty doesn’t satisfy me. I don’t become subservient to such Love. Some other process called aishwarya mishrit or jnana mishra bhakti, there’s understanding that the God is Great and all people in bhakti and all in reverence.

So Lord is thinking, the Love weakens by the sense of majesty. The God is Great. I don’t become subservient to such love. On the contrary, if someone thinks me as his son, if someone thinks me as his friend, if a devotee or someone thinks me as his beloved, he’s equal or inferior then I’m satisfied with him. So this is the Lords thought.

OK, so Sri Prabhupada ki Jay !!!

Srila Prabhupadas Radha Damodar Temple and Srila Prabhupadas lifetime Preparation to come to west, to establish Krishna Consciousness, do foundation registration, do propagation, so prior doing that in Radha Damodar Temple in Vrindavan, Sri Prabhupada all his superexcellent, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, he’s contemplating upon and he’s realizing and as that revealed onto him. So there’s a Srila Prabhupadas Kitchen, doesn’t look like but there’s a kitchen where Prabhupada used to sit and there’s a window and Prabhupada could see through Rupa Goswamis Samadhi, Bhajan Kutir and Srila Prabhupad’s preparing and want to establish the super excellence of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, propagate that and all lot of these things which we are presenting. Srila Prabhupad presented the best.

And then talking about Dhama, topmost Dhama is Golok dhama and Nija Dhama. Golok Dhama and at the bottom where we are? Where Washington DC is? Which part of dhama is this? Devi Dhama. Durga Devis Dhama.

(Hari Hari)

The President is Lord and other guys see as a strings you know as puppeteer. And all of us, each one are puppets. Whether President or citizens, etc, everyone is controlled by Lords energy Durga. So the Devi Dhama here and above this devi Dhama, above the Brahmanda is Mahesh Dhama. Half part of Mahesh Dhama is Devi Dham, the lower half. The upper Half is part of Vaikuntha, it’s as good as Vaikunth, and lower half is part of Devi Dham. So there’s Mahesh Dham, Sadashiv functions in different way being in upper part, and the other half lower part which is dark side or ignorant part or the destructive part (Kal bhairava) of Shiva functions in different way. So Mahesh Dham and Hari Dham and above that is Ayodhya Dham (Sri Ram Dham) and above that is Golok Dham. In Golok comes Dwarka where Krishna is Complete and there’s Mathura where Krishna is Purnatar (more Complete) and there’s Vrindavan where Lord is Purnatam (most Complete) and that Vrindavan realm has two compartments, one is Vrindavan and other one is Nawadwip. So in Vrindavan, one part is Radha Krishna their personalities, they perform their pastimes and the other division of Golok, they combine forms, sri Krishna Chaitanya, Radha Krishna, so that is another part. And Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, gave up Golok, one of the puranas mentions this, that Gaurang Mahaprabhu left Golok behind and entered this world to relieve us. So Golok Dham ki Jay ! assert at top and then the Vichar (Consideration) means to Consider, to analyze, to understand Rasa. Lord is made up of Rasa. He’s full of Ras vigraha.

(Hari Hari)

You see 5 rasa there. This all Chaitanya Mahaprabhu talking to Sanatan Goswami in Varanasi for 2 months the dialogue was on. So it’s based on the Chaitanya Charitamrit, 19 Chapter, the verses are mentioned. Shanta Rasa has Krishna Nishtha and Trishna tyaag (giving up thirst or attachment). Then he becomes Shanta i.e Shanta Rasa Bhakt. You could say the other two items are there, what is added is Seva Bhav. Shanta Ras is not into Seva, he just sits and appreciate or doesn’t have service attitude. But as soon as one is blessed with Dasya Rasa he gets up and he begins acting serving the Lord. Moving forward or going upward Sakhya Ras, what is additional is Vishrambha sakhya. Vishrambha means equality or becoming Samaras. The same Rasa or no distinction level, merging thoughts and same feelings and like that is called Vishrambha. And then Vatsalya has additional aspect called Palak gyan. One who is dealing with Lord in Vatsalya Ras, Vatsalya Parenthood of Nanda Baba and Yashoda, they become palaka, they become protectors and maintainers of the Lord. We’re the maintainers, they think like this. The palak and palya. Palya is Child, and one who does palan is Palak. And there’s a devotee. Devotee becomes Palak. And Madhurya Ras as Nijanga Dan. In one’s body there’s no reservation, there’s no holding back or full surrender. All that they do is only for Lord. Their mind, Body, Soul, everything for the pleasure of the Lord. And that is Madhurya which is the most sweetest Rasa. You could see this Prabhus, one time they were in Shant Ras, but then they made progress and they achieved the status of Dasya Ras. So in Vaikuntha there is predominance of Dasya (service attitude). So there’s a praise for Laxmi Narayan

yam brahmA varuNendra rudra maruta: stunvanti divyai: stavai:
The demigods and others are there for the Dasya Ras. Now this is something interesting that Aishwarya means Sakhya. So Krishna even Declared that you are my friend. So Sakhya Ras between Arjuna and Krishna, but this is Aishwarya mishrit. Then Lord showed universal form to Arjuna and he realized and said sorry to Krishna and to accept his Apologies as he was to lie down on krishnas bed and eat with Krishna in one plate. And realized and said that this is not proper. You are so great and I’m nobody. So this is Aishwarya mishrit Sakhya.We could say Vishrambha Sakhya Ras.

The coward boys would say to Krishna that Who do you think you are? So Lord used to say we’re friends. So this is Vishrambha Sakhya. They never pray to Krishna. After seeing lords universal form Arjuna started crying, and begging for forgiveness. He said I was thinking that I was friend and no no no this is not true. But the friends, they will never apologize, because they’re friends. That’s all. And here is Aishwarya mishrit vatsalya.

So in Mathura, Krishna and Vasudev, Devki and Krishna appeared on Janmashtami night, the parents started offering prayers to the baby Krishna. So this is Aishwarya. But does Yashoda offers prayers ? No, she was strict. Punished him softly when needed. So this is Vishrambha Vatsalya. On this Aishwarya mishrit Madhurya Ras aand Vaikuntha Lokas. But in Vrindavan there’s Vishrambha Madhurya Rasa. So this Vishrambha Vatsalya, Vishrambha Madhurya Rasa, Vishrambha Sakhya Rasa.

So what I am thinking is to stop it here. There are also more aspects than which have been discussed here.

Say something about Bhagavatam or Bhadra purnima. Bhadra is the name of the month, sravan, vaishakh, chaitra then bhadrapad. Lord Krishna also appeared in bhadrapad. So something else also happened 500 years ago in the month of bhadra. So bhadra purnima, full moon night of the month bhadrapada, Srimad Bhagavatam recitation by Sukdev Goswami was completed. The first ever official Bhagavatam was recited in Hastinapur on the bank of Ganga, now it is known as Sukhtal. So there Sukdev Goswami, he started his Bhagavatam recitation in navmi, ninth day of Bhadrapad and seventh day was purnima when completion of Bhagavatam took place. 12th canto of Bhagavatam was recited on the last day and he did more than 12 cantos.

The last chapter of Bhagwatam, pages must be, 335th chapter Bhagwatam has, so this is the last chapter and the title is Glories of Srimad Bhagwatam. 13 th Chapter’s 13th Text, if on the full moon day on the month of Bhadra one places Srimad Bhagwatam on Golden Throne, and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination. Hari Bol ! Not a big deal. So Iskcon for some years now have been celebriting, observing Bhadra poornima festival. This day Bhagwatam was completed and was ready to go and was being offered to the whole world. So, Iskcon around the world is appealing to take part in this festival campaign of distribution of Whole Bhagwatam sets. So, this year the poornima is on 13th September if I remember. So this is august now, so next month it is. So, day and night, I would also like if you joined this campaign and get a set of bhagwatam for yourself or if you have one, so get one or many for others to give that as a gift.

prausthapadyam paurnamasyam
hema-simha-samanvitam
dadati yo bhagavatam
[SB 12.13.13]?sa yati paramam gatim

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.

One who gives Srimad –Bhagavatam as gift attains supreme destination, Jai Golok dhama ki jai.
Just introduced you to Golok dhama. Last year thousands of sets were distributed , I was last night at Baltimore, they distributed 7000 sets. Baltimore is number 4 in the world. Baltimore ki jai. In India also some temples did hundreds and some temple did thousands of Srimad –Bhagavatam sets distribution. We would like to see that happening in Washington DC also.

Radha Madan Mohan ki…jai
Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai

This super excellent scripture. Srila Prabhupada carried to West his japa mala, he had his personal copy of Caitanya Caritamrita and he was carrying 200 sets of Srimad –Bhagavatam. Mahabhagavat Srila Prabhupada ki jai.

Mahabhagavat Srila Prabhupada travelled with Srimad- Bhagavat. Books are the basis. Bhagavatam is the basis of Krsna Consciousness. So we all have to spread Krsna consciousness all over. So we will do it. If you want to change the world the person you have to change is your own self. As I reached I was said to speak few words in support of this campaign.

Bhadra Pornima Bhagavatam distribution campaign ki jai
Srila Prabhupada ki jai

Initiation Class
Leicester
Live streaming
4th April 2021

All those getting initiated today, for your information, if you did not know that all of them were inspired and most casual to receive initiation from His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami Maharaja but Lord had different plan. Maharaja suddenly left us behind and he has moved on to wherever Srila Prabhupada is or Radha Madhava is. Then it is our duty or his God brothers’ duty to do the needful.

We miss His Holiness very much. I do not know where we could feel in the gaps or be the substitute. But here you go. This is the best we could do or Pradyumna could do, that he has approached me and recommended these eligible and qualified candidates to be accepted as second initiates four of them and one receiving the first initiation.

Srimati Priya mataji, Rakshita Radhika mataji, Priya Darshan prabhu, Vrajaraja Krsna prabhu are the candidates receiving second initiation today. Sheetal mataji, the good wife of Priya Darshan prabhu, receiving first initiation. Thank you for that reminder, Pradyumna prabhu, all this is happening on appearance day of Srivasa Thakura.

The sankirtana movement kind of practically began there in the courtyard of Srivasa Pandit, who was non than Narada Muni who himself appeared. Why is he called Narada? Srivasa Pandit was Narada. They simultaneously exist like that. He was giver of Narayana so he is called Narada. Da means giver so Narada, as Srivasa Pandit was giving out Supreme Narayana. Supreme Narayana is Sri Krsna or Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

How was he giving Narayana or Supreme Narayana, Sri Krsna, to others? In the form of the holy name.

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

It is certainly a very auspicious appearance of Srivasa Thakura. There are so much could be said about Srivasa Thakura, Srivasa Pandit, one of the members of the Panca Tattva. We could certainly say that by his merciful arrangement or merciful glance upon all of us, including those initiates.

They are receiving or I could say that are getting promoted today and they will be receiving yet another mantra which is Gayatri mantra. So they would be becoming brahmins, officially.

janmana jayete sudrah samskarad bhaved dwijah

When we are born we are sudras. In India we call manusya prani. Manusya is one of the pranis, or one of the creatures. As sudra we are in ignorance, as children also when we are born, we do not know what is what and our whereabouts. So in that sense also. Sudra by birth and as one undergoes samskaras, purificatory process, then one becomes dvijah, twice born or second birth. First birth parents give then spiritual master on behalf of parampara and the Supreme Lord gives the second birth we are birth within the birth.

veda pathad bhaved viprah

It also says as one studies veda patha, studies the Sastras, the Vedas, the Puranas, for us Gita, Bhagavat, then one becomes vipraha, means learned or learned brahmin or dwijah the second birth. First initiation is also kind of second birth. Then further promotion you are getting brahminical initiation. So that is you will also have to, I do not know when you will be arranging that, formalise finally with the fire sacrifice. The mantras, the fire, yajna and svaha and stamp of approval finally happens with that. I leave that up to Pradyumna prabhu to organise.

It may or may not happen today but we are initiating this second initiation process by, first of all, talking about brahminical initiation ans second initiation. What us a brahmin will have to be also stated or job description of the brahmin. Which are the qualifications of the brahmins? pathan paathan, yajan yaajan, studying and teaching and accepting dakshina and giving charities and performing yajnas and teaching others or getting others involved with the yajna. Of course, the yajna that we performed is mostly sankirtana yajna. We do swaha swaha from time to time, we are not against, it is part. But the main yajna that we do perform is sankirtana yajna. This are the six activities or qualities of a brahmin.

In 18th chapter of Bhagavad Gita, Krsna is talking about the qualities of all the members of the varana. Brahmins, ksatriya, vaisyas, sudras. Beginning with the qualities of the brahmanas in the 18th chapter, text 42,

samo damas tapah saucam
ksantir arjavam eva ca
jnanam vijnanam astikyam
brahma-karma svabhava-jam [BG 18.42]

You could go back if you have not already visited that verse or not familiar or no memorized. Not just memorization but cultivated that spirit and developed sense control and mind control, the austerities. I would just wind up saying this the knowledge and how to, practically, apply that knowledge that is called vidyan. Brahmin is quite a post and position and responsibility. He is considered as the head of the society.

In sastras, the brahmins are called the uttama anga. Uttama means the best of the topmost. Anga means the limb or part of the body. So brahmin is uttama angah, so the best. You could also say the top. The head is at the top. Another parts on the side. The arms division, they are ksatriyas, they are administrators. Then belly are vaishyas and the keg are assisting all divisions of the society. So brahmin is the head. He gives the direction to all of the parts the body or components of the society.

So, its quite a responsibility. Prabhupada would say that, “The present society is a headless society, headless society. There is no head, there is no brahmin.” Like a headless chicken. The head has to be there. It was Prabhupada’s idea that he wanted to put head on the top of the society. The society is considered the body, then the brahmin as the head. He was cultivating brahminical culture within his International Society for Krsna Consciousness. His ideas was to provide what the society was lacking. The society was lacking brahmin, knowledge.

This is the of Kali so there is a dominance of “kalau sudra sambhavah.” In Kali Yuga we find mostly the sudras and what are sudras known for? They are known for their ignorance. As brahmins are known for their knowledge, the sudras are known for their ignorance. “Kalau satva haram pumsam.” Satva means the essence and also means goodness. So, in the age of Kali, the goodness is taken away. Society is deprived goodness. Society minus goodness is ignorance. A society minus brahmanas is full of sudras.

Srila Prabhupada wanted brahmins to guide the society, to guide the human race. Qualified brahmins, not born brahmins. Krsna has different idea. Krsna says,

catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [BG. 4.13]

“Maya srstam”, by Me created catur, four varanas. What are those? Brahmins, ksatriyas, vaisya, sudras are the varanas. How would they be classified or distinguished or categorised, who is who, who belongs to which varanas? “Guna karma,” according to gunas, their activities and their qualities. What gunas, what qualities Lord is talking about? Basically, our foundational qualities are 3 in number: sattwa guna, rajo guna, tamo guna – goodness, passion and ignorance.

When there is predominance of goodness in our life – the goodness predominating brahmins – then goodness is minimised, it becomes ksatriya and some passion is also mixed with that. Goodness is further minimised, it become vaisya and some passion and ignorance is also there. And the most minimal amount of goodness, then you are sudra, you are ignorant. Mostly full of ignorance and passion and tiny bit of goodness, occasionally some good thing they may think or do.

So, we are happy that two matajis and two prabhus, or sometimes, two prabhus and two prabhuvis. This is a technical or official way that they could be called prabhuvi. Two prabhuvi and two prabhus. They had been cultivating Krsna consciousness and practicing Krsna consciousness for quite sometime now. So, they are found to be or authorities have found potential in them of being a brahmin, full fledged brahmins. Not that they are already full fledged brahmins but this is the meaning of initiation also: we initiate, we begin. Then we revive and finally, we thrive. Then all the qualities are fully manifested.

The potential is there so they are being awarded this brahminical initiation or the Gayatri mantras. We are happily will be offering this Gayatri mantra which is confidential. Hence, we will not say that publicly. Everybody is here, whole public is here. Of course, in India, you get to hear the public chanting or they would even write the Gayatri mantra on the wall and anybody and everybody could read. But this is supposed to be confidential.

Now on the turn to Sheetal mataji, the candidate for first initiation. After we have dealt with that, then privately, on a separate forum we will share the Gayatri mantra to those four candidates for the second initiation. Becoming brahmins, so go on studying and teaching, “pathan paathan.” Read books, read books. Then distribute books, distribute books; or distribute the knowledge in those books.

Gayatri mantras are pancaratriki vidhi mantras. This will make you eligible and qualified to worship the deities and we understand there is a demand of brahmins. Pradyumna prabhu, “brahmins wanted! Brahmins wanted!” So, as you become brahmind, qualified and duly initiated, equipped with the Gayatri mantras, you could worship the deities.

sruti-smrti-puranadi-
pancaratriki-vidhim vina
aikantiki harer bhaktih
utpatayaiva kalpate [Brs. 1.2.101]

Pancaratriki vidhi is essential for worshipping the deities.

Right, I was asking Sheetal mataji, “you are chanting, right? You have been chanting Hare Krsna maha mantra?”

– Yes, Hare Krsna.

– Okay, good. Because I am signing up for life here (laughter). Otherwise, there is a one way traffic going on here which is I am the one. So, you will be formally receiving this Hare Krsna maha mantra as part of your first initiation. Initiated chanting of Hare Krsna maha mantra. And you will be also taking vows. Hari bol.

The four regulative principles, you will be taking vows very soon and also on the occasion of first initiation, the ten offences against the holy name are to be remembered or recited as a reminder to the candidate that the offences are to be avoided to get a full benefit of chanting the Hare Krsna maha mantra.

This is the age of Kali. The process of Krsna realisation, I would not say God realisation because we know the name of God, so why we should we call Him God? We call Him Krsna. Krsna realisation. So the process of Krsna realisation is chanting of the holy name of the Lord.

Lord personally appeared just few days ago, on Gaura Purnima day, 5035 years ago. And what did He do? He appeared and He had come with a gift of the Holy name. Lord was personally chanting that Holy name and He declared that this is the only way.

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam kalau
nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyata

There is no other way, there is no other way. The holy name is the way to go forward or go back to Godhead or to realise Sri Krsna. Kali Santarana Upanisad says something similar, om. This is a vedic mantra so, it begins with,

“hare krishna hare krishna
?krishna krishna hare hare
?hare rama hare rama
?rama rama hare hare
iti sodasakam namnam?kali-kalmasa-nasanam?natah parataropayah?sarva-vedesu drsyate

‘After searching through all the Vedic literature, one cannot find a method of religion more sublime for this age than the chanting of Hare Krishna.’”

This is Brahma talked and Narada heard. Same Narada again, who has appeared as Srivasa Thakur. In the beginning of the age of Kali, he goes to Bramha Loka, goes to his father and his spiritual master. He says, “now what to do? What should the people of this age of Kali do, so that they could realise Krsna, realise God. I am a preacher and as I go around I have to give them the right mantra, right process. So, please, dear father, dear spiritual master, please, tell me what should I tell others?”

So, in response to his query, Bramha said what I said earlier, (the verse om hare krsna…) These 16 names will do what? Kali kalamasa nasanam. All the kalamas, all the faults, flaws, defects of this age of Kali will be rectified or destroyed by the chanting of these 16 names.

The sastras are full of such recommendations. This Hare Krsna maha mantra is kind of custom made just for the people of the age of Kali. This is dharma, in fact. The chanting of Hare Krsna maha mantra is the dharma of this age of Kali. We, human beings, are expected to be dharmic or spiritual-religious people, accept religion. So which religion to accept? Caitanya Caritamrta says,

avatari’ caitanya kaila dharma-pracarana
kali-kale dharma – krsna-nama-sankirtana [CC Madhya 11.98]

Harinama is Kali’s dharma. Dharma in the age of Kali is chanting of Hare Krsna. I think it becomes so very easy, of course, we have to accept Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu as the original and Supreme Personality of Godhead. Okay, we do as He said or, we do as He did. And He is the supreme authority, Supreme Lord personally has come. He has taken up the role as a devotee, He has become Gaura bhakta or He has become bhakta. He is all the time just chanting and dancing. This way,

apane acari jagate siksah
siksartham ekah purusah puranah

Siksastmakan, in order to teach. The oldest and original person, Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He, Himself chanted and danced. And He also did japa and kirtan. He has set an example and He is also guru.

krsnam vande jagad guru

Original guru is Krsna. He had also predicted that this holy name will reach every town and every village, all over the world. Kindly, Srila Prabhupada had made that arrangement. He founded the International Society for Krsna Consciousness. He was travelling all over. He was doing global trotting and he set a team of his senior disciple to England and this is how the propagation began in England. Then spreading in London, and everywhere and had reached Leicester.

I do not know where Sheetal mataji came in contact with the holy name but it has reached you (Sheetal mataji). Just see the long journey. Holy name has been travelling and travelling and the holy name is Lord. That is something we also have to realise. This Hare Krsna mahamantra that you will be receiving is Lord Himself. During initiation as we give this mahamantra, we are giving you Lord. How Lord? In form of the holy name. “Abhinatvat namanaminau.” There is no difference between nama and nami.

So, Sheetal should be saying, “thank God for catching up with me. I had been going up and down and, round and round. But Lord has finally caught up with me with you.” And I should say the same thing as Pradyumna prabhu, as part of the introduction, was saying, “50 years ago, the holy name caught up with me also.”

Srila Prabhupada was in Mumbai, there was Hare Krsna Festival which I had joined and Prabhupada had come there with American and European sadhus. I had gone to attend that Hare Krsna Festival and that is where I came in contact or,the holy name caught up with me, 50 years ago.

Today is, in fact, the grand finale of the festival, just in few hours. At 7 PM IST, we will have a celebration. We will be sharing our memories. We will have Giriraja Maharaja and Radhanath Maharaja, Visakha mataji and Yadhuvara prabhu and Ksudhi prabhu. From Sweden we will have Vegvan prabhu and his good wife, Padmavati. In fact, Padmavati and Vegavan were married 50 years ago, on stage as I was just in the audience there.

The holy name was very kind and so now we are formalizing that communication, that connection with the Supreme Lord, in the form of the holy name. Communicating and relating with the soul, Sheetal’s soul. Sheetal is body and there is a soul. Two souls, one is anu atma and the other one is vibhu atma – the Supersoul or the holy name and then atma, the soul. They are united as one chants the holy name with devotion and this is called bhakti yoga.