Madhav Tithi – Festival of Devotion 17th March

‘MADHAV-TITHI’ FESTIVAL OF DEVOTION

Hare Krishna

I am happy that you are chanting with us. 344 participants today for the japa session. Today is Ekadasi again. Lot of times in other countries Ekadasi falls on before or day after, not the same day everywhere. It’s a day for more chanting. In Noida we have 24 hours Kirtana on Ekadasi, chanting whole day and whole night. You could also similarly do in your temples. At many places, Vrndavana, Pandharpur, Latur and various places they chant that way. So those who are able to manage, can do 24 hours kirtana on Ekadasi.

In Maharashtra there are Tukarama bhajans all night. They sing Hare Krishna mahamantra also and chant the mantra Jay Jay Rama Krishna Hari. Saint Tukarama used to chant this mantra. Nowadays they sing Tukarama bhajans all night long. I remember when I was a small boy in my village also such singing of Tukarama bhajans used to go on. There used to be kirtana sometimes at my house. That’s how Ekadasi is celebrated. In Pandharpur pilgrims come.

Ekadasi is the special day, a special festival. The day to take darsana of Vitthal. Out of two Ekadasis, one is in Shukla paksha and other is in Krishna paksha , – Shukla paksha Ekadasi ( bright fortnight) is called Suddha Ekadasi , pilligrims come walking or driving from all over to take darsana of Panduranga.

śuddha-bhakata-caraṇa-reṇu,
bhajana-anukūla
bhakata-sevā, parama-siddhi,
prema-latikāra mūla
mādhava-tithi, bhakti-jananī,
jetane pālana kori
kṛṣṇa-basati, basati boli’,
parama ādare bori ( Bhajan by Sril Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Bhaktivinod Thakur has sung this bhajan – when would I get renu (association) of devotees? Association of devotees is anukul ( favourable) for chanting. He sings – madhav tithi bhakti janani. Ekadasi is called Madhav-tithi. Do you understand ‘tithi’? Ekadasi is called Madhav-tithi .According to Bhaktivinod Thakur it’s bhakti janani. Mother of Devotion. It gives you devotion. It’s a very special day. The Lord empowers the day before and the night. The Lord makes it a very special, empowered day.

Last Ekadasi I was chanting in Mayapur. I was also explaining how Ekadasi is called Upvasa day. What is Upvasa? ‘Up’ means near and ‘vas’ means residence, to stay. It is a day to stay near the Lord. How we stay near the Lord? By chanting

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

Or nityam bhagvat sevaya. Hearing Bhagvatam, reciting Bhagvatam is also there. Sravanam kirtanam. Basically to do sravan , kirtana

srunvanti, gayanti grainanti sadhavaha. (SB. 1.5.11)

That is what sadhus do. What are the activities of a sadhu? Srunvanti gayanti, grinanti. Doing this is the way to stay near Krsna or with Krsna. That is how we observe this upvasa day. By chanting and chanting we want to feel the presence of the Lord. Oh! He is here! He is here! Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki Jay! So as soon as he used to start chanting, I was reading about this in ‘Mahakavya’ of Kavi Karnapura. It is written there that one utterance of the holy name was enough for Caitanya Mahaprabhu to get linked with the Lord and be absorbed in the Lord. Even if he just chanted Hare it was more than enough to get connected with the Lord. He will just chant once and then the next mantra will be difficult to chant and not because he was sleeping. Our chanting stops some times in middle of mantra also, we do not even manage to complete the whole mantra because of sleep. But for Caitanya Mahaprabhu and devotees like him , they chant for a while , or just chant once it would be difficult for them to chant as the voice would get choked up. All emotions would get aroused.

siva-suka-narada preme gada-gada ( Gaur aarti verse 7)

The word is ‘gadgad’. But the way we say , we don’t understand fully what it means. ‘gadgad’ implies , Voice getting choked up for Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Or he would be Chanting at gambira or hearing about Krishna from Ramanand Ray and Swaroop Damodar ,he would remember about Krishna and hear flute playing of Krishna at some distance and in middle of that hearing program he would drop everything and used to run in that direction where he thought his Krishna was playing his flute. He will begin looking for him here and there and everywhere. Outcome or result of Chanting was his feeling of separation from Krishna, that is why that is bhava-bhakti.

yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam
śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me

“O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.” (Siksastakam verse 7)

Although world is filled with overbridges and cars, malls , full of this and that, He was feeling vacant, there is nothing. Nothing of that interests me , that’s the idea. Otherwise whole world is filled with forms and sounds and smells. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to feel that the whole world is vacant. govinda-viraheṇa me… If there is no Govinda then what good is world around me? I have no interest.

krsna-nama-sudha koriya pan,
jurao bhakativinoda-pran,
nama bina kichu nahiko aro,
caudda-bhuvana-majhe

Drink the pure nectar of the holy name. There is nothing but the name to be had in the fourteen worlds. (Bhaktivinoda Thakura Arunodaya-kirtana Verse 8 from Gltavali)

Bhaktivinoda Thakura said this fourteen planetary systems, nama bina kichu nahiko. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is saying there is nothing here , nothing there, all vacant. Then Bhaktivinoda Thakura said oh! there is only one thing that interests me or is of value. – nama bina kichu nahiko. Apart from the holy name there is nothing worth remembering , or thinking of or talking about. So all these things would happen to Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates also went through similar kind of experiences. Now after 500 years it’s our turn, our generations turn to experience. All the previous generations of sadhus and devotees and Caitanya Mahaprabhu has set this example. He has set the goal. In such a state of mind one could chant the holy name constantly, that is also there. First 5 verses of Siksastakam talks about sadhana bhakti. 6th and 7th verses talk about bhava bhakti and the 8th verse talks about Prema-bhakti. Bhakti has three divisions – Sadhana bhakti, Bhava bhakti and Prema bhakti. We are sadhakas. Bhava is our goal . Prema is our goal. But how to reach there? Sadhana means in such a state of mind. What is that state of mind in which we can chant the holy name constantly?

trinadapi sunicena tarorapi sahishnuna amanina manden kirtaniya sada hari (Siksastakam verse 3)

Trinadapi – lower than the straw in the street. We have to practice this. To become lower than a blade of grass. Tarorapi sahishnuna – more tolerant than tree. amanina manaden – Not expecting respect for ourselves, but instead respect others. We should be working at that level. To attain that state of mind, -trinadapi sunicena . If we are not doing that , then our chanting becomes offensive chanting. All vaisnava aparadh taking place then we will be offending others mentally, vocally or physically. So we have to be very, very careful and cautious in our dealings and behaviour especially with Vaisnavas, jivas . Name ruci jive daya vaisnava sevan. While chanting I was thinking we should pray to the holy name, “ My dear Lord, this is my weakness. These are my shortcomings. Please make me stronger in this and that area. I beg at your lotus Feet. Be kind to me.” We were also saying at last Ekadasi that according to Bhaktivinoda Thakur it is also the day to review the past two weeks performance. Review the day and come to some conclusion. I did better in this area but these areas are still weak. This is my weakness. These are good points. You should take help from Vaisnavas and Visnu. Vaisnavas around us or senior devotees, counsellors who chant Hare Krishna and are devotees of Visnu or Krsna. He is ready to help us. We beg at the lotus Feet of holy name – Harinama Prabhu then He may bless you empower you

Hare Krishna!