Padayatra glories –Part 1
19 June 2016, Salem
Tamil Nadu.

How many devotees are from padayatra here? We could welcome all padayatra devotees. They are the guests here today and you are the hosts. So the host has to welcome the guest. So we have Salem devotees, congregation devotees from Salem, raise your hands. Oh, it’s a good gathering.
Salem devotees ki jay!

Salem temple devotees also here? I see some brahmacharis. Okay, about ten, very good. Rest of you must be from this village. There is also another, some 5 kms there is a congregation, what is the name of that village? How many are from there you can ask. Not Mecheri, outside. Okay, quite a good number. How many are from this village, small town or village? Okay, there are some. Anyone from vaikuntha? Only one. We all are originally from Vaikuntha. How many of you would like to return to Vaikuntha? Everyone, almost everyone. Once more, he is taking photographs of those who want to go to Vaikuntha. We will send this photograph to the Lord. Let the Lord know so many are interested.

We are very very happy to be with you this evening. Infact, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu, they had come to this village a few days ago and they are here. So we all are here because of them or because they are here. Have you taken darsana of Gaura Nitai? We call them Nitai Gaura sundar. There on the chariot, it’s a mobile temple. Moving temple. And Gaura Nitai are travelling everyday to newer and newer towns and villages.
Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki jay!
Nityananda Prabhu ki jay!

So they are very kind. First of all they came down to this material existence. Some 500 years ago, the Lord appeared, sambhavami yuge yuge [Bg 4.8] as we hear from Bhagavad Gita.

keho bole purabete ravana badhila
goloker vaibhava lila prakasa korila
[Vasudev Ghosh’s bhajan “Jaya Jagannatha Sacira-nandana”, text 3]

Translation:
“Some wise souls say that in ancient times He killed Ravana. Some say in Gokola He enjoys glorious pastimes.”

Lord Rama appeared in treta yuga and he killed Ravana, among so many other things he did. Then in dvapar yuga, Lord Krsna appeared and he manifested lilas. Goloka lila manifested in Gokul, Vrindavan, 5000 yeras ago. Then comes the Kaliyuga, the present, the current yuga.

sri-radhar bhave ebe gora avatar
hare krishna nam gaura korila pracar”
[Vasudev Ghosh’s bhajan “Jaya Jagannatha Sacira-nandana text 4]

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 Krsna mantra.”

Then that Lord who had appeared, He always appears in every age. He had appeared as Rama in Treta yuga, he had appeared as Sri Krishna in Dvapar yuga, He appeared as Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Kaliyuga. So when He appeared as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says sri-radhar bhave ebe gora avatar. He appeared in the mood of or with the emotions of Radharani. Gaura avtar, and He became also idanim krishnatam gatah. Krishna appears as a Ghanashyama but Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared as Gauranga. Shyamsundar appeared as Gaurasundar. So that is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and also Nityananda Prabhu is here. “Hare Krishna nama Gaura karila prachar” and then Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu propagated chanting of Hare Krsna mahaamantra. Like sambhavami yuge yuge [Bg 4.8], why does Lord appear in every age?

“paritranaya sadhunam
vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge” [Bg 4.8]

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

Dharma-samsthapanarthaya, to establish the religion of that age. So this Kaliyuga’s dharma is harinamA sankirtan.
Every time Kali Yuga comes, Harinam Sankirtan is the dharma, probably you’re surprised what is this every time Kali Yuga comes, we don’t hear this, we don’t know what is this every time? How many times is that Kali Yuga comes and gone, probably that could be a question. Have you heard about Brahma, Brahma Visnu Mahesh? In Brahma’s one day, Kali yuga comes thousand times, you know so Dvapara Yuga thousand times, Tetra Yuga thousand times, Satya Yuga thousand times and this is just one day of Brahma.

In fact, just 12 hours of Brahma and another thousand cycles. So, every time Kali yuga comes,

harer nama harer nama harer namaeva kevalam
kalounasty evanasty eva gatiranja ta

The people of this age of Kali are every time reminded, now we are reminding you, you are also reminding others. Caitanya Mahaprabhu reminded and established this Hare Krishna Mantra in this age of Kali. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in Navadvipa Bengal, 500 years ago, Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa.

So, He is full of six opulences: Renunciation (vairagya) is one of them, so in that sense we could say He renounced everything. And He started propagation of this chanting of Hare Krishna mahamantra. Lord Krishna was chanting and dancing, chanting this,

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,
Hare Rama Hare Rama
RamaRama Hare Hare,

Krishna who danced with the gopis in Vrndavan in the banks of Yamuna, now He was dancing with this devotees everywhere.
sundara lala sachirdulala nachata sri harikirtana me

This whole song says, Sundar lal is the same to who was Nanda Dulal now became Sundar Lal, Sachi Dulal, Krishna Caitanya, His name is now Krishna Caitanya, Krishnaya Krishna Caitanya namne, Krishna, now His name is Krishna Caitanya and is dancing in kirtana.

nachata sri harikirtana me
thatai thatai bhajela kol
gana gana tahe janjerarol

The devotees would play the mrdangas and Caitanya Mahaprabhu dancing,

Preme dala dala sunaranga carane nupurabhaje
Gauranga Mahaprabhu with His golden complexions Lord and His long arms,
ajanulambhita bhujou kana kava dato sankirtaneika pitarou,

His long arms and His blooming lotus eyes reaching His ears (karuna parijantam) His broad forehead, was a huge bodied personality, deep naval, raised nose, deep voice, deep intelligence also, long arms, golden form and ankle bells tied around His ankles and immerse of hundreds and thousands of devotees He would dance, as you know Krishna dancing with gopis, you know how many gopis? Crowds of gopis, crowds of gopis, millions of gopis would assemble and dance with Krishna or Krishna dancing with them, the same Krishna is dancing with the devotees in Kirtan and He was propagating chanting of the Holy name which is the best thing to be had in this world or in 14 planet systems, so the Lord travelled all over India, all over south India, He had come to Bangalore, many places.

You know Srirangam? Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to Srirangam.
Hari Bol!!!

And He had come during the rainy season and stayed there for four months. He was performing kirtan everyday there. In fact, there is a house Vyenkata Bhatta was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s host and Mahaprabhu stayed with Vyenkata Bhatta for four months. When you go to Srirangam next time you could visit that Vyenkata Bhatta residence where Mahaprabhu stayed for four months. They also have the footprints of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s lotus feet installed in front of Srirangam mandir. So like that, I think that is the closest point to this village or to Sailam, Srirangam was the closest. God walked the earth, God was here, and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was here .Well he is here also in the form of deity but he was here.
You could take photographs of him. Any photograph, any video, that time there were no videos. But he could read Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes in Chaitanya Charitamrita. He could read Chaitanya Bhagavata, Chaitanya mangal, Chaitanya Charit. There are so many scriptures. Reading those pastimes is like looking at the video.

‘Shastra chakshusha’ – Seeing through the eyes of the scriptures.

By reading those pastimes by hearing those pastimes you could paint a picture of how Caitanya Mahaprabhu looked like. And what did he do and where he went? You could know everything about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This is also called the ‘shruti praman’. we understand by hearing. Lord has a form, lord has a name, lord has qualities, and lord performs pastimes. Just this mantra. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is being made known to the world by this Hare Krishna movement.

Srila Prabhupada ki jay!!
Srila Prabhupada the founder acarya of this international society for Krishna consciousness. He is revealing Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to the whole world. People used to only maybe hear about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the past, something something. And whatever they were hearing was not always perfect, concoctions. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as the supreme personality of godhead, that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is being presented by this Hare Krishna movement.

Srila Prabhupada, he translated Chaitanya Charitamrita in English and now you could also read that in Kannada, and Marathi,and Chinese, and Japanese, and Dutch and Czechoslovakian and so many languages. And now you could see Caitanya Mahaprabhu has come to your village.
Hari Bol!!

I am here, look at me, this is how I look like, raise your hands, say Hari bol.
‘Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Caitanya Mahaprabhu is here and his mantra, God gave the mantra to the world.

‘Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum’- He is the original guru.

And he inaugurated this Hare Krishna chanting and propagation of Hare Krishna chanting, he is the inaugurator. So that mantra is now being chanted everywhere. Mantra that was given by God. The best mantra, the appropriate mantra, the right mantra for this age of Kali.

And it’s now going all over the world. This mantra is a global mantra not just a local mantra. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he did not appear for the benefit of Indians only. God doesn’t think Indian are his people and American are some other people and Japanese Pakistanis are some foreigners.
Why would God think like this?

So Gods Mantra is for everybody on this planet. Every Human Being on this Planet. And Lord, he wanted to see the world united under the banner of this one Mantra “Hare Krishna Mahamantra”. Those to chant Hare Krishna, they forget “I’m Indian, I’m Japanese, I’m American, I’m…”, we forget.
Srila Prabhupadji used to say, I heard from him so many times, during public functions that “This devotee is from America, this is from Japan, This is from India, This is from Sri Lanka”, but we all chant Hare Krishna, we don’t fight. Yeah one time the Russia and America, the two superpowers battling, fighting. But devotee from Russia or devotee from America, they don’t fight. Pakistan and Hindustan fighting, but if there’s Hare Krishnas devotee, they don’t fight.

All this thought, low class thought, that this are outsiders, this are my people, this are other people, this is low class thinking. So, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu predicted that this “Hare Krishna Mahamantra” chanting will go everywhere, every town, every village of this World. And this is what the International Society for Krishna Conciousness had been doing for past 50 years. A propogation of chanting of Hare Krishna.

Hari Hari Krishna ||
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki Jay !!!

So this is the Solution to all the problems, chanting Hare Krishna !! As soon as you chant Hare Krishna, you get connected with Lord. So we would like you to chant. This is on behalf of sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, we like to appeal to you all that you please take to this chanting of Hare Krishna Maha-mantra seriously. There are so many difficulties in this world, so many problems. Yes or No? The Solution is chanting Hare Krishna. Then you’ll become Good. Then we become Good People, we become better people, better Human Beings.

Hari Hari !!
Like the Jaghai and Madhai, at sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhus time there were Jagai and Madhai. They were very mad people, very sinful, the troublemakers, there were drunkards, meat eaters, Gamblers, but, luckily or by the grace of the Lord, they came in contact with Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and they accepted chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra. And as they started chanting Hare Krishna, they became Gentlemen, they became very refined Human Beings, very simple Hearted People, pure hearted, very kind, friendly, helpful, like that.

Sage Valmiki you know, right? What kind of robber he was before he met Narad Muni.But then Naradmuni had nothing. The robbers Is trying to take something, but Narada only had vina with him. And Narad Muni gave him Ram Mantra saying you chant “RAM RAM RAM”.

And because he was so sinful, he couldn’t even chant “RAM”, but he was chanting “MARAMARAMARA”. He became pure heart and his consciousness, he became Pure. He became God realized, he became Ram realized. He had never seen RAM. But he started seeing past times of Sri Ram. Not just Ram, but his acting, moving, doing this, that. And then he would look at Ram in his meditation, and he would write about Ram. Write past times of Ram. He would look at Ram because he has chanted RAM, Sri Ram appeared before him. And he was looking at Ram, seeing, realizing and compiling Ramayan.
The Mrigari (one who kills animals) was a hunter. That Mrigari, the hunter, you know, there’s a mrigari, an enemy of the animals, a hunter. Again, Narada Muni encountered him also and he was not willing to stop killing animals. But finally he agreed, “Okay. Okay. And what should I do?” “Chant Hare Krsna”, he was told and when he started chanting Hare Krsna, his consciousness changed, his thoughts changed, his attitude changed. Then after a long time, he had been chanting and practicing, Narada Muni came again. Then, you know, he should’ve ran to reach his Guru-Maharaj and offer him dandavats, but he was taking extra time. He was bowing down, going this way, jigs-jack, a lot of things he was doing, he was not going fast, straight. So finally, when he reached Guru-Maharaj, Narada Muni said, “hey! what happened, this is not proper. When you heard or saw me, you should have run and come quickly, but you’re just going this way or that way, bowing down, clearing something. What is this? This is not proper.”
So, this mrighari, one time the hunter, the killer of birds and animals, who would kill them mercilessly and when they were being killed, he would enjoy, he would be having a festival, he would dance. But you know, this time, this mrigari, said,” I’m very sorry guru maharaj, I could’ve come running for sure, but in this process I could have killed hundreds and thousands of ants, they were all over. I did not want to hurt them, I was clearing the path, I was removing them, putting them on the side.”

When guru maharaj, Narada muni heard this, he gave a deep embrace to his disciple, Mrighari, “well done, well done.“ The point is this is, this is what happens when you chant hare krishna, You become a different kind of person, you become a good person, a friendly person, you develop 26 qualities of vaisnava as they say. Of course you don’t become God by chanting hare Krishna but you become godly. You develop qualities of God in you, good quality, the best qualities, spiritual qualities. So, this is the need of the hour.

We need good people, we want kind people, we want magnanimous people, we want friendly people, we want all these kinds of people or neighbors or family members or citizens or fellow human beings. So we have seen Ramayana time this happened and 500 years ago Jagai Madai happened and then mrigari sometime in the past that happened, that’s nice, that’s fine. But, is it happening now? What do you think? Those who are chanting Hare Krishna or who have experience of hare krishna or devotees or the movement? Are people improving? Becoming gentle? Are the danavas becoming manavas? You understand danava and manava? I think they should know danavas and manavas? What do you have to say?

Here is Akhildhar prabhu all the way from America, New York. We have someone from New York here. Narak? Prabhupada started preaching from New York or narak. The devotees as they chant hare Krishna, they study Bhagvat Gita, Chaitanya Charitamrit, honor Krishna prashad, they become different people, different kind of citizen. They don’t kill, they are only vegetarians. No more muttonam chikanam. They’re happy with patram, palam and pushpam. No drinking, no smoking. Big, big problems are by drinking and smoking, it’s a huge problem. Big problem. What are you getting? If you chant hare Krishna, you don’t care for this drinking, smoking, you could kick and throw that away and the devotees always think,

sarve sukhina bhavantu,
sarvani bhadrani pashyantu

Let everyone be happy, let everyone be free from all difficulties, diseases, let them all live auspicious mangalmay life. So all padayatris, padayatra devotees have been, they are travelling for past 40 years they are on the road travelling and going from village to village. This is the 40th anniversary. And they have, there’s a record they have just found, we did some calculations and padayatris have walked 250 thousand kilometers in India and around the world, 250 thousand kilometers. Haribol. And these are Padayatra India, this is our 6th round around India. Pradakshina of Bharatvarsha. Like you do pradakshina one temple, the Padayatra is doing entire continent. Going with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s deities, chanting everywhere Hare Krishna Mahamantra, distributing Bhagavad Gita, other scriptures and interacting with people like we are doing tonight. Every night there is, all day, but in the evening also they gather, they go into the village doing. We do shobha yatra, nagar sankirtan. And evening we have aarti, kirtan, talk, movie, we show. Yes!

We could have shown, we have that movie? We have? We can show? We have one movie also. New ISKCON movie. That can be shown. Hare Krishna.

Once again thank you for coming, some of you have travelled some long distances. Thankyou for coming all the way, 100’s of kilometers you have travelled. So understand this Hare Krishna Movement. Our Guru Maharaj used to appeal, “Please understand this movement, very spiritual movement, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Movement”. And join this movement, follow the teachings of this movement, and propagate teachings of this movement. This is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s, Krishna’s movement, God’s movement, God’s organisation. Non-political, non-sectarian and what not. Our only motivation is, that we all take to Krishna Conscious, we surrender unto Krishna.

mam ekam saranam-vraja

I am not god, you are not god, we all are servants of God. Prabhupada used to say this. So Krishna prem is being propagated, distributed in the form of this Holy name. This is not a Karma-kanda dharma or jnana-kand dharma. This is not karma kanda, jnana kanda dharma that goes on.

“bhukti-mukti-siddhi-k?m?–sakali ‘a??nta’”

This is a prem dharma, devotional service dharma. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu propagated or distributed. So we are all souls. And soul is servant of Krishna, devotee of Krishna. In the world we have forgotten all this. So this Hare Krishna Movement on behalf of the lord is reminding everyone all over the world, who we are. Anyway there is so much to say. And it can’t be said in one sitting, one evening. But we also have said, kind of everything in nutshell. Ya main thing is chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra. So all our new guests first time in contact with Hare Krishna Movement, you also.

We don’t want anything else. We want only Krishna and you also need Krishna. This is the only way to be happy. Without Krishna forget it, there’s no happiness. In the world there is only Krishna and Maya, two things. Third thing is us, the soul, tathasta shakti, we are third party. You should understand Krishna, understand Maya also and take a pick. You choose yourself. You choose, Krishna or Maya. maya had been already giving kicks.

“ Punarapi jananam punarapi maranam,
Punarapi janani jatare sayanam
Iha samsaare khalu dusthare,
Krupayaa pare pahi murare.”

Translation:
Again and again one is born,
And again and again one dies,
And again and again one sleeps in the mother’s womb,
Help me to cross,
This limitless sea of life,
Which is uncrossable, my Lord.

I’m sure we had enough kicks of maya, birth death this that, are you not tired? Or you want to try more? So Maya or Krishna. How many of you would go for Krishna? Vote for Krishna. Vote for Krishna.

“krishna-surya sama;maya haya andhakara
yahan krishna tahan nahi mayara adhikara”

Translation:
“Krishna is compared to sunshine and maya is compared to darkness. Whatever there is sunshine, there can not be darkness. As soon as one takes to Krishna consciousness, the darkness of illusion will immediately vanish.” [C.C Madhya 22.31]

Book -Padayatra Worldwide, on the road with Lord Chaitanya
When I look back to those days of padayatra it seems that the Lord had been guiding and protecting us throughout. We have seen those days when we didn’t have our own bullock cart and no funds, just meagre facilities. However, this did not deter us, nor dampen our spirit. Till Bullock Cart Padayatra was the most effective medium through which we could connect with hundreds and thousands of people and engage them in Krishna consciousness.

Srila Prabhupada always said “Depend on Krishna”, not on outside help, that is what has kept us going till this day. During Srila Prabhupada’s 100th birth Anniversary Centennial Celebrations, his followers organized padayatra in over 100 countries, walking a monumental 2,50,000 km. More than half of that was covered by Padayatra India alone. When we walk on padayatra it is not the kind of a business as usual walk. Padayatra is something where your heart and soul walks towards its ultimate destination, Krishna Prem!

Padayatra Worldwide, on the road with Lord Chaitanya is not only a book, it is the history of our organization’s development and insights of how it has emerged as a leading preaching strategy. It gives you the power for seeking your inner journey home.

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.