Mahamantra is also Gopi-Geet 16th April

We have been Chanting with devotees all over the world for almost 4 months now. Teach others how to join. It’s a quite powerful association. Someone from Mongolia which is near North Pole is Chanting with us. Devotees from Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Australia, USA, Mayapur, Delhi, Thane are Chanting with us. About 1500 devotees in total chant with us.

A young devotee from USA , Hardik Patel has communicated to me this morning that while doing Japa, he feels my presence. Then I was thinking, goal of this conference is not to feel my presence. We feel the presence of Lord, as we Chant together. We also feel presence of each other. So, you feel my presence, I feel your presence, but what good is that presence, if we don’t feel the presence of the Lord? Goal is to feel the presence of Radha- Krishna. Radha-Shyamsundar ki Jay!!

So, don’t misunderstand & don’t forget the goal of this conference. Either you are Chanting on this conference or wherever & whenever you are Chanting. The purpose is to feel the presence of the Lord, to realize the Lord. We are in search of the Lord. We want Lord! We want Krishna!!

Then I was just thinking, it could be even comparison. When Gopis lost Krishna, they were looking for Krishna in the forest. After long long search they also couldn’t find Him or catch up with Him. Then they all had gone to the banks of Yamuna, they sat down there & what did they do?They sang one song, popularly known as ‘Gopi-geet’. Something similar, we also sit down, come together on this conference & we are missing Krishna. Gopis were missing Krishna. We are also missing Krishna, yes or no? Gopis were really missing Krishna. “Shunyayitam jagat sarvam Govinda virahen mei”

(Shikshastakam verse 7)

This was not just there talk, these were there genuine thoughts. “Without Krishna this whole world is vacant!! There is nothing here.” They also expressed by saying truti yugayate tvam apashyatan

(SB 10.31.15- Gopi Geet) by not seeing You O! Lord, truti yugayate – time period equal to fraction of second, we feel that fraction as if many yugas have passed.

Hari! Hari! Don’t sleep. That means you are not missing Krishna. Then the feeling is we don’t care. We don’t need Krishna. Let Krishna be there or not there, we will rest that is the attitude. That is why I was saying whether we could compare Gopis singing with our Chanting of

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

Difference is of ‘bhava’ or consciousness. ‘Bhav’ ka hi abhava hai, aisa hamara swabhava hai, kyoki bazar Bhav hi khopadi me ghumata rahata hai. (Bhav- feelings only are lacking, that is our nature, as we are too entangled with material preoccupations) But we try to follow in footsteps of Gopis. Quality wise Gopi-Geet is similar to Chanting of ‘Hare Krishna’. Whether you Chant Gopi- Geet or you Chant ‘Hare Krishna’, it’s the same. ‘Hare Krishna’ Mahamantra includes Gopi-Geet & all other mantras & prayers, they are part of it. So ‘Hare Krishna’ Mahamantra is not less quality wise. It is not less than Chanting of Gopi-Geet. So, Gopis they had lost Krishna, they were missing Krishna. Then they started singing Gopi-Geet. Then the outcome was, Krishna made His appearance!! Soon Lord was amidst the Gopis.

From this we can conclude, this is also easiest way to find Krishna, to realize Krishna, to see Krishna, to need Krishna. Just sit down. Too much run around has been done, now sit down & call out to Krishna. Just chant

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

And you will get Krishna. So we will have some experience, before seeing Lord face to face & doing shake-hand with Lord, we will have some experience of presence of the Lord, as we keep Chanting & Chanting.

Sun has not risen still. What time is sunrise? Okay, so for us sun has not risen as sky is covered with clouds. But still we are feeling the presence of sun, right? Whenever there is a dawn, sun has not risen, but we feel the presence, so it is like that. So keep Chanting & we always say aparadh shunya haiya laho Krishna naam

(Verse 3 of Bhajan Nadia Godrume Nityananda Mahajan) We should be Chanting, avoiding all the offenses towards Holy name. We should be Chanting ‘Hare Krishna’ offense lessly.

Do you have any questions related with Chanting? (Someone asked some question) It’s a comment & not question – Whenever we come together & chant, Lord makes His appearance, as has been promised by Him.

Yatra gayanti madbhaktaha tatra tisthami naradaha. ( Padma Purana – Uttarkhand 92.21)

O Narada! You will find Me in a place wherever My devotees have gathered & they are Chanting Hari-katha or Hari-kirtan. Wherever there is a gathering of devotees glorifying Lord, Krishna immediately makes His appearance.

Devotee 2 – While Chanting sometimes , he remembers deities, is that right?

Guru Maharaj – That is perfectly all right. That’s the goal. Deity is Krishna. While Chanting Hare Krishna, if you are remembering the deities, that means you are remembering Krishna. Remembering Krishna’s form. Shamsundar…. How beautiful He is ! You could think more like this.

Normally we remember people of this world, actor- actresses… Mickal Jackson & so on. So we want to get rid of those memories. Substitute to those memories is remembering form of the Lord. When we remember deity of the Lord while Chanting, it’s a right thing.

Sravanam kirtanam Vishnu smaranam. (SB 7.5.23-24) Vishnuhu shravanam , Vishnuhu kirtanam, Vishnuhu smaranam , Vishnuhu padsevanam, that’s the idea. You chant Krishna’s name, you hear Krishna’s names, then you remember Krishna. There is remembrance of Krishna.

Devotee 3 – Our mind is filled with ‘bajar-bhav’( worldly thoughts). How to get rid of this?

Guru Maharaj –

yato yato niścalati
manaś cañcalam asthiram
tatas tato niyamyaitad
ātmany eva vaśaṁ nayet
(BG 6.26)

Krishna’s advice in sixth chapter of Bhagvad-Geeta, wherever mind goes, goes to Bazar, goes here goes there, you have to drag the mind back, from those places, those people. If you are businessman you will have thoughts of business, if you are Brahamchari you will have those thoughts .

Atamani Eva vasham nayet.

Fix it on hearing ‘Hare Krishna’. Srila Bhaktisiddhant Sarswati Thakur’s advice is, in the morning, during morning program, or during Chanting , or during Bhagvatam session , you should sit with broom & bit your mind with a broom. Chastise the mind. In order to do this, we have to be Intelligent. We have to be Chaukidar. (Guard) watch during Chanting ‘Hare Krishna’. Keep an eye. Chanting is not the work of unintelligent person. Who can chant? Intelligent persons can chant. Intelligence is above mind & above intelligence is aatma. So, keep intelligence busy. This is a practice. While Chanting ‘Hare Krishna’, we are not sitting idle. We are active. Most active. Chanting time is a most active time.

Darshan is opening, so we will have to stop & distribute prasadam. Those who are on conference don’t get prasadam. Gaura Premanande Hari Hari bol!

Hare Krishna!