Association of devotees of Shri Krishna leads to our association with Shri Krishna
Venue: Los Angeles
Thank you everybody for coming to our Sunday festival. This
festival was started by His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupad ki……………………Jai, he is even founder
acharya of Sunday festival. This festival is held worldwide over 500 centers of
International Society for Krishna
Consciousness. The sole purpose, infact of the foundation of this Hare
Krishna movement is to give association to everybody, association of devotees of Krishna and that leads to pure association
with Krishna. There are two kinds of associations called “Sangas”. One is technically known, I
am sure you must have heard of this Satsanga, you heard of Satsanga? (Maharaj
asking question to devotees) what is satsanga? The other is asatsanga. Asat and
sat, sat means real, eternal association that brings us in contact with the
eternal Personality, not only eternal full of knowledge, full of bliss, sac-cid-ananda -vigraha, Sri Krishna.
Association that brings us in contact with sac –cid –ananda Sri Krishna that is
“satsanga”. The other one is
asatsanga “asatsanga tyagat ei vaishnav
achar” Vaishnav is known for he makes sure he doesn’t indulge in asatsanga
he stays away from asatsanga. One who stays away from asatsanga or false, temporary
sanga, association that person is a saintly person, the person is sadhu. “asatsanga tyagat ei vaishnav achar” that
person is Vaishnav. So we have, Prabhupad has given us many many programmes, so
many aspects of Krishna Consciousness to bring us in contact with that “sat” as
this festival of Jagganath Rath Yatra
Mohotsav ki……………….. Jai.
This is a grand
opportunity, big opportunity for Satsanga and like that this Sunday festival is
big satsanga opportunity. Morning program and evening that Prabhupad had
instituted so that we get to hear about Krishna. We are so busy in varieties of
activities and of all those activities this sitting down and hearing, thats not
a serious business right, but we want to talk what we say, let’s sit down and talk,
let’s not take it casually, let’s sit down and talk. We get up and fight we
have to sit down and talk. It was time for fighting and Arjun sat down in the
beginning (laughs) of course Krishna wanted to talk to him so he sat down and
listened. So we are running around and still lot of times not happy, we propose
that you sit down, for a change sit down, chant Hare Krishna, sit down hear
Krishna katha and we guarantee you that
you will be simply happy. If you don’t I will come next year you could take me
to the court (devotees laughing) but we also guarantee you and the whole world
that devoid of Krishna consciousness all running around is just useless, waste
of time “srama eva hi kevalam”.
Which is described as
a rat race, big rat race everybody is running, even rats are running making their
holes, they run from one hole to another hole, they run so fast and so
seriously as if they have some serious business. All that they are doing is
they are digging some hole (laughs) and then soon what happens, snake comes,
rat has to get out, the snake makes his
home there. In our case the death comes specially Prabhupad used to say that “the talk which is not about Krishna is just compared to the (Maharaj
asking to the devotees froking or croaking) croaking of the frog (laugh)
drau……drau…..drau……………..we used to hear in India after rainy season. So when
the frog does the croaking, Prabhupad used to say and this is a fact, he made a
observation that the frog is inviting, inviting
whom? the snake, if he would be quite then he will be safe out of sight,
out of mind of the snake. But he keeps croaking it says I am here, I am here,
please come it’s time for breakfast for you please come. So, and that becomes
the end of that frog, so we also keep talking, not one day in our life goes
without talking, not one hour in our life goes without talking and hearing
whole world is engaged in hearing and talking and enquiries and dialogues, what
if it is not about Krishna, God related then it is just invitation for death to
come, death to come “mrtyuh sarva-haras
caham” (B.G 10.34). Then I come in form of death I come, I was there in
from of Rukmini Dwarakadish but you
didn’t come there was Bhagvat Katha you didn’t come.
So now I have come “mrtyuh sarva-haras caham” I will snatch
everything, live you empty pocket, empty handed and out. So our goal is “ante narayana smrti” remembering the Lord
always that’s the goal. Especially at the time of death so many proposals were
there, when King Pariksit had only 7 more days to go, the conclusion was let
him hear Srimad Bhagvatam from Sukhdev Goswami and that would be most
beneficial leading to “ante narayana smrti” remembering the Lord at the time of
death, at the important moment of our life.
So Krishna consciousness is like, there is art of living
there is also art how to die? Of course in the west I was told they are
learning art of committing suicide. There is a book published in Sweden in some
countries its very popular, art of committing suicide. There are 100 versions
there are so many versions and you can pick up one and go for it. So human form
life is a meaningful “adhruvam apy
arthadam” (S.B 7.6.1) Prahlad Maharaj says “adhruvam” yes yes its temporary, it’s not going to last forever or
for long but it’s meaningful. So we get a meaning to our life like Krishna
climbed up the hoods of Kaliya and left the impressions of His feet there ,
then Kaliya’s life was meaningful you may go now anywhere Krishna said you are
safe . So we want that assurance otherwise no one in this world is capable of
protecting us “abhaya caranaravaibda re” “
bhaja hu re mana, bhaja hu re mana sri nanda nandana abhaya caranaravinda re” OH! My dear mind
please worship “abhayacaran” they
offer fearlessness to otherwise very fearful entities, human beings but there
is no protection, no security, we are in anxiety , we are fearful. Only
reliable security is protection from the Lord, once we are Krishna connected
then we are safe not otherwise.
So Srila Prabhupad has given us philosophy of Bhagvat this
Bhagvat dharma has given us this beautiful scriptures. So many volumes full of
glories of Sri Krishna, “punya sravan
kirtan” our life becomes auspicious “hridayantastha
hi abhadrani vidhunoti suhrutsatam” (S.B
1.2.17). So it’s the declaration of Bhagvatam deep within the heart there
is so much dirt, but Srimad Bhagvatam Katha which is not different from the Lord,
enters our heart hridayantastha hi abhadrani,
hridi- in the heart , antastha-inside or even at the core of the heart
or bottom of the heart is abhadra,
there is do many auspicious things. So where ever inauspiciousness is there
within us, in our mind, in our consciousness, our heart vidhunoti-cleansing is done, and once we are clean we are happy, we
are pure and we get connected with the most pure Personality “param brahma param dhama pavitram param
bhavam” (B. G 10.12) Arjuna made that statement “my dear you are pavitra, param
pavitra”. So as we become pavitra, purified then we will have a link,
communication with Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is certainly ours and we
are His, if we could even say this “once
in our life if we could say once my dear Lord I am yours and you are mine
that’s the end of material existence”. If someone could say that with some
understanding, some sincerity Lord would immediately take charge of that
person, do everything within His power and there is a nothing that is not in His
power. He will go out of his way to protect us and infact it’s only Him who is
capable, competent and always concerned about our protection. If someone is
doing that we should understand that person is doing on behalf of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead our Supreme Father, Supreme mother, friend. “tvameva mata pita bandhu sakha mam
dev-devaha dravinam” everything.
So we had been talking and trying to remember that Lord for
past few days of course in Hare Krishna temple everyday this process and programme
of remembering the Lord. This 7 days recitation of Srimad Bhagvatam we had been
doing this is 4th day and few more days to go. Unfortunately it
would be over, why unfortunately you could continue on the 8th day also you
could study, do homework read Bhagvatam get into the habit of “nityam bhagvat sevaya” serve Bhagvat
it will do good to you, to everybody. As
we study Bhagavatm we learn to depend on the Lord and that is the real
independence. Depend on the Lord in the God you trust, in God we trust
depend upon him, you will become independent in true sense; you will be
liberated once and for all.
So today we will be having a Govardhan poja festival here
that’s one of the few topics of the day this evening. Govardahan festival we
will read couple of chapters from Bhagavatam dealing with that pastime. It is
one of the most favorite pastime of devotees of Krishna, residents of Vrindavan
and soon you will see Govardhan hill is going to be right here manifesting in the midst of us with Govardhan Shila on
the top, there would be beautiful
darshan of Govardhan hill and we would be offering, we will attempt to worship
Giriraj Govardahan the way the residents of Vrindavan did 5000 yrs ago and also
circumambulation, parikrama of Govardhan, one of the important items as you go
to Vrindavan you do parikrama, circumambulation of Giriraj. So if you stay on
little longer, there will be worship of Giriraj Govardhan and parikrama also of
Govardhana hill.
So if you could stay, stay not because I am the speaker you should stay, stay its
Krishna, its Bhagvatam it’s our life
otherwise we are lifeless, useless and then few more days we will be
dealing with very confidential subject matter Krishna’s Rasa dance, dealing with that there are 5
chapters, so that is our tomorrow’s subject matter. We may have some drama,
some dance and so on 6th day we will have Akrura going to Vrindavan, Kamsa sent him and the way he goes, the way he is thinking of the Lord on the way to Nandagram
that’s the way to go to Vrindavan, he
has set wonderful examples . Then he returns to mathur with Krishna and Balarama.
So that is the 6th day’s topic and finally we will conclude with the Krishna
killing Kamsa. So these are all Krishna’s pastime in Vrindavan in final day he
enters Mathura, it’s quite interesting details how he enters Mathura, residents
of Mathura reciprocates with Krishna and Balarama, many things happen then
finally the wrestling killing very exciting.