Lord has made Himself available in form of His pastimes

03 04 2020 [1:00:34] Katha Day 2
Venue: Theur, Pune

jaya jaya sri krsna caitanya jay nityananda jay advaita-candra jaya gaura bhakta vrnda

Well you could all say with me. We say om namo bhagavate vasudevaya, when there is Srimad Bhagvatam class. Like that when we talk about Caitanya Mahaprabhu from Caritamrta or Caitanya Bhagavat or Caitanya Mangal we say,

jaya jaya sri krsna caitanya jay nityananda jay advaita-candra jaya gaura bhakta vrnda

We welcome you all from all over the planet. Times are very difficult, distressful and disheartening. So we thought of talking things of another world. What is happening in this world is not worth remembering. So remembering or talking about Gauranga Mahaprabhu or all those topics related with Gauranga Mahaprabhu or the Supreme Personality of Godhead are out of this world, from another world, spiritual world, from eternal world of the Lord. Ofcourse He does comes in this world and performs His pastimes. He did that in Navadvipa and all around for 48 years. Sri Krsna did it for 125 years. And we were saying yesterday how Sri Rama performed His pastimes for 11,000 years. So all those pastimes although Lord performed in this world, Sri Krsna performed His pastimes in Vrndavan, Mathura and Sri Rama performed His pastimes in Ayodhya and Gauranga in Navadvipa. But these Navadvipa, Mathura, Vrndavan and Ayodhya are not of this world. Those abodes are also out of this world. To consider that Navadvipa is in Bengal and Mathura, Vrndavan is in Uttar Pradesh to think like this is an offence. To think that Lord appears in India, no no He appears in Navadvipa, He appears in Mathura. These abodes are out of this world, these places have nothing to do with this material world. So Lord continues to perform His pastimes eternally up there in Golok or Saket. And these abodes takes avatar and they appear first in this world. Now don’t ask when these abodes appear? They are eternal. They are always here there was no time when these abodes Navadvipa, Vrndavan, Ayodhya did not exist. This material world which is created and whatever is created is destroyed. But these abodes are neither created nor destroyed. They are eternally here.

This earthly planet, Canada, Europe, Australia or New Zealand they come and go, appear and disappears. But not these abodes are not like that, neither Vrndavan, neither Ayodhya neither Navadvipa. These abodes are nondifferent from abodes in the spiritual sky. This is material world and material sky, material universe. So there should be a counterpart up, so there is spiritual world, spiritual sky.

This material existence Lord has described asdukhalayam asasvtam.’ These are words, adjectives used by the Lord. He is the best person to know this world and He described it as it because He is creator, He knows. He says ‘dukhayalam’ this place is full of miseries and ‘asasvatam’ everything is temporary here. But no one like dukhalayam, evertone is looking for happiness, abode of happiness, abode of joy, abode of eternal bliss. All the living entities, no exception everyone wants to reside in the world which is full of joy with no interruption. But that is not possible here. Such place exists but this place is not sukhalay. In summer season deer is thirsty and naturally begins to look for water but the deer is in the desert of Rajasthan or Sahara desert. Sohe is looking for water but in the wrong place. Water does exists but it does not exists in desert. He thinks its water there and begins running there in that direction but it’s a mirage. When he gets there, he cannot find water. As he keeps looking around, oh water there but he does not find water there. You cannot find water in desert but water exists somewhere. Likewise we are looking for happiness. So happiness must and does exists but it does not exists in this world. So in order to experience uninterrupted joy we have to go to that abode, that abode is full of ananda. So that Karunasindhu Dinabandhu Lord, that magnanimous Karuna avatar Guaranga, Krsna, Sri Rama they come to this world as avatar.

sambhavami yuge yuge

They descend and then Their abodes are created in this material world. And Lord performs His pastimes with He has lots of associates and He deals with them plays pastimes with them and that’s lila. Then listening His pastimes, listening about His, about His qualities, about His name, about His abodes, about His associates. All those topics as we listen, meditate upon gives us joy.

gaurangera madhura-lila, jar karne pravesila, hridoya nirmala bhelo tar

As we hear these topics or we sing also,

sri-radhika-madhavayor apara-
madhurya-lila-guna-rupa-namnam
prati-kshanaswadana-lolupasya
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam

The gurujans, the devotees, the acaryas, the mahatmas, the spiritual masters, prati-kshanaswadana-lolupasya. They aspire to relish these pastimes at every moment without interruption. They are absorbed in hearing and relishing the Nama, Rupa, Guna, Lilas of Radhika and Madhava. As one does this hearing, chanting, studying and speaking, this is all heard by the soul. As the soul hears about these topics the soul becomes joyful. Lord from His abode in the spiritual sky descend to this world, performs His pastimes , His manifestations of different qualities including begin magnanimous. Lord is kind, magnanimous. And as we hear about these topics then our thirst is quenched. Our bodies need is water or some juice but the souls need is the spiritual nectar. The soul drinks namarita, kathamrita or takes darsana then the eyes are drinking like that we have different senses.

rishikena rishikesa sevanam bhaktir uchate

When we employ our senses in the service of the master of the senses. Rishik means senses and esa means master. Senses are with us but we are not the proprietor. Rishikesa, Lord is the master of the senses. When the senses are engaged in the service of the master of the senses, what does that mean? The eyes are drinking the beauty, form of the Lord that darsana is called Netrautsav. That becomes the festival for the eyes. Soon after snana yatra, Jagannath temple is closed for 2 weeks, so these 2 weeks no drasana. And then after 2 weeks the darsana opens and the devotees run to have darasna. Their eyes were kind of starving, their eyes were thirty to have darsana of Their Lord to their hearts content, using their eyes. That’s feast for the eyes so called as Netrautsav. Like that there is also Karnautsav when we hear that becomes feast for the ears. Our ears also enjoy. The four Kumars as they entered the abode of Lord Vishnu, the first encounter was that place was fragrant like anything. The fragrance of dhupa, deepa, flowers, tulsi. The whole atmosphere was surcharged with fragrance. Also Lords form is fragrant, do not we say Lord has lotus eyes, lotus hands, lotus feet. They are not only pinkish in look but they are soft like the petals of lotus and if you could smell the body of the Lord, Lords body is fragrant

So those four Kumaras they were kind of Brahmavadi their devotion was not rived or evolved fully. But as they entered Vaikuntha and as they were smelling the fragrance, that was it , they were transformed as they employed their senses in the service of the Lord. By smelling the fragrance of teh Lord’s form they were purified and they became great devotees of the Lord. So like that all our senses are thirty. Our sense of touch is eager, thirsty for touch of the form of the Lord, to embrace of the Lord. That is what would satisfy the soul finally as they would touch the Lord. So our sense of touch is on fire and unfortunately we are cheated in the conditioned state. We touch material objects or material forms or the form of the opposite sex and we are cheated like that. The soul would be happy if soul would touch Krsna.

Lord comes in this world and why does He comes? Because He cares. First of all He loves us and He cares. He wants to take care of us. He knows where we are now this is dukhalayam asasvatam. And He doesn’t even have to imagine in what situation we are here. He knows very well. That kind Lord comes from time to time. 534 years and one month back Gauranga appered here. And He was here for 48 years. 24 years He was in Navadvipa. He is very kind, He could not confine Himself to His hometown. He had to sacrifice all that confort zone and Lord takes sannyasa. And next 6 years Lord travelled all over the Bharatvarsha. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, how did He travel? Not air yatra, not rail yatra, Lord walked. Of course He never walked, He only danced where ever He went and making Himself available, assessable in so many towns and villages. Lord was going door to door.

ananta koti brahmanda nayak

He is a nayak, He is a leader, He is proprietor of unlimited universes. Brahmanadas belong to Him, not that little property few acres belongs Him. No, everything in existence belong to Him, including all living beings, we are His. Or we are His energy. The world around us is one kind of energy of the Lord. That is why we call Him Shaktimana, energetic. And this world is potency of the Lord. Lord is power house and this world is power. He is powerful and we as living entities we are another kind of energy, we are tatastha shakti or marginal energy. Lord has antaranga shakti, internal potency, spiritual potency like that there are three kinds of energies, like that everything is taken care off. And with those energies this material world has come into existence. Lord is energetic and He has external energy, we are His marginal energy and He has spiritual energy.

bhoktaram yajna tapasam
sarva loka maheshvaram
suhrdam sarva bhutanam
Jnatva mam santim rcchati [BG 5.29]

Lord said that Bhagavat Gita, ‘santim rcchati.’ Srila Prabhupada called this as “Peace formula/ Shanti Sutra.” Anyone looking for peace around? Why not, specially these days. When world is being attacked by unseen virus Coronavirus and we all are disturbed. Minds are agitated, there is fear of death. In this context we all have lost peace of mind. So I don’t have to ask anyone looking for peace, of course we are looking for peace and happiness also. Lord said, if you know just three things,

Bhokatam yajna tapasam

Lord is the enjoyer of everything because, He is sarva loka maheshvaram. He is proprietor of everything. That’s why He is enjoyer of everything. And that proprietor, that enjoyer of everything is a friend of everybody, the best friend, the Lord in the heart. You could understand Lord as ‘suhrdam sarva bhutanam.’. He is friend of everybody. You will have peace by knowing these three things. Jnatva mam santim rcchati.
That Guaranga Mahaprabhu He spend 24 years in Navadviap and next 6 years all over and meeting His devotees and living entities. Shaking hands with them, embracing them and chanting and dancing with them and inviting them, let’s go back to Godhead.

One time during His travels as sannyasa travelling and preaching during summer season. After the days preaching, chanting and dancing Lord was now returning to His preaching base. As it was summer time , Lord was thirty so He was looking for water. Luckily He was passing through market place, where is that butter milk seller? He went there and asked could I have a glass of butter milk? And the vendor filled a glass of butter milk and he was about to hand over to the Lord. But Lord was looking at the butter milk pot. So the vendor thought He is not going to be satisfied with my little glass, He wants this pot. So he gave signal ok go ahead have it. What happened next was? He picked up the pot filled with butter milk and emptied the pot and He was fully satisfie. His thirst was quenched. He started walking ahead back to His base. The vendor said “Oh please pay for the butter milk.” Mahaprabhu said “No I don’t have money, I don’t even have pocket what to say about money. He said ‘Do not worry my friends will be passing through, you can ask them for money.’ Soon Mahaprabhu’s party arrived and this shopkeeper asked them ‘Was that your leader, He just passed by here and drank all my butter milk. When asked for money he said, you would be making the payment. Please pay.’ They had pockets but they were empty. Sorry we had been travelling so our pockets are also empty. And they proceeded behind Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

As they were walking ahead the vendor said ‘Please tell you leader that the butter milk he drank today is offering from me, I sponsor it. I am giving you discount. Just tell him.’ So then butter milk thinking that it’s time to close the shop because all the butter milk pot is empty. He was trying to lift the pot thinking it is empty. But he could hardly lift it. As he looked, that pot was filled with all valuable jewels, diamonds, silver and gold coins. So he was surprised and pleased to that leader who drank the butter milk. He immediately made the connection; it must be the miracle by that person. He was still remembering the golden form of Gauranga, who drank the butter milk. He was thinking of closing the shop and going home instead he ran to catch up with the leader of that sankirtana party. Finally He caught up with Caitanya Mahaprabhu and he throws himself at the feet of Guaranga. And with folded hands he gets up wanting to express his gratitude for what He had done for him. Gauranga had given him all the wealth. He had just given Him butter milk but in return he got his pot full of diamonds. Then Mahaprabhu steped little forward and gave a deep embrace to him, held him tightly in His embrace. And this vendor also reciprocated and he held Gauranga in his arms. By the touching of the bodies there was meeting of the hearts. As these loving dealing were happening Lord filled the heart of the vendor with Krsna preme, love for Godhead. With that this person was totally transformed. He was then the wealthiest person in the universe. As he was experiencing Krsna consciousness tears were gliding for his eyes, his body was trembling, his hair were standing on end. He could not even stand still. He was rolling on the ground. He was barely managing to get up and go back to his shop.

Now Mahaprabhu had preceded and His party was following and by seeing this transformation in this person, they were over joyed and they all said ‘Haribol Haribol.’ They were all delighted, he had received the gift of Love of Godhead. He managed to return to the shop. By now he has best of both the worlds. And he happily returns to his home. Of course He remained in the spiritual world although at he was at his home.

Similar pastime also took place at Vrndavan when that fruit lady vendor had come to sell the fruits. She opened a shop right in front of Nanda bhavan. And Krsna coming with few grains, handed them to this lady and in exchange this lady gave Him all the fruits. She emptied her basket and Krsna happily returned and entered Nanda bhavan. As the lady was about to return home and thinking her basket was empty now. But that was not the case her basket was filled with all the wealth.

So we could also conclude,
“Jei Gaura, Sei Krishna Sei Jagannath”

Mahaprabhu is non different from Krsna. Gauranga, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Krsna are one and the same.

So that wealth, Gauranga is wealth Himself and His pastimes that we get to hear that is also wealth. By hearing these pastimes and possessing these pastimes, thinking, contemplating these pastimes we could become enriched, wealthy and happy. Same thing applies to His name,

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

Hare Krsna maha mantra is wealth from another world, not rupees or diamonds. Hare Krsna maha mantra is golokera prema dhana. So Gauranga Mahaprabhu brought this wealth. And for 6 years He was travelling and distributing this wealth and He made so many people wealthy and rich. And that same holy name is here. Chant Hare Krsna and be happy. In the midst of Coronavirus situation transcend this situation and go beyond this situation. Chant and be happy, hear these pastimes, read Bhagavad Gita, Caitanya Caritamrta and be happy.

Offer bhoga to the Lord and then honor Krsna prasada. Be in touch with devotees of Krsna. We have this International Society for Krsna Consciousness . This society belongs to Sri Krsna Caitanya. Srila Prabhupada founded this society in behalf of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. ISKCON is making Sri Ram, Krsna available far and wide in form of His name, form, qualities, His abode. So stay tuned in and specially chant Hare Krsna and be happy
We will continue with these series, Karunavatar series.