Being with devotees is the success!!

When devotees have birthday parties they say may you never take birth again. That part everybody says, they make a whole song out of it which is nice. You may never take birth again happy birthday to you. You may never take birth again, that is the
goal to achieve. Hence we were singing, itna to karna swami jab prana tanse nikle

The goal our life is that, Govinda nama leke prana tanse nikle. We normally celebrate birthdays of acaryas, birthday of the Lord. The Lords birthdays are celebrated and devotees’ disappearance days are celebrated, we do not celebrate the Lord’s disappearance day as that is not welcome, the Lord is leaving us. When He comes into the world,

trailokya mangalam kuru

For the mangalya; for the auspiciousness of this world Lord appears. So we have all this; Janamastami, Radha astami, Vamana dvadasi, Nityananda trayodasi and Gaura purinima and all these appearance days we celebrate and devotees’ disappearance days, vaisnava acaryas disappearance days are also celebrated on a grander scale because when they appeared it was not known to all. No one knows what this child is going to do! But by the time of departure we know what he has done.

So the day of his departure becomes a grand celebration. Celebrating a birthday is more of a western concept solidifying the birth, solidifying the dynasty there is nothing glorious of our birth. You could sit and listen to Krsna’s birthday proceedings.

There are so many details.

vasudeva aiksata [SB 10.3.10]

Vasudeva saw four handed Krsna and He is holding all the symbols, Pitambaram He is already wearing garments. Clothing on, ornaments on as He has taken birth. Have you seen anyone take his birth like that? Devaki did not have to go to Loi Bazaar.
Lord appeared with all of those and there was a smile on His face. Vasudev saw that,

purusah prakrteh parah [SB 10.3.10]

He offered prayers to his son. The Lord’s birth is discussed again and again, devotees go to that topic of Krsna’s janma and contemplate, they hear and they relish and they take that deep in their hearts; Krsna janma leela and all the details
involved in the whole context. There is nothing glorious of our birth as such. Such and such maternity home we don’t want to remember. What happened? He is not happy? It’s your birthday. Then they say how old you are. Rishab how old are you, he is just a baby. The question is how old are you? I’m old! [Laughter] I’m five years old. Nobody asks how young are you? Again the body is just a temporary garment and this time it is this texture of clothing, this size, this shape that we have gone
through so many times.

bahuni me vyatitani janmani tava carjuna
tany aham veda sarvani na tvam vettha parantapa [BG 4.5]

We forget, aham veda! I know, I remember you have forgotten. So we forget our birth. What is more important is the soul in the body. You cannot ask the soul how old are you? There’s no question of asking, the soul is eternal and you cannot ask,
no one knows how old!

mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah
manah-sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati [BG 15.7]

When we became amsa part and parcel of the Lord contrasting history back and say sanatanah, we are sanatana; whatever amsa we are of the Lord we are sanatana. Most importantly it’s due to us being the soul being part and parcel of the Lord. The
body is also prakriti astadha,

bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca
ahankara itiyam me bhinna prakrtir astadha [BG 7.4]

Whether it’s the body or soul both come Sri Krsna. Both are the energies of Krsna, while as the soul we are eternal. Soul that is us! So far as this bhinna prakrtir is concerned now that is us. When there is Ram nama sathya hain, then we are no
more. Every seven years every single cell in the body changes and transforms. What I am today all the particles in the body, atoms and molecules of which this body is made of not a single cell though it appears to be the same, is changing all the time. So much of input takes place there is output also. We put things in then the cells are developed and then there are the nine gates!

nava-dvare pure dehi [ BG 5.13]

We stay in a pur in a nagari, township which has nine gates and through the nine gates all of waste products or toxins are evacuated. So like that the elements in the body are in transit. They are there for sometime and then they go. Some other, when we eat, drink, smell and the air is also there and the water and food.

The body keeps developing and is ever changing also. Then there is a big change, last breath and big change. The goal is to remember Krsna and for that we have to practice all the time otherwise all that you mostly remember that will come to your
mind. You have been remembering something that you have been attached to all the time and that is what comes to mind at the time of death.

yam yam vapi smaran bhavam
tyajaty ante kalevaram
tam tam evaiti kaunteya
sada tad-bhava-bhavitah (B.G 8.6)

One person departed some time ago in India and he remembered coke-cola at the time of death. The children were saying, daddy! Daddy! Say Bhola, he was a devotee of Lord Shiva. The children and all the family members gathered around and they could see that daddy has only few more breaths to go. They were appealing daddy say Bhola. Daddy could only say coke-cola. He was so attached that he remembered coke-cola at the time of death. His foolish children, if we can call them foolish went to Haridwar. Our devotees witnessed this scene, the family members were distributing coke-cola in the banks of the Ganga at Harkipowdi. When enquired, they said our farther departed and the last thing he said was coke-cola as if that was a last wish or last will, so we are just executing the will of our farther. Maybe he went to coke-cola loka. Laughter!!!

Instead of distributing Ganga jal they distributed coke- cola. We have to get all other things out of our and heart things which are non Krsna, things which are illusory and temporary. Of all those items the body is a big factor. Everybody loves their body more than anything else. We are attached to this body. We wake up this body. Uthi uthi, someone wakes us up. Bhaktivinoda Thakur says night time we are sleeping and in the morning we wake up decorating this body day in and day out. So much care for this body, our life is centred round this body. We need to change that, from body to soul. We do sringara for the body instead of doing sringara for the Lord having deity at temple or at home. We could decorate the body of the Lord, ok! Got it? Decorate the body of the transcendental body of the Lord instead more time is spent decorating our own body.

After the Lords sringar is over the pujaris to “Govindam adi purusham tam aham bhajami.” They also show the mirror to the Lord. As the Lord is looking into the mirror the devotees are looking at the face of the Lord. When I was head pujari at the Mumbai Radha Rasabihari mandir I would show the mirror to the Lord. See, are You happy? See this, see that.

To view the expressions on the Lords face, as we would look we would then realise oh! We forgot the peacock feather and sometimes the flute. So that is yet another feeling. Show the mirror to the Lord. Let Him look into the mirror let Him see His face, that satisfaction that you get at that time is the satisfaction that the soul is getting. The other is that you decorate your body and you look into the mirror and keep looking and keep looking adjusting and changing. When I go out people are going to look at me, I want make sure I look well.

One sannyasi was explaining in Mayapur we do all this Sringar for our body, we do abhishek for our own body and then bhoga for own body and chapan bhog. What we are supposed to be doing for the Lord we do for ourselves and place the Lord on the
backburner. Whole life just round the body! This is not fair, why celebrate birthday? Soul has no birth, soul has no death, but if you are told you are going for celebration, one devotee he has written a book, saying there should be some reason to be celebrating a birthday? What has this person done between last birthday and this birthday? Has he done something outstanding? For that reason you glorify him. You congratulate him. Review the performance between last birthday and this birthday.

What have I done? I have been chanting so many rounds. Now I am chanting more rounds. Those kinds of accomplishments can be taken into consideration to glorify that devotee.

So it’s not only happy birthday but happy family! happy children. God has given and He is giving Himself now to you and everyone else. He has given you all these devotees and their association. So we should be thanking God! Thanks giving!

Thanking Krsna for the glorious human form of life. There are so many bodies and celebration of this birthday when the soul entered human form which is a rare gift hence the celebration is at this time. Otherwise cultivating Krsna Consciousness and
knowing Krsna in bodies other than that of a human is not possible. So may you live long!! Haribol!!!

In the vedic times they would say, you may see a hundred autumn seasons. Live for Krsna, live for practicing Krsna consciousness, otherwise Sukadev Goswami says:

taravah kim na jivanti
bhastrah kim na svasanty uta
na khadanti na mehanti
kim grame pasavo ’pare (S.B. 2.3.18)

The trees are there and liv e long, long lives. Long life is not the goal, taravah kim na jivanti. The blacksmith has the bellow of the blacksmith and that takes so much air in. we can’t even take in that much of air. What’s the big deal our
lungs are like a bellow, they also take air in and out but the blacksmith’s bellow is also doing the same says Sukadev Goswami. Kadanti na mehanti other animals are also kadanti, they are also eating, sleeping and if you are only eating and sleeping then what is the big deal? What have you done better than those animals or if you just live long what have you done better than those trees? If you keep breathing in and out the blacksmith’s bellow is also doing the same in the grander way. So the purpose is to utilise this life for remembering Krsna, serving Krsna and to propagate this word around.

So Priya had been doing this in Nagpur also, she was the leader of our Nagpur youth forum girls division ISKCON girls forum. They started a preaching for the young girls’ college students. She is remembered for this pioneering work she initiated in
Nagpur India and she still keeps in touch with those girls. So good, carry on and be in the midst of those devotees wherever you are here or changing countries or continents remember to always be with devotees. The old success formula is to always remain with the devotees. Lots of protection comes from that otherwise there are so many attacks. Maya is active and always in action. We need protection, so we are protected when we are with the devotees. Unknowingly we make so much progress. When you go to Kumbha – mela the destination is triveni sangam when you get off the train or bus then so many people are going. Where are they going? You do not even have to ask! Anyone coming to kumba mela they go for the bath immediately. They are going towards Ganga, Jamuna and Saraswati. All that you need to do is just be part of that crowd and that crowd will take you to the destination. Sometimes you don’t even have to walk you are giving a lift and you can float. Just be with the devotees. So by Krsna’s grace we have devotees here also in the desert dry and all that.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so kind and Srila Prabhupada made all these endeavours in establishing Krsna Consciousness movement and efforts of his followers like Jayapataka MaharajA and other Maharajas’ and Shri Vallabha Prabhu was initiated in the early days and he was putting ISKCON together giving it shape. By Krsna’s grace and devotees efforts the middle-east countries have resources available. Now you cannot complain. Everything you need to know, everything you need to go back to Krsna is available now and right here. Take advantage and connect others Krsna will be pleased if you do that!