Venue: Braja mandala parikrama, Surbhi kunda
In Srimad Bhagvatam there is description of Vrindavan all over, as we seeing here at the banks of Surbhi kunda crystal clear water. Our obeisance’s to the Kunda here, Krishna comes here all the time with His cows and His cowherd boys. We should understand that where ever we see a kunda Krishna has come there with His cows. He comes to water His cows and as cows are drinking the water He also drinks the water, while drinking cows are not using hands they are drinking with their mouth, Krishna also drinks water like the cows with His mouth (laughter) Haribol……………Haribol
So Krishna has done this lila at surbhi kunda and other kundas “ittham sarat svaccha jalam padmakara sugandhina nyavisad vayuna vatam sa gogopalako acyutah” (S.B 10.21.1) Sri Krishna enters the forest He enters Kamavana also where there is svaccha jalam in the kundas like this- crystal clear water. Padmakar they are full of lotuses. In the past we had come and this kunda was also filled with lotuses. Devotees who came to this kunda came back with bunches of lotuses. As Krishna enters the forest “vayuna” from there is a cold breeze ventilation throughout the forest.
Vayu is blowing in one direction not like a whorl wind as during rainy season, the wind is blowing over the kundas which are full of lotuses. As air touches the cooling water the air also becomes cool, the fragrance of the lotuses is also carried by the air. So as this air moves on whole forest becomes like a air conditioned –cool and fragrant. Krishna comes with “sa gogopalako” with cows and cowherd boy friends,
“kusumita vanaraji” (S.B 10.21.2) and on the banks of the lake there are flowering trees, like this (maharaj showing a famous kadam tree at the bank of surbhi kunda) this is most famous kadam tree ki…………….jai. Rupa goswami says “oh! when I would be able to see Krishna” Krishna wearing the garland of kadam flowers, this kind of matches with His golden rope yellow clothing so they also have yellow round flowers “kusumita vanaraji susmi bhrnga” (S.B 10.21.2) there are lot of bumble bees. And as they drink the nectar from the flowers they become maddened intoxicated and they begin singing “hmmm……………hmmmmmm………” whole atmosphere is filled with humming sound. “dvija kula” and there are lots of birds of various kinds ( maharaj asking the devotees do you hear? The sound of the birds?) You cannot hear such sound in Bombay. Birds sing songs (Dinabandhu prabhu tells- its king fisher) Dinabandhu prabhu knows the name of the birds. Maharaj says king fisher airlines (laughter) and the sounds they kind of echo they resound, birds sing and there is echoing the sounds goes to wherever there are other lakes and other ponds.
So Vrindavan is full of lakes kundas like this “ sarah sarin” there are rivers flowing and “mahidram” there many mountains like Govardhana you also have seen Badrikashram mountains , Kedarnath mountains and more mountains are ahead of us. So all these sounds are all over echoing back and forth and whole atmosphere is surcharged. “madhupatir avagahya carayan gah” so then Madhupati enters the forest.
He is master of madhu He is also master of madhu mass which is spring, madhu and madhav are two months of spring and madhu is one of them. As the master of spring season enters the forest everything gets transferred just like spring. Wherever He goes there is spring like season lots of flowers lots of birds chirping, birds singing “carayan gah” and He herds His cows and He does this with “saha pala balas” cowherd boyfriends and Balarama. “cukuja venum” He places His flute on His lower lip and playes His flute.
We have to imagine in this context Krishna playing flute, He is forest and He is playing flute, everything is quite so krishnas flute playing reaches far and wide. “tad vraja striya asrutya venu-gitam smarodayam” (S.B 10 .21.3) the first party to hear venu gitam are the vraja striya – the young ladies of vraja. Krishna is in the forest and gopis are in their respective villages and homes and they are hearing this venu geet. “smarodayam” and the feeling are aroused as they are hearing the venu geet “smara” is also cupid of love- spiritual love- madhurya bhava, the conjugal bhava is aroused in the gopis . ‘kasit paroksam krsnasya sva sakhibhyo anavarnayan” (S.B 10 .21.3) and as gopis hear flute playing of Krishna some of them begin talking about Krishna leaders of different group they begin talking about krishna. Elderly gopis motherly gopis also hear flute of Krishna they have different feeling vatsalya
“tad varnayitum arabdhah smarantyah krsna cestitam” (S.B 10 .21.4) and they are reminded of Krishna oh! Krishna is playing flute first of all they remember the form of Krishna and then what follows is remembering lilas His pastimes then Krishna’s dealing with the gopis when He meet them previously.
“tad varnayitum arabdhah smarantyah krsna cestitam nasakan” Sukhdev Goswami says they become disturbed because they are very much excited as they have heard Krishna’s flute. They feel shy they do not kind of want to reveal their intimate relation with Krishna so they hide all this “nasakan’ they would like to talk although stopping they are only talking to their most confidential associates. As they are also talking they also wouldn’t like to show the connection what they are hearing no …no I am just talking I am not hearing anything. “smara vegena” and this is because of influence of the madhurya bhava within them. You are familiar with “ vaco vegam jiva vegam udaropasta vegam” in case of gopis its smara vegan which is pushing gopis.
“viksipta manaso nrpa” they are kind of disturbed as they hear, they are kind of trying to hide their connection, their conjugal thoughts their voice is also getting choked up, they are trembling, their body trembling as they hear the flute and their eyes are full of tears. As Sukhdev Goswami is describing state of gopis like this he is also having very similar feeling these, he could not hide that so in the middle of his presentation He is addressing “nrpa” oh! king Parikshit. Sukhdev goswami is describinfg all these state of affairs of gopis king Parikshit is also exhibiting some of these symptoms. So Sukhdev goswami “Hye! King what are you doing” don’t exhibit those symptoms. So our acharyas have given deeper meaning why in the middle of the presentation sukhdev goswami is addressing king Parikshit as “nrpa”.
Sukhdev Goswami describes some kind of talks, what kind of talks the gopis are doing.
“barhapidam nata vara vapuh karnayoh karnikaram bibhrad vasah kanaka kapisam vaijayantim ca malam” (S.B 10.21.5)
They have heard the flute of Krishna and immediately Krishna’s form is in front of them like television. ‘barhapidam” first is the peacock feather on His head and this is the most special feature of krishna’s form or beauty. And He is “natavara vapu” and His form is like that of an actor, Krishna dresses himself meticulously as if come press crue is awaiting, some television crue is awaiting for interview.
“karnayoh karnikaram” and gopis are reminded sukhdev goswami is also remembering that Krishna places a flower in His ear karni is a special flower compact yellow color. Sukhdev goswami He has 2 ears but only one flower so He is placing the same flower on each of the ears, so same flower sometimes He keeps it on one ear and then on another. “kanaka kapsam vasah” and He has golden rope “vaijayantim ca malam” and He wear very special mala and there are multiple descriptions of this vaijayanti mala. More commonly known description is that vaijayanti mala is made up of 5 different flowers of different colors. So now He is dressed like that and Krishna is already in the forest and then
“randhran venor adhara sudhayapurayan” He places His flute on His lower lip the flute becomes excited and ecstatic and begins singing and there are more descriptions that whether Krishna playing the flute or venu is playing herself. “gopa-vrndair” and He is surrounded by His friends “vrndaranyam sva pada ramanam” and He is entering Vrindavan, vrndaranyam – vrinda devis aranyam – vrindadevis vana Vrindadevi ki…………………….jai, forest is named after Vrindadevi. As he enters vrindavan He lives His foot prints of the ground Vrindadevi is pleased vrindavan is very very happy to have that touch of Lords lotus feet, those foot prints are like decorations on the body of Vrindavan. “savpada –ramanam” and as Krishna places, vrindadevi makes arrangement that Krishna has as soft feeling when He touches the ground so she places leaves so Krishna has a nice experience of walking on the soft ground. “pravisad gita kirtih” and krishna enters He is surrounded by His cowherd boyfriends and they all talking about Him.
“iti venu raman rajan sarva bhuta manoharam“ so this sound, sound of the flute is sarva bhuta manoharam- attracting minds of all the living entities. “srutva vraja striyahbnsarva” and again the real party audience for the flute playing are those gopis, they are hearing, they are talking, they are stoping they are embracing , they are talking and like that……Krishna is spreading the sound of the flute all this goes on. Then each gopi talks, every gopi is talking and what do they talk is the subject matter of this chapter of the 10th canto 21 chapter of Srimad Bhagvatam, venu geet this is the background the context and then gopis begin talking, you may like to see hear this sometime in future.
Jai Krishna Kanaiya lal ki…………………jai
Sri Sri Radha Kunjabihari ki………………….Jai
Gaur premanande …………………….Hari Haribol

Performing devotional service in Kartik on of this ceremonial function is called “araja vrata” or “Damodhar vrata”. Uraja vrata is observed in Kartika October-november especially in Vrindavan there is specific program for temple worship of Lord in His Damodhar form. Damodhar refers to Krishna being bound with the rope by His mother Yasoda. It’s said as Lord Damodhar is very dear to His devotees so the month known as Damodhar or Kartika is also very dear to them. The execution of devotional service during uraja vrata in month of kartika is especially recommended to be performed as Mathura Mandala- Braja mandal.
This system is still followed by many devotees they go Mathura or Vrindavan and stay there in month of Kartika especially to perform devotional service during this period. In Padma Purana its said the Lord may offer liberation or material happiness to a devotee but after some devotional service has been executed particularly in Mathura during month of Kartika the devotees wants only to remain only pure devotional service unto the Lord. The purport is Lord does not reward devotional service to ordinary persons who are not serious about it. But even such unserious persons perform devotional service according to regulative principles during kartika within the jurisdiction of Mathura in India are very easily awarded Lords personal service. Haribol………………..Guara Haribol, Haribol………………..Guara Haribol.
Padma purana ki ……………………………..jai.
Today is not month of kartika, today is last day of month of ashwin, ashwin and kartika put together is sharad ritu or autumn season. So its end of one month and today as month is ending its purnima its very special purnima -sharad purnima also known as “Rasa purnima” so we have different verse on the board from the 10th canto please repeat.
Sri – badarayanir uvaca
“bhagavan api ta ratrih saradotphulla-mallikah,
viksya rantum manas cakre, yoga-mayam upasrit ah” (S.B 10.29.1)
TRANSLATION : Sri Badaraya?i said: Sri K???a is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full in all opulences, yet upon seeing those autumn nights scented with blossoming jasmine flowers, He turned His mind toward loving affairs. To fulfill His purposes He employed His internal potency.
PURPORT: As we begin the famous narration of Lord Krishna’s rasa dance, a dance of love with beautiful young girls, questions will inevitably arise in the minds of ordinary people regarding the propriety of God’s romantic dancing with many young girls in the middle of a full-moon autumn night. In his description of the Lord’s rasa dance in K??na, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, rila Prabhupada painstakingly explains the spiritual purity of these transcendental activities. Those advanced in the science of K??na — the great teachers, or acaryas — leave no doubt that Lord K?sna is full and satisfied in Himself, free of all material desire, which is, after all, a sense of incompleteness or lack.
Materialistic persons and impersonal philosophers stubbornly reject the bona fide explanation of sri krishna’s transcendental nature. There is no reason to deny the beautiful reality of an absolute person able to perform absolute romantic activities, of which our so-called romance is merely a shadow or perverted reflection. The irrational insistence that material activities cannot be a reflection of the perfect, spiritual activities performed by God reflects the unimaginative emotional disposition of those who oppose the reality of sri Krishna . This psychological disposition of the nondevotees, which leads them to fervently deny the very existence of the absolute person, unfortunately boils down to what may be succinctly described as envy, since the overwhelming majority of the impersonal critics eagerly pursue their own romantic affairs, which they consider quite real and even “spiritual.”
The actual supreme lover is Lord krishna. The Vedanta-sutra begins by declaring that the Absolute Truth is the source of everything, and even Western philosophy was born in a somewhat awkward attempt at finding the original One behind the apparent many of material existence. Conjugal love, one of the most intense and demanding aspects of human existence, can hardly have nothing at all to do with supreme reality.
In fact, the conjugal love experienced by human beings is a mere reflection of spiritual reality, in which the same love exists in an absolute, pristine state. Thus it is clearly stated here that when K?sna decided to enjoy the romantic atmosphere of autumn, “He resorted to His spiritual potency” (yoga-mayamupasrita?). The spiritual nature of Lord krishna’s conjugal affairs is a major theme in this section of the srimad-Bhagavatam.
A woman is attractive because of the sweet sound of her voice, her beauty and gentleness, her enchanting fragrance and tenderness, and also because of her cleverness and skill in music and dance. The most attractive ladies of all are the young gopis of V?ndavana, who are Lord krishna’s internal potency, and this chapter tells how He enjoyed their brilliant feminine qualities — even though, as srila Visvanatha Cakravart? ?hakura has mentioned, Lord K?sna was an eight-year-old boy when these events took place.
Ordinary people prefer God simply to be a witness of their romantic affairs. When a boy desires a girl or a girl desires a boy, sometimes they pray to God for their enjoyment. Such people are shocked and dismayed to find out that the Lord can enjoy His own loving affairs with His own transcendental senses. In truth, Sri K?sna is the original Cupid, and His exciting conjugal pastimes will be described in this section of the Bhagavatam.
When Lord K?sna descends to the earth, His spiritual body seems to take birth and grow as He displays His variegated pastimes. The Lord could hardly allow His boyhood to pass without exhibiting the supreme loving affairs between a young boy and young girls. Thus Visvanatha Cakravart? ?hakura quotes srila Rupa Gosvami as follows: kaisora? saphali-karoti kalayan kunje vihara? hari?. “Lord Hari perfects His youth by arranging loving pastimes in the groves of theVrndavana forest.”
So the topic is wonderful, Krishna is wonderful – Krishna’s pastimes are wonderful but our mind is not always wonderful so wonderful, so it becomes difficult to relish the wonderful pastimes of wonderful Lord Sri Krishna. No problem we have help of all acharyas we have help of king Parikshit also who is helping us understand Krishna’s most wonderful pastimes “sri-radhika-madhavayor apara madhurya lila guna rupa namanam prati-ksanasvadana-lolupasya vande guru sri caranaravindam” this is a topic of our previous acharyas the topic is Radha-Madhav, the topic is “radha-madhavayor apara madurya lia” madhurya –lila is also the topic at every step “prati-ksanasvadan-lolupasya’ they have become addicted in relishing these pastimes. ‘radha-krsna padaravinda-bhajanandena matttalikau” matta they are intoxicated, you cannot take them away from these topics of “radha-krsna bhajananda’ they are enjoying these pastimes.

Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared after long long time He appeared why did He appear? “kalau avatirnah kalau samarpiutum unnat ujawal rasam” Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared to deliver those pastimes what pastimes? ‘unnat ujawal rasam’ that rasa from that rasa come “rasa dance” from rasa come rasa. I give you some rasa while some one is serving you sabji what do you say? Hey prabhu rasa…rasa…juice…..mellow, so essence of the sabji is rasa. So there are 12 rasas and 5 principle rasas and of all those ‘unnat ujawal rasa” of all those 12 rasas unnat – the topmost rasa, which is ujawal, which is brilliant rasa, effulgent rasa is madhurya rasa. Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared to deliver that rasa to His followers of course. Madhavendra puri pada had already set the scene by relishing himself those pastimes and talking about those pastimes he was the first acharya in our line and that’s where we have different branch, we differ from Madhvacharya so sometime extend and what is the special dimension our sampradaya – our parampara has this ‘madhurya lila-guna-rupa-namnam”.
Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu spend His time during the day He would chant “Hare krishna Hare krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare” this was for the public for everybody chanting of the Holy name ‘Hare Krishna” He did had Bhava of Radharani and the complexion of Radharani also relishing radha-krishna pastimes, radha –madhav pastimes, radha-shyamsundar pastimes.
So today is that day and than that night tonite Lord Krishna enjoyed those most wonderful pastime “bhagavan api ta ratrih” those nights, we thing it is only one night but here there is mention of many nights “ta ratrih” why is it? One night became as long as Brahmas night, so one was equal to many many nights. Hence the ratrih or the night has been mentioned as many nights. So “bhagavan api ta ratrih” so when that night was there evening time and it was “saradotphulla-mallikah” Lord is seeing around the blooming Jasmine buds, jasmine flowers, Prabhupada also mentions them as mallikah flower, they are mentioned as mallikah in Sanskrit text and they are also translated as jasmine flowers. So when Lord saw those flowers He was reminded of the autumn season “viksya rantum manas cakre” rantum manas cakre in His mind something happened in His mind. That evening when He saw those jasmine or malikah flowers that was evening time getting darker Lord immediately manas cakre within His mind or He made up His mind to “rantum” He wanted to enjoy oh! This night would be good night appropriate night for me to enjoy “rantum”. From ram comes Ram also, ram means to enjoy, form ram comes Raman reti, Radha raman raman also has ram.
So He had this thought Oh! Let me enjoy this is right night for me to enjoy “yoga-mayam upasritah” or as Lord desires to enjoy that night immediately Yogamaya got into action and Lord is thinking of meeting Gopis that night and enjoy the peak the best part of that night is going to be ‘rasa dancing” with Gopis. So this is a display by the influence of Yogamaya, arrangement of Yogamaya the Lord is be performing rasa dance. What makes us dance or the materialist dance or they become the dancing dolls or puppets in the hands of women, hands of lust and that is Mahamaya Prabhupada is describing, two kinds of Maya – Yogamaya “yoga-maya upasritah” . Chapter 29 to 32, five chapters Sukhdev Goswami will be describing these are all like “rasa dance” chapters and this is all display of Yogamaya, verses the Mahamaya of this material existence Srila Prabhupada is helping us to understand, he says Yogamaya because it is “bhagavan api ta ratrih” He is Bhagavan and His activities are Yogamaya activites or Yogamaya is in action. So there is relationship between this verse here wherein there is mention of two things one is ratrih –night mentioned here and “rantum” – enjoyment mentioned here, this has relationship with Lords statement to Gopis.
Krishna steals Gopis garments pastime at Chirghat “hemante prathame masi” (S.B 10.22.1) it was month of hemant after kartika, kartika is sharad ritu and when kartika ends new season, after autumn comes new season hemant ritu. So in that hemant ritu gopis perform special vrata and they worship Katyayani and their purpose was they wanted “nanda –gopa sutam devi patim me kuru te namah” (S.B 10.22.4). As Prabhupada is writing they are chanting mantra repeatedly oh! Katyayani give us Krishna as our husband, oh! Katyayani give us Krishna as our husband…………………..give Krishna as our husband, they were doing japa, chanting repeatedly “nanda –gopa sutam devi patim me kuru te namah” so that went for one month. And at the end of that month as Lord was pleased He arrived at the scene and they were bathing in Jamuna. He stole their garments climbed up the tree and said – come on come on and He has also briefly spoken to them and there He said towards the end of His dialogue with the gopis Krishna said “yatabala vrajam siddha mayema ramsyatha ksapah” (S.B 10. 22.27) OH! Now you may go, He had returned their clothes and He joked, He had little fun transcendental fun. Now you may go go now girls and return to Vraja your desire is fulfilled for in my company you will enjoy the coming nights after all the purpose of your vow to worship goddess Katyayani was to be with me to enjoy my company. So Lord said yes yes in future nights we will do that in future nights “ramsyatha ksapah” ksapah-nights. So many nights have passed gopis were thinking ok one night, two nights…..10 nights….30 nights….1 month….10 months from that time Lord Krishna said-coming nights we will get together I have understood what is your intension you had been praying to katyayani. She has blessed you I am here I am accepting you for my company I understand I can read your mind, so we will do this in coming nights so you may go now.
So as that was said some 10 months prior now today or tonight this evening Lord is thinking oh! I have promised gopis my company during the nights oh! That night could be this night, this night could be that night and hence here “bhagavan api ta ratrih”, ta ratrih- ta ratrih refers to some particular night the night which the Lord had mentioned yes yes we will enjoy future night so that night was going to be this night tonight. He is Bhagavan, He is atmaram but still He has this desire He wants to enjoy the company or He has promised. Sukhdev Goswami goes on explained or described that night moon bright moon has risen “tadodurajah kakubhah karair mukham” (S.B 10.29.2) Sukhdev Goswami is a great poet poetic way he is describing that moon is rising in the east and the moons rays- karair, moon rays are described as if those are hand of the moon and that moon with his ray like arms is holding a brush in his hands and he painting that horizon with pinkish color or he is sprinkling some kind of powder or painting that horizon and he is also comparing this horizon “priyah priyaya iva dirgha darsanah”. As if horizon is a lady who was waiting for her husband to return, husband was for long time and finally he is back and as he comes there is a meeting between wife and husband they are looking at each other, some time the husband may remove the veil like that and see her beautiful face.
So like that those kind of dealings are taking place between the moon and the horizon, little romantic description these kind of scenes are favorable for pastimes like this, dealing like this. And next thing Lord is doing now Lord this is the setting of the scene just few words have been said and then acharyas are talking more, filling in the details or elaborating the whole scene of rasa dance. As Lord only desired “ rantum manas cakre” immediately magical way Yogamaya arranged whole scene not only the moon was there the flowers were blooming, the cool breeze was blowing, the peacocks were dancing and the whole thing was happening in the banks of Jamuna which was flowing nearby. Lot more could be said it’s not a ordinary thing, yogamaya made arrangements for the Lord, the topmost, most wonderful, most confidential, most pleasing pastime the Yogamaya is going to move out of her way. So Vrindadevi the whole team that does the preparation sets the scene before Radha Shyamsundar and billons of gopis “laxmi sahastra satasambrahma sevyamanam” before they come whole setting of the scene is there.
So kind of scene is ready the next thing Lord is doing is “jagau kalam vama-drsam manoharam” (S.B 10.29.3) Lord played His flute with His pancham svara- high pitch and sound going al over Braja mandal travelling sound and when “nisamya gitam tad ananga-vardhanam” (S.B 10 .29.4) and that sounding flute playing of Lord Krishna has been heard “nisamya gitam” as gopis have heard those sounds and its mentioned here and Prabhupada also explains that the original kamadev – kandarba – the God of incharge of transcendental lust that is Krishna. So Krishna is playing His flute and immediately their desires have been aroused or with that they are reminded- yes yes don’t you remember I had said – one of those future nights we will be together and this sound of this flute has conveyed yes yes that night has come , that night is tonight gopis come. And they all rush and there is whole description what they were all doing, they were doing this “duhantyo” – milking cows or they were cooking in the kitchen, they were putting garments they were bust this way that way. But as they heard the flute playing they immediately rushed and they are heading towards Krishna in the vamsi vata. And king Parikshit he says what? King Parikshit says this is like Prabhupada helping us to understand this pastime this relationship between Radha, Krishna and gopis, this is most difficult thing to realize, understand. Because one is the realm of prema but those who are under the attack of the lust they have hard time understanding Krishna’s pure transcendental loving affairs full of love full of prema.
King Parikshit says oh! Sage Sukhdev Goswami he had just started describing the scene this rasa dance and immediately hey! stop stop oh! Sage the gopis knew Krishna only as their lover not as the Supreme absolute truth so how could these girls their minds caught up with the waves of modes of material nature? free them self from the material attachment. Question has been posed and nice purport has been complied king Parikshit was sitting in the assembly of great sages and other important personalities listening to the words of Sukhdev Goswami. If he was Sukhdeb Goswami and king parikshit he would not have interrupted but seeing that who else is in the assembly he had to raise this question. According to Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur as Sukhdev Goswami began speaking of gopis conjugal love for Krishna, the king noticed the expressions on the some of the faces of the more materialistic person present there, he was looking side long glances hey! What are they thinking?. So Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur is pointing out that king parikshit took note of the expressions on the persons sitting around him, some of the more material persons and realized the doubting lurk in their hearts. This was their doubt not king parikshit,s doubt he could smell. Face is the index of the mind seeing their faces he could read their minds oh! I know what is in your heart? What is doubt? What is your question?.
Therefore although the king thoroughly knew the purport of Sukhdev Goswami words he presented himself as experiencing personal doubt, so that he could eradicate the doubts of others this is why he asked this question which we just had heard. So even the team Sukhdev Goswami and king parikshit they are helping us to understand, they are giving us kind of glasses wear these glass first put on these glasses first before you look at the rasa dance or before you want to understand this pastimes. And in response while Sukhdev Goswami is responding to this question and Prabhupada teaches us all the time these things. Sukhdev Goswami has quoted persons who constantly direct their lust, anger, fear, protective affection, feeling of impersonal oneness, or friendship towards Lord Hari are sure to become absorbed in thoughts of Him. There are many statements but this is one statement “kamam krodha bhayam sneham’ if you do that for Krishna or you target that towards Krishna then that impurity that bhava, fear they get eradicated or that lust even lust of course this has to understood that there is no tinge of lust in gopis or Radharani.
But admitting that there was some lust, the reply is but that they are directing that to Krishna so “nityam harau vidadhato yanti tan mayatam hi te” (S.B 10.29.15) tat- maya- they become full of Krishna, they become Krishna conscious as they direct their lust, that person is purified. And then gopis have come “svagatam vo maha bahagah” (S.B 10 .29.18) welcome welcome, whatever they were doing they left that in the middle they there with Krishna 1000s of them are arriving and so welcome is there. At the same time He is asking why have come oh! What brings you here Krishna is very tricky. Like you ring someone, you phone someone and as the person at the other end picks up the phone hey! What do you want? You are the one who telephoned the other gentlemen and he picks up the phone and hey! What do you want what’s the matter? Not that that person wanted something. So Krishna is the one who played the flute, gopis have come, gopis should ask oh! why did you call us what is the reason that you are calling us.
But contrary happening Krishna says why have you come? So not a straight path transcendental crooked ness we see in this pastime and then there are 5 chapters pastimes are there. (maharaj says) I just want to read the very last statement and we will conclude.
“vikriditam vraja-vadhubhir idam ca visnoh sraddhanvito nusrnuyad atha varnayed yah,
bhaktim param bhagavati pratilabhya kamam hrd-rogam asv apahinoty acirena dhirah” (S.B 10.29.39)
So vikriditam this pastime, this krida – rasa krida of visnoh Krishna with vraja-vadhu, the damsels of vraja, so this pastime of Radha Krishna and gopis. One who listens to this, at the end of the 5 chapters there is phalasruti – what is the benediction ? what is the benefit of hearing, reading, studying these pastime? Not that you are not allowed..no…no.. please study, please read this part but how to do that “sraddhanvito” –with faith in the speaker who is speaking and again what kind of speaker “anusrnuyat” not only srnuyat but anusrnuyat. You should listen these pastimes from someone who has listened like, You should listen these pastimes from someone who has also listened from someone and that person has also listened, meaning by adding this “anu” –srnuyat, parampara principle has been stressed otherwise its very dangerous very risky business, misunderstanding Krishna is guaranteed. If it is not heard properly from proper person a proper dose also, one tablet or as per prescription of the physician you take the dose, not the same amount of dose for every person at every different level that also is prescribed or accordingly the expert preachers will talk.
And not only one should hear but “ varnayed” one who describes these pastimes what is the benediction? “bhaktim param bhagavati pratilabhya kamam” such person will achieve bhakti unto Bhagavati the Supreme Personality of Godhead “param bhakti’ supreme devotional service and what would be the other side benfit? “kamam hrd-rogam asv apahinoty acirena dhirah” kama – the lust in the heart or hrd-roga, you heard one disease called heart disease, heart problem lot of people in the world has what problem? Heart disease but that not the kind of disease Sukhdev Goswami is talking about he is talking of the disease condition of the heart kama full of lust , heart full of lust he describes this as hrd-rogam. The person with hrd-rogam, the heart problem quickly he will become “aphinoty” he will be able to drive away that roga that kama from his heart. And that person will become sober-dhirah-peaceful in his mind by listening to these pastimes of radha and krishna. So tonight is very especial night, beautiful night Prabhupada decribes most beautiful night and tonight devotees also they keep sweet rice, so that when Krishna and radha whenever they want to its long night, sweating and sitting down to eat little snakes sweet rice and then what ever are the remnants the next day devotees take that sweet rice or even the moon rays they enter the sweet rice .
So it very especial sweet rice devotees get the next morning Krishna has very special night tonight, please take note of tonights moon very special moon and it is not a sun and moon moon according to our acaryas this is not the moon from the heavenly planets that participates in Krishna’s pastimes or plays his role in krishna’s rasa lila pastime, its another moon the transcendental moon specially appears to participate in krishna’s pastimes. So please read more read Prabhupada’s Krishna book and read these pastimes talk about these pastimes.

Dated: 16^th Jan 2006

Venue: ISKCON Chow patty, Mumbai.

Hare Krishna, so  thank you for this opportunity being with all of you this morning,  we  get to hear so much about all  of you and being on the same planet, we don’t get to see each other so much.  You are ‘durlabh ‘su durlabh’ but we are here today this morning. So we have here this Srimad Bhagavatam – Canto 5, chapter 18 and text 23, please repeat

“Sa tva mampya acyuta sirsni vanditam

karambhujam yat tvad adhayi satvatam

bi bharsi mam laksma varenya mayaya

ka isvarasyehitam uhitam vibhur iti” (SB 5.18.23)

Translation and purport by Srila Prabhupada ki …………….jay!

O infallible one, Your lotus palm is the source of all benediction. Therefore Your pure devotees worship it, and You very mercifully place Your hand on their heads. I wish that You may also place Your hand on My head, for although You already bear my insignia of golden streaks on Your chest, I regard this honor as merely a kind of false prestige for me. You show Your real mercy to Your devotees, not to me. Of course, You are the Supreme absolute controller, and no one can understand Your motives.

Translation once again (repeat)

In many places the sastras describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead has been more inclined towards His devotees than towards His wife who always remains on His chest.  In Srimad Bhagavatam 11.14.15 it is stated –

“na tatha me priyatama atma-yonir na sankarah

na ca sankarsano na srir naivatma ca yatha bhavan”

Here Krishna plainly says that His devotees are more dear to Him than Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva, Lord Shankarshan – the original cause of creation, the Goddess of fortune or even His ownself.

Elsewhere in Srimad Bhagavatam 10.9.20 Sukhdev Goswami says, “nenam virinco na bhavo na sriri apy anga-sansraya prasadam lebhire gopi yat tat prapa vimuktidat” The Supreme Lord who can award liberation to any one showed more mercy towards the gopis than to Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva or even goddess of fortune who is His own wife and is associated with His body.

Similarly, Srimad  Bhagavatam 10.47.60  also  states,

“nayam sriyo nga u nitanta-rateh prasadah

svar-yositam nalina-gandha-rucam kuto nyah

rasotsave sya bhuja-danda grhita-kantha”

labdhasisam ya vdagad vraja-vallabhnam”

The Gopis received benediction from the Lord that neither Laxmi devi nor the most beautiful dancers in the heavenly planets could attain.  In the rasa dance Lord showed His favour to the most fortunate gopis by placing His arms on their shoulders and dancing with each of them individually. No one can compare with the gopis who received the causeless mercy of the Lord.

In the Chaitanya Caritamritam it is said that, “no one can receive the real favour of the Supreme Personality of Godhead without following the footsteps of the gopis”. Even the goddess of fortune could not receive the same favour as the gopis, although she underwent with severe austerities and penances for many years.

Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu discuss this point with Vyankatt Bhatt in Chaitanya Caritamrita madhya lila – 911 to 131 and there’s a many paragraphs here almost one page has been quoted as it is from that dialogue which took place where you know you were just there, Srirangam. This brings you back to Srirangam, back to Srirangam .  You have to be there and listen to the dialogue. The Lord enquired from Vyankat Bhatt, “your worship able goddess of fortune Laxmi always remain on the chest of Narayan and she is certainly the most chaste women in the creation”. However, my Lord is Lord Sri Krishna a cowherd boy engaged in tending the cows. Why is it that Laxmi being such a chaste wife wants associate with my Lord?  Just associate with Krishna, Laxmi abundant all transcendental happiness in Vaikuntha and for a long time accepted vows and the regulative principles and performed unlimited austerities.

Vyankatt  Bhatt replied, “Lord Krishna and Lord Narayan are one and the same. But the past times of Krishna are more relish able due to their sportive nature. They are very pleasing to Krishna’s shakties since Krishna and Narayan are both the same personalities Laxmi’s association with Krishna did not break any vows of chastity rather it was in great fun that goddess of fortune wanted association of Lord Krishna. The goddess of fortune consider that her vows of chastity would not be damaged by her relationship with Krishna rather by associating with Krishna She could enjoy the benefit of rasa dance. If she wanted to enjoy herself with Krishna, what is the fault there? Why are you joking so about this?

Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “I know there is no fault in goddess of fortune, but she could not enter into rasa dance”. We hear this from revealed scriptures, the authorities of the Vedic knowledge met Lord Ramchandra in Dandakaranya. And by their penances or austerities they were allowed to enter into rasa dance.  But can you tell me why the goddess of fortune Laxmi could not get that opportunity?  To this Vyankatt Bhatt replied, “I cannot enter into the mystery of this incident  I am an ordinary living entity, living being. My intelligence is limited and I am always disturbed. How can I understand the past time of Supreme Lord. They are deeper than millions of oceans”.

Lord Chaitanya replied, Lord Krishna has the specific characteristics. He attracts everyone’s heart by mellows of his personal conjugal love by following the footsteps of the inhabitants of the planets known as Brajlok or Golok Vrindavan.  One can attain the shelter of the lotus feet of Krishna. However, the inhabitants of that planet do not know that Lord Krishna is Supreme Personality of Godhead, unaware that the Krishna is Supreme Lord. The residence of Vrindavan like Nandamaharaj, Yashoda devi and the gopis treat Krishna as their beloved son or lover. Mother Yashoda accepts Him as her son and sometimes binds him to a grinding mortar. Krishna’s cowherd boyfriends think He is an ordinary boy and get up on the shoulders. In Golok Vrindavan no one has any other desire other than to love Krishna. The conclusion is that one cannot associate with Krishna unless he has fully received the favour of the inhabitants of Brajbhumi. Therefore, if one wants to be delivered by Krishna directly he must take to the service of residence of Vrindavan who are unalloyed devotee of the Lord.

‘Satvamam mama  ‘so quite a verse, mysteries guihyam, guihayatar no it is guihyatam, very very confidential subject matter meant of course to help us understand or to know Krishna, this is the kind of Krishna He is. And of course knowing Krishna is complete only then, only when we understand these devotees and their devotion for their Lord.  I may have said Supreme Lord. But some devotees even do not know even they do not care to know whether their Lord is Supreme or not Supreme and not even knowing that He is Supreme. He is just my Lord that’s all that I care to know. Now these kinds of devotees, no devotees, not devotees of demigods what to speak or why should we speak of devotees of politician of this world. They also have devotees, they also have camcas. Everyone is somebody’s devotee. And if there is no one else you always have your dog that it could become a devotee of your dog. So devotees of dog, devotees of politician, devotees of Demigod and then you have devotees of Narayan in Vaikuntha and then finally you are devotee of Shri Krishna in Golok Vrindavan.

In Vrindavan, Vrindavan… “O! I have come Bilvamangal says O! I have come, Vrindavan”. Vrindavan is special, Krishna in Vrindavan is special devotees in Vrindavan are special. This verse is helping us to know Krishna in Vrindavan and devotees of Krishna in Vrindavan and their love for each other.

Laxmi is seating ok she is seating on the chest of the Lord but gopis are seating in the heart of the Lord. Being on the chest, that is no small position. But to be inside right in the heart ‘sadhavo hridayam maihyam’ devotees are in my heart, they are in my heart and I am in their heart. So Laxmi could get as close as just on the surface and the heart is inside and just the cover of the heart, on the top of the heart. She is just floating on the top there not able to get in, enter the heart of the Lord, this is the difference.

“ramyakaachida upasana vrajvadhu vargenaya kalpitah mahaprabhu sri caitanya mahaprabhu matamidam”. This is the opinion of the Lord even who follow in the footsteps of a devotee. Yes, yes then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu follows in the footsteps of Brajvadhu vargenaya kalpitha ‘vrajvadhuvarga’vrajavadhu  the gopis of  Vindavan, the damsels of Vrindavan, the cowherd girls of Vrindavan they are the ideal devotees, the topmost devotees, most dear devotees of the Lord and if you want to follow in the footsteps ‘mahajanohin gatah sapantah’ the gopis are Mahajanas and Radharani is their leader.

The devotional practice by these gopis, Radharani,  Lord was wondering, “O! What so much love so much affection for me what for? And what is it? I want to understand all of this. Lord became very very curious, anxious to know gopis anxious to know Radharani what is in her heart? What is on her mind?  What kind of vision she has? I want to know this. I want to know my devotees and leader of all devotees is Radharani”. As He wanted it to know and be a devotee and relish the life of being a devotee, Lord appeared assuming the mood of Radharani, the complexion of Radharani.

Know me ‘Krishnam swarupam’ unto that swarupa that Krishna is offered my obeisance’s who assumed the mood of Radharani and complexion of Radharani to understand Radharani the topmost devotee. So that is the kind of very confidential. Even the Lord had hard time to understand this subject matter, the devotion of His devotee pure unalloyed.

‘na dhanam na janam na sundari kavitamva jagdish kamaye’ this is nothing to give up. ‘dhanam janam sundarim kavitam’ many more things are to be given up. And these gopis are even sometimes ready to give up their life. As a flute was being played by Sri Krishna, the gopis were rushing, running most of them succeeded and escaped. But some of them were caught around, “hey you can’t go”. They tried but the bandus and everyone pitas and patti so they couldn’t move so they decided to give up, Give up my existence, my body you have it, you have it, I go and they rush. They gave up their body. They died for Krishna and they ran. It is described such gopis those who gave up their bodies they were the first one to be with Krishna while others were still walking and running down the road. Those gopis were the first one to be there. So they are even ready to give up anything. Bodies were stumbling work. I get rid of it anything, everything.

Most difficult thing is to give up the pride that is also the difficulty in this past time which has been described here. The pastime of Laxmi in Shreevan in Vrindavan performing austerities  (tapasya) and these Nagpatnis during chastisement of kaliya. Nagpatnis as they were offering prayers they remembered, “O how come our husband kasyanubhavo sya na. (SB 10.16.36) What is the result of that tapa? “renu-sparsadhikarah” the dust of your lotus feet right on the hoods, head of our husband. O! We are amazed while that ‘lalana’ “srir lalanacarat  tapo” she performs austerities from long time ‘vihay kamana’ she gave up all comforts as it is mentioned in this purport also.

She gave up comforts of Vaikuntha she gave up and she has come to the forest and no servant and no one is around by herself and performing austerities. These Nagpatnis says, “how come she did not get the dust, she did not get to enter the rasa dance but our husband is getting lots of dust of your lotus feet” giving up pride at one point. Kaliya decided to surrender then what happened.  As Krishna was dancing on hundred hoods of kaliya, he was dancing the music was on in the sky. The dancing was being done by as the Lord has desired to dance immediately the music started. The drums, a big grand show there in the middle of the lake the audience were all around on the banks of that lake. And of course they were not interested in any performance and they were kind of half dead or collapsed or unconscious and so many things were happening but there was some they were there and more up in the sky full. Sky was filled with Demigods and Lord wanted to dance and He started dancing and whichever hood was showing still some life of sign of life around and kicking, alive and kicking, Lord would just place his at foot right on his hood there. While He is dancing He is looking side long and which hood is now next and there He would jump there. Like that He was crushing one hood after other and other.

The Nagpatnis were at some time pointing, “yes, yes this is right, he is not surrendering, he is not a devotee, he must be killed, he must be dead. Yes this is right thing to do, kill him”. But there was a point in the life in that episode as he was getting kick after kick some satsang he had done in his past reminded him”. One should be surrendering until the Supreme Lord and he was realizing this type of kicking power must be of the Supreme Lord only. I should  better take shelter of this person and he was ready to  bow down, mister this mister was ready to bow down and that time, point only he was vomiting blood he was helpless almost life less but within he was surrendered soul also. Surrendered soul from non surrendered mood. He went to the mood of surrender while he was not surrendering, the patnis were thinking, the wife was thinking, “kill him but  as soon as he was a kind of surrendered soul immediately started offering prayers to the Lord,” thank you for saving. You have given the dust of your lotus feet to our husband. You are very kind. You did not give this to Laxmi. Our husband has received such benediction”. So why not to Laxmi and not surrendered and a kind of surrender that Lord expects or not only surrendering unto the Lord or surrendering but also surrender unto his devotee, devotee of devotee of devotee or das ‘dasadasanudasanudas’ as one becomes then Lord, that person attracts the attention of the Lord and he becomes the fit candidate to receive the benediction of the lord.

“ramyakaachida upasana vrajvadhu vargenaya kalpitah Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says,  you have to follow the footsteps of gopis brajvadhu.  So Laxmi is not ready to do so and to enter rasa dance of course you need not only mood of gopis or being subordinate to the gopi, you have to be subordinate to another devotee, to another gopi. Then you fit into that big team of gopi’s rasa dance and serving Krishna that way. ‘ei nivedan dharo sakhir anugat karo seva adhikar diye koro nija dasi’ this is a prayer. Every day we are offering this prayer, “O tulsi Krishna preyasi namo namah”. You are so very dear to Shri Krishna that he puts you around your neck ‘tulsi har gada kase pitambar aavade nirantar hechi dhyana’. You are right around His neck. Someone very dear you hold that person around your neck. He is hanging from your neck embracing and hanging. Very dear, very dear you put that person close to your heart. Heart is now, “einivedan dharo” O ! tulsi devi I humbly pray, O!  tulsi devi. Vrinda devi has a big role one of the leading gopi. She almost has status of Radharani.

She is very significant person. ‘ei nivedana dharo sakhir anugat ..’ anugat I want to go. ‘Anu’, anu means follow behind somebody. ‘anugat koro’ please make me a follower of a damsel of braj ‘seva adhikar diye koro nijadasi’ and give me adhikar – eligibility. When would I become eligible to serve the Lord? When would I get seva adhikar? As one becomes the follower of a gopi and of course for us we cannot, but tulsi is there in front of us, we pray to her but still we don’t have that direct connection we go to temple commander, we go to temple commander and say, “do you have some service for me prabhu”, we go to temple president, we go to Governing Body Commissioner of ISKCON. He is the ultimate manager, coordinator of services and like that. That is one parampara, managerial parampara and the spiritual. Both are spiritual and they are connected through Prabhupada.

So we pray to Prabhupada and like that ultimately to those who are ‘nikunjayuno ratikeli sidhaye yayali bhiryuktarapekshaniya’ in that forest ‘Nikunja’ where two of them are divine couple where wandering Kunjabihari…………, someone makes arrangement, this arrangement, that arrangement.  Some expert devotees, rupa manjari or that manjari or  this gopi, that gopi. These are kind of aacharyas we have. They are part of that team and then they come down and give us all kind of guidance and benedictions so we connect ourselves through this Parampara. Then our prayer ultimately is heard and so this is following in the footsteps of devotee’ anugat koro’.

‘lalita vishakha aadi jat sakhi vrinda’ and ‘aagyay koriboseva carnarvinda’ Narottamdas Thakur  says, “when I go to Radha and Krishna ‘Radha Krishna pranamora yugal kishor’ and how I will  go? Where I will go? Once I ‘go, what I will do? But how will I do?  Begin doing all these things. He says, “O! There I will see. There are ‘lalita vishakha aadi’ so many sakhis there and what I will do? I will take permission, their approval then only I will enter that sevice, not that I just come dashing in and then tell everyone get out here. No, in different mood even talking like that doesn’t sound right. Right, no one cannot think like this. Very humbly prabhu, prabhu almost become nonexistent like Jagannath as he couldn’t           bear. No, no it’s too much O! no they are feeling so much separation from me. O! this is just because of me. I am the cause of this suffering and the residence of Vrindavan. No I can’t hear this, “go inside!” and as he is hearing his eyes are becoming amazing. O! Really what his eyes are becoming bigger and bigger. Oh no! no it was something like that. So devotee has to become very humble. No material existence in other words no material existence, no ego.

Two persons were going one after the other, I’ve just heard this. Two persons walking one behind the other. Good people they were infact devotee, practitioners of Krishna consciousness. One behind was beating that person ahead of him. This person was just walking and this person would beat him from time to time and this person was not feeling and not taking that as insult or anything playing transcendental and bleeding is going on. So this person with the stick was testing.  “Let me see now I will test his tolerance. Is he still there? His ego is still there, false pride is still there, the bodily concept is still there”. He is beating and checking whether. ‘Hey you hit me’, Prabhupada’s example: someone hits from the back of car. “You rascal you hit me. I’ll hit you.” Because that person not only identified himself with the body but now he is identifying with the car. As if the car is he. “I am the car, you hit me. Rascal you hit me.” So this person was kind of passing the test was getting in. But at one point, at one point he turned around and he said, “you know what you are looking for is not in there. The false ego, the pride. Those things are not in there”. I got it but you said it is not in there. That thought is there subtle things here. He said it’s not that what are you looking for is not in there but this person said, but you are aware, it’s not there, that is there. I got you, I caught you.

So not only you become free from ego but you don’t even. That is what happens. We become proud because we are pure devotee. But such a thing is it possible. “I’m proud of what, being a pure devotee. “ No, no pride! Free from pride doesn’t even remember, doesn’t even thinks. Of course you think of being very humble. Someone said to Prabhupada, “Prabhupada, Prabhupada I am the most fallen”.  Then Prabhupada said, “you are most of nothing and you are not most fallen if that person wants to take position.” If someone says, “I’m fallen but someone is most fallen than me I cannot stand it. No he is more fallen, I want to be, my position has to be most fallen.” He said, “I am most fallen Prabhupada” You are not most of anything. You are somewhere so again most fallen.

In conclusion Prabhupada says, “One cannot associate with Krishna unless he has fully received the favour of inhabitants of brajbhumi” Therefore if one wants to be delivered by Krishna directly he must take to the service of the residents of Vrindavan who are unalloyed devotees of the Lord.

We also bring Krishna, our temples, our Vrindavan, Radha Gopinath is here, Radha Rasbihari there, Radha Giridhari there.  These places are Vrindavan non-different, extensions of Golok Vrindavan and in some ways being in Vrindavan just have, try to fit into this spirit of Vrindavan following in the footsteps. You had only Radha Gopinath before and then you added Lalita and Vishakha. So how many more could you add. They were there not only Radha Gopinath was there, Lalita and Vishakha they were also there. They just manifested few years ago. They just manifested and lot many more devotees and from Braj around Krishna. He is never alone. So those devotees and new batch is trying to get in there become part of the team. So following the footsteps was part of the team are our acharyas. ‘mahajana yenagatah’ they have gone all these there. They are part of the team and we are following their footsteps. These acharyas, these devotees so they are following gopi, we are following them. Then following and following, we enter that spirit, the Golok spirit which is higher than the Vaikuntha spirit.

Raganuga bhakti is what is being talked here. By practicing what si the other kind? Raganuga and the Vaidhi bhakti, by practicing  vaidhi bhakti that leads you to Vaikuntha  planet. ‘Raganuga’ raga means attachment to the realm of Braj and become anug. ‘Anu’ means again follow and ‘ga’ means to go. Following in the footsteps of those devotees of Vrindavan, Raganugabhakti. So followers of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu they end up in Vrindavan because they are following in the footsteps of residence of Vrindavan. Of course we always chant the names of Radha Krishna

‘Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,  Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare’

And there’s  Radha Krishna, there’s a Radha Krishna Radhe Krishna Krishna Krishna Radhe Radhe. So by chanting Radha Krishna’s names, cultivating all the humility,  Krishna is testing us all the time, He is watching us all the time and He just want to see pure unalloyed devotion that His devotee, His aspiring devotee is for Him, for Krishna then that person is allowed the entrance into his association unto his abode. So what is what has been presented to us by Srila Prabhupada is the topmostthing.

Of course where did Srila Prabhupad get all this from, from Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. ‘anarpita chiram charit karunaya avatirnaha kalao’ in this kaliyuga Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared, very kindly appeared. ‘samarpitam’ in order to deliver what? ‘Unnat ujwal rasa’ ‘unnat’ the topmost rasa and ‘ujwal’ the brilliant rasa also and that is the madhurya rasa. ‘sri radhika madhav yora parmadhurya leela gunarupanama vande guruh sri caranarvindam’.

Our acharyas are known for what? They get together. What did Caitanya Mahaprabhu do with all those Ramanandaraya and Swarupa damodar?  Always heard about Krishna Radha, Krishna.of course Caitanya Mahaprabhu wants to have Krishna, Radharani wants to hear about Krishna, Radha Krishna Radha Madhava “pratiksana asvadana lolupasya”. So from that down in the parampara and all the way upto Srila Prabhupada and his books and his whole realm another dimension is being added, which started of course with Madhvendrapuri. He was specialized in this madhurya lila, the specialized. And that is where we branched off from the line of Madhavacharya, Madhavacharya line exists, we also exist. Where do we get connected, Madhurya, pure and like that. So added dimensions is this ‘madhurya lila gunarupanamnam’ which is of topmost kind. There is nothing higher, nothing superior. So this has been offered to us. While Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the parampara and Srila Prabhupada and his books, the prem ‘krishna prema pradayate’ and what we have in our possession in this world is ‘kama’ and just the counter aspect, counter substance.

The spiritual sky is prema, the shadow of that is kama in this material existence. So more we get prema, more we get free from kama, free from lust. So kind of, kind of prema this madhurya lila. Hearing this madhurya lila pastime as per prescription of the acharyas who acts like a doctor and he gives the medicine. And as one takes this medicine, ‘kama rog, bhava rog’ then by taking this dose of hearing Krishna books and scriptures from authorized person in recommended amount of doses. What works for you? What works for me, for someone else?

Then they take right kind of doses. It will cure one completely from the kama. And this kind of provision, this kind of medicine is only available in this ISKCON shop, Iskcon center, Iskcon place which is Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s place. This kind of  complete dose of prema and different prema, this prema, dasya prema, and other prema, sakhya prema, vatsalya prema, madhurya prema.

Ramanandaraya and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s dialogue there are gradations one higher than the other and when Ramanandaraya mentioned the Radha Krishna’s prema, radha Krishna madhurya lila that prema. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu satisfied Yes, yes I’m satisfied. This is it! Otherwise you say, “hey this is external. Say more, say more, say more.” And as Ramanandaraya said  “Radha Krishna prem, Radha Krishna madhurya lila and oh! This is the topmost.” So topmost thing has been handed down all the way to us and so like that.

Laxmi, She was performing austerities and given lots of gratification comforts. But one thing she was not giving up was this pride and as a result she was not able to enter. So we also have the opportunity to enter that realm and things which did not worked out for Laxmi. We should learn from others mistake. Laxmi is kindly placing herself in that position. This is Lord’s pastime taking example here look at Laxmi. Look look from long time, she did this didn’t work. So something else or find out what went wrong, rectify and improve and do it differently. And that  is the mood of surrender, false pride. Of course the supreme thing in this regard. Chaitanya mahaprabhu has said, “trinadapi sunichena tarorapi sahishnuna amanina mandena kirtaniya sada harih” always doing kirtan and kirtan doesn’t always mean only you pick up the kartal and chant, dance. That is also of course kirtan. Kirtan meaning  glorification of the Lord.

Radha Rasbihari temple was being built and Prabhupada was staying right there and someone proposed Srila Prabhupada,”we should get another location down town or some distance away. There is lot of noise, sound, thak-thak, this this, that that.” And Prabhupada says I’m not disturbed. For him he said  this is like music to my ears. All those sound, this is music. This is nice. Prabhupada considered even those sounds thak-thak and whatever as some kind of kirtan was going on. yuktavairagya’ How much you could extend the kirtan even that could be a kirtan.. so this is not limited.

This printing press is ‘Bhaktisiddhanta’s. He would have printing press right in front of deity. In Calcutta he had his printing press so that deity could see the printing press. He placed the printing machine so that the deity could see and all the sounds were there. And the sounds were described as ‘brihad mridanga’. You could hear few blocks down the road but this one you could hear far and wide everywhere. So kirtan in ISKCON is popular.

I am going sankirtana. Where is your mridanga? Where is your kartal? No, no. I have books in bag and I’m going to distribute books. This is sankirtana of course. Some devotees started distributing candles and that also became some kind of candle distribution. No scandal but candle. Sankirtana glorification of the Lord is kirtan, ‘kirtaniya sadaharih’ which includes lots of devotional service that we perform that is glorifying Krishna this way or that way or different ways. And this will go on ‘kirtaniyasada harih’.

Conditions are those, conditions ‘trinadapi sunichena’ ok this trinadapi should be taken care of. What about ‘amanina’ and ‘mandena’ also when this is done. Then the result equals to what? This results in kirtaniya sada harih. All the time kirtan is possible. And with this kirtan as we perform, then there’s a ‘mama janmani janmanishvare’ I do not even care of course for another birth or births. Every birth I just care for ahaituki, that’s the point ahaituki devotional services. No motivation ‘sastrabhakti bhagavati akinchana’ a few verses before you have gone through this, akincana – Prabhupada is translating that as unmotivated. It is easy to deliver discourse and say this. But really to come to the point of making our devotional service. So that Lord is pleased and He could grab us. Be with him.

I thought this could be very easily done. When I was a new bhakta at Juhu temple and my service was to go beg rice from door to door, that was one of my seva  – bhikshamdehi, tandulamdehi – ‘give me some rice for food for life’. Prabhupada was sending us; rice was not available in the free market, so we have to beg it. So sometimes, some people would ask me question like, “have you seen? O! You are always talking or you are always talking to us about Krishna. But have you seen Krishna?” then I used to or may be not say every time to everybody. But I used to Iin my mind command on, “give a break, give a break”. You know I have just joined. Give me at least six months you know, I have just joined. Give me at least six months. You know give me at least few years. Then you ask me, “have you seen?” then I’m going to say, “yes, yes I have seen him”.

Hence I have the right to speak to you. So I was thinking. This was just two years home work, and I would be seeing him, seeing the Lord. Then I could speak. So more than few months and few years were passed still wonder,” “where is Krishna? Where is Krishna”? ‘He Radhe vraja devikecha lalite’. Of course Krishna was there with those six go swamis running here there running. Are you on the top of Govardhan right now? Are you on the bank of Jamuna? Where are you? For them, wherever they were Krishna was with them. For us we wonder where Krishna is. Where is he? Where are you? Why are you taking so much time? So I was thinking it was an easy task. But it’s quite a task. You give up this. Give up that. Follow the 4 regulative principles. Even more things to give up. To give up pride,  pooja, pratistha and labha. These are even you have more subtle things. There are some rocks in the water, little pebbles. You could just pick them up, take out. You could get rid of some rocks, little pebbles. But what if the water is sugar solution? Water is homogeneous material. Cannot separate those things from water. Then it’s harder to get in. You pick up with a prong, pieces of rocks, pieces of fine grains of sugar mixed in the water. So get rid of some things is easy. Some more things we need to get rid of. So this is of course Prabhupada gave us one lifetime….

Radha Gopinath ki jay!

Nitai Gaur Premanande hari haribol!

Srila Prabhupada ki jai!

Iskcon Chowpatty ki jai!