Venue: Los Angeles. So everything ready to go, everything is getting loaded into, into what?  Big trucks?  carts, bullock carts. Every family had at-least one cart or more.  So many cows, so many bulls and that’s the mode of transportation. Krishna had never gone His travels were more kind of limited to this brahad van,  He was more in Gokul, into the town, just  around on the bank of Jamuna just near. It’s the first time He is going for a very long travel, very  very long,  its like going to another country for him. “Oh! Mummy mummy, where are we going? Where are we going? (laughs) “beta we are going to Vrndavan.” “Vrndavan, why Vrndavan?”  “You know there are big big playgrounds. You could play there”. So Krishna was delighted, He was jumping in the cart.

So there are so many many carts big line, cart after cart, after cart, after cart. Carts were mainly for the elderly folks, old people and children, ladies were in the carts. Everyone else they were down to the earth, they were on the ground, walking. And the cows, Sukhdev Goswami describes, cows were all the way in front and Purohit the priests are there they are chanting prayers and cows, where is the cow? Coming (video being played in the background).

And they also have weapons for the protection of cows. Cows have been described repeatedly; they describe cows as the Go-dhan, wealth of the residents of Vrindavan, so they wish to protect this.  When comes to cows, so many cows, so many cows, this pastime is coming up. So they are going, they left Gokul, Gokul has been deserted, there’s no one in the Gokul, no one in Gokul. They all left, ghost town and they are going in north, northerly direction and because it had taken some time everyone to load their belongings and everyone getting into the carts. It is mentioned there’s a special cart wherein there is Krishna and Balarama and Yasoda and Rohini, four of them are in one cart. It’s a talk that we also hear that everyone would like to have his cart next to Krishna’s cart and Krishna lets them experience there were times, during those travels everyone was thinking “hey! My cart is next to Krishna’s cart, hey! My cart is….”   Everyone else is far; you know behind, ahead, my cart is just next to Krishna’s cart, Balarama’s cart.

This is Krishna expanding, His cart has been expanded, He has expanded, He is with all those carts.  So because it was getting late it was sunset time, they camped on the bank of Jamuna, they camped out. In the same side as Gokul just some distance in the north. This whole camping has been described how they had everything was there. The next morning as they got up they wanted to cross, so what they do for crossing. There are different things they do, how they cross Jamuna. They tied carts, cart one cart another cart, another cart, another cart….   What is this going on? What is this? Bridge. they are walking and crossing there are many bridges like that and people are going in their carts.  Tying carts you understand match box one another one cart.  Where the others the cowherd men they are carrying cows little baby calf on their shoulders and  swimming Jamuna going across and if they are swimming across with the calf on the back, who is swimming right behind you think?  Mother cow. So many men are carrying the baby calf on their shoulders and they are swimming and the cows are swimming right behind. Thousands of them are trying to swim across like that. Go-mata ki jai………………………………

And now they all have reached Vrindavan, Vrindavan dhama ki jai………Vrindavan they all are in Vrindavan now. Vrindavan is again, there are twelve forests. All of them put together is we call Vrindavan but one of those twelve forests is also Vrindavan forest, between Jamuna and Govardhan it is all Vrindavan forest. Vrindavan is not just forest (video is being played in the background).  We are getting feeling we are in Vrindavan. We are there it’s the real thing, now where they go and park is, they park all the carts in semi circular format. “sakatair ardha-candravat vrndavanam sampravisya” (S.B 10.11.35)

After entering Vrindavan they park their carts in the semi circular format and made that as a compound and they were they started staying there, residing there. This makes shift temporary housing and facilities and they stay there for long time several years. According to Vishvanath Chakraborty Thakur, Krishna stayed 3 years and 4months in Gokul and He stays 3 years and 4 months where they have just now come this place is called sakatavarta you have heard name of Chatikara Chatikara you know Chatikara, you go from Delhi highway, Delhi- Agra highway and then you turn to go to Krishna Balarama temple that Bhaktivedant marg so that at that junction highway there then turning left to go to Vrindavan Krishna Balarama temple. So at that junction is a village even now called Chatikara, Chati, sakata. So that’s where they had parked all the carts, big area. So three years and four months there and finally from there they go to Nandagram and Krishna spends three years and four months in Nandagram. And then comes Akrura from Mathura to invite Krishna and Balarama to Mathura. So just to give an idea where is Krishna now and where is the family. So here at this place Krishna’s is going to be, “vatsa-palau babhuvatuh” (S.B 10.11.37) Sukadev Goswami describes here Krishna becomes a calf herd boy.

He was given the task of herding just a calf. He is a little boy and He can only manage herding little cows, cows “Choti Choti Gaiyan, Chote Chote Gwaal Choto so Choto so madana gopal”. Everything is chota chota, Krishna chota, gaaya choti, cows choti choti gaiyan, everything is small small. Now He was very anxious Krishna is very anxious to do this take this assignment.  Now with this His sakha bhava,  in Gokul basically “vatsalya bhava”  He is spending time with Yashoda and Rohini and the parents and like that and little bit sakhya few friends.  But having come to Vrindavan now the friends becomes more dominant Sakha bhava. So He has to be away from home playing with the friends so this calf herding pastime activity would give more opportunity to be with the friends and more play, so it is also excuse to be away from the family so that they could play with the friends. So there was a time when Krishna first time proposed   Yashoda flat “no no no you aren’t going to forest, forget it”. She was not ready she was not ready “no no stay home, stay home. You are still little tiny baby, don’t have to go to work at this age” but He was insisting and then Nanda Maharaj took Krishna’s side. Father mother they were debating and Krishna and Nanda Maharaj won the debate and Krishna was able to now go out as a calf herd boy.  First day Nanda Maharaj they gathered a small group of calf’s and few other friends they had their small group of cows also and Nanda and Yashoda personally were accompanying  Krishna Balarama and cowherd boys and training them how to control cows how to turn them this way, “stop stop” they gave little ropes little ropes in the hands of Krishna and Balaram, little sticks and “but don’t go deep into the forest okay and come back before lunch”.  “yes yes daddy yes  yes mommy” Nanda Yashoda “yes we’ll be back” and they are proceeding towards the forest and then lots of play and come back and this is going on for some days and one day kadacid once upon a time Yamuna-tire on the banks of Jamuna other side now on the eastern bank now they are staying on the western bank everyone is staying on the western bank.  Now Krishna and Balarama the cowherd boy have gone across Jamuna and eastern bank of Jamuna they are herding their cows and “ Krsna balayor jighamsur daitya agamat” (S.B 10.11.41)

One demon, one demon arrived in the scene Rukhmini Dwarkadhish ki jai……….. With the aim of killing Krishna and Balarama he has come “tam vatsa-rupinam viksya” (S.B 10.11.42) Krishna noticed and this demon has come in the shape of a calf easy right, so many cows there one more calf. So many cows were there one more calf. So this demon thought it’s easy no one would notice me but there was Krishna he noticed not only he noticed he brought to the ….. aye! Balarama Balarama, you see you see. Not the other one, no no just near next to him you know. Ha! ha! Yes yes what about him you know that’s not regular calf strange kind of “yes yes something we have never seen such a calf, this is extra one extra one”

“darsayan baladevaya” He showed, Krishna showed it to Balarama “sanair sanair” and Krishna is moving forward He showed to Balarama. Krishna is making advances He is getting closer and closer and closer and closer to that particular calf as He got there Grhitva caught hold of that calf’s apara-padabhyam his hind legs apara-padabhyam two and the hind legs saha-langulam with the tail,  two hind legs and tail together “saha-langulam acyutah” (S.B 10.11.43.) Krishna has done this and the next thing He did started whirling and (shuuuuuuuu……) and it fell on a top of a big tree. And it’s because Krishna moving so fast he lost his life, the demon lost his life in this process shook his life out it could through a dead body.  “bhramayitva kapitthagre prahinod gata-jivitam” (S.B 10.11.43) and he was so and as he was been thrown whirled around and thrown, this calf was no more a little calf assumed a gigantic form his original demon form calf was not a original form he had a so heavy that the tree fell down so many other trees fell.

“devas ca parisantusta babhuvuh puspa-varsinah” (S.B 10.11.44) Devatas Demigod were highly pleased santusta and they started showering flowers many flowers the flowers are being showered “tam viksya vismita balah” (S.B 10.11.44) And all the cow boys friends they were kind of hiding (laughs) when Krishna was handling (laughs) the demon they were not sure what is going to be outcome of this, so they were maintaining safer distance and watching from behind the trees.

And once the demon was killed they stepped forward saying Sadhu sadhu sadhu sadhu sadhu well done well done.  And next thing they are doing ,some special kind of fruit tree so trees fell so there are so many fruits (laughing) all the cowherd boys they are running after the fruits it was the breakfast time they are kind of hungry. Someone lost the life (laughs) and no big deal they just want to enjoy fruit.  So like that they ran for the fruit so like that they would have good time herding cows calves and playing with the friends.

And another day they were all thirsty, these two pastimes one demon killing which is Vatsasura and there’s more to talk about there was a news that Vatsa the calf. So some residents of Vrindavan  hey! Krishna He is a sinner, He has killed cow killed cow, He has to take bath He has to take holy dip now for his self purification.  He should go take bath in Ganga now Krishna was willing but He doesn’t leave Vrindavan to go take bath in Ganga so how does He manage,He creates Ganga from His mind and that is Manasi Ganga. When you do Govardhan parikrama on the way take darshan of this Govardhan Town is Manasi Ganga. So that comes from mind is born in minutes from mind of Krishna Krishna takes bath and everyone one is taking bath in that Manasi Ganga. So that is related some other pastimes are also mentioned in connection with this Manasi Ganga and this is one of them. So another day the boys are thirsty (Maharaj telling the audience – we have some dramas coming up for your pleasure Rukhmini Dwarkadhish theater is gonna be performing drama).

So that was another demon coming, he is Bakasura he is brother of Putna.  Putna has been killed now second member of the family is about to and he has come as a big buck big duck. So they drank water and then suddenly they saw this big big huge size duck and (quacking sound) everything is here [laughing] you name it cow is here birds ducks.  So “bako nama mahan asuro” (S.B 10.11.48) “baka-rupa-dhrk”. So he comes Sahasa suddenly comes and big nose pointed beak beaks and he catch holds Krishna and swallows.

Where is Krishna now? He was playing, He was playing with friends and the demon came and just swallowed and cowherd boys were right there and where is Krishna? Where is Krishna? His friends disturbed and Krishna inside the throat He is becoming very very hot and very bitter also. Then would you swallow something that is so hot and so bitter? what do you do next you vomit? So this demon vomited what did come out?  Krishna came out and next thing Krishna He did He held, what did He held?  The two beaks of this demon and broke them, he went up also.

Bakasura was also killed we are rushing because idea was to kill another demon today (laughs) which is Aghasura.  So putna his sister Bakasura and Aghasura, Bakasura and Aghasura are two brothers and sister Putna. So this Aghasuras time for killing. So “ghor darshana”    “aho brahma vidham vaco nasatyah santi karhicit” (S.B 10.11.57). The cowherd boys as the news spread of Krishna killing this another demon residents of Vrindavan Nanda Maharaj they are reminded of Garga Muni’s predictions and this would happen that would happen killing of demons but Krishna will come always victorious always depend upon Him He will protect you and exactly. “gargo yad aha” the way he said, had predicted is exactly happening  all talk about this “iti nandadayo gopah krsna-ram-katham muda” (S.B 10.11.58). So these topics are giving great pleasure to the residents nandayah gopah gopa gops   protectors of the cows Nanda Maharaj and the others and kurvanto ramamanshchya this Ram Krishna katha they are absorbed this is their life

“mac citta mad-gata prana bodhayantah parasparam kathayantas ca mam nityam tusyanti ca ramanti ca” (B.G 10.9) Krishna said in Bhagvat gita  same thing here  residents’ of Vrindavan are ramamanashcya   they are busy absorbed in talking about Krishna we also wish while hearing before you talk what you have to do?,what you have to do? you have to hear you have to read otherwise what will you talk about, you will talk about Iraq affairs,  whatever you hear about you talk about, simple thing what goes in   input that is output.  If katha goes in, katha will come out you will relish and then it will come out.  So we also wish to how Krishna katha is our topic we are devotees   Krishna is expecting that we always talk  about Krishna so, we have to hear about Krishna, so  wish to hear more and more and then do manthanam mananam. You hear and hear and come back tomorrow to hear more but in mean time what happen mananam contemplation contemplate  bring those past time back to the mind and contemplate  relish and take them in again. Just like a cow or animal they eat twice atleast twice  first time gobble up  grazing and then  they sit down and what do they do just like chewing,  they bring whole thing back into the mouth and then they chew it make it finer and they assimilate and that goes into the system they get nourished.  Not necessary by just first time they eat so here we have rush we kind of feed, we gobble up in couple of hours then we have 22 hours more to do what chewing this katha or bringing this pastimes back into the mouth and take a look at them,  relish them  then they become our property  then we will not forget it.

Venue: Los Angeles

Thank you everybody for coming to our Sunday festival. This
festival was started by His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupad ki……………………Jai, he is even founder
acharya of Sunday festival. This festival is held worldwide over 500 centers of
International Society for Krishna
Consciousness. The sole purpose, infact of the foundation of this Hare
Krishna movement is to give association to everybody, association of devotees of Krishna and that leads to pure association
with Krishna. There are two kinds of associations called “Sangas”. One is technically known, I
am sure you must have heard of this Satsanga, you heard of Satsanga? (Maharaj
asking question to devotees) what is satsanga? The other is asatsanga. Asat and
sat, sat means real, eternal association that brings us in contact with the
eternal Personality, not only eternal full of knowledge, full of bliss, sac-cid-ananda -vigraha, Sri Krishna.
Association that brings us in contact with sac –cid –ananda Sri Krishna that is
“satsanga”. The other one is
asatsanga “asatsanga tyagat ei vaishnav
achar” Vaishnav is known for he makes sure he doesn’t indulge in asatsanga
he stays away from asatsanga. One who stays away from asatsanga or false, temporary
sanga, association that person is a saintly person, the person is sadhu. “asatsanga tyagat ei vaishnav achar” that
person is Vaishnav. So we have, Prabhupad has given us many many programmes, so
many aspects of Krishna Consciousness to bring us in contact with that “sat” as
this festival of Jagganath Rath Yatra
Mohotsav ki……………….. Jai.

This is a grand
opportunity, big opportunity for Satsanga and like that this Sunday festival is
big satsanga opportunity. Morning program and evening that Prabhupad had
instituted so that we get to hear about Krishna. We are so busy in varieties of
activities and of all those activities this sitting down and hearing, thats not
a serious business right, but we want to talk what we say, let’s sit down and talk,
let’s not take it casually, let’s sit down and talk. We get up and fight we
have to sit down and talk. It was time for fighting and Arjun sat down in the
beginning (laughs) of course Krishna wanted to talk to him so he sat down and
listened. So we are running around and still lot of times not happy, we propose
that you sit down, for a change sit down, chant Hare Krishna, sit down hear
Krishna katha and we  guarantee you that
you will be simply happy. If you don’t I will come next year you could take me
to the court (devotees laughing) but we also guarantee you and the whole world
that devoid of Krishna consciousness all running around is just useless, waste
of time “srama eva hi kevalam”.

Which is described as
a rat race, big rat race everybody is running, even rats are running making their
holes, they run from one hole to another hole, they run so fast and so
seriously as if they have some serious business. All that they are doing is
they are digging some hole (laughs) and then soon what happens, snake comes,
rat has to get out, the snake makes  his
home there. In our case the death comes specially Prabhupad used to say that “the talk which is not  about Krishna is just compared to the (Maharaj
asking to the devotees froking or croaking) croaking of the frog (laugh)
drau……drau…..drau……………..we used to hear in India after rainy season. So when
the frog does the croaking, Prabhupad used to say and this is a fact, he made a
observation that the frog is inviting, inviting
whom? the snake, if he would be quite then he will be safe out of sight,
out of mind of the snake. But he keeps croaking it says I am here, I am here,
please come it’s time for breakfast for you please come. So, and that becomes
the end of that frog, so we also keep talking, not one day in our life goes
without talking, not one hour in our life goes without talking and hearing
whole world is engaged in hearing and talking and enquiries and dialogues, what
if it is not about Krishna, God related then it is just invitation for death to
come, death to come “mrtyuh sarva-haras
caham” (B.G 10.34). Then I come in form of death I come, I was there in
from of Rukmini Dwarakadish but you
didn’t come there was Bhagvat Katha you didn’t come.

So now I have come “mrtyuh sarva-haras caham” I will snatch
everything, live you empty pocket, empty handed and out. So our goal is “ante narayana smrti” remembering the Lord
always that’s the goal. Especially at the time of death so many proposals were
there, when King Pariksit had only 7 more days to go, the conclusion was let
him hear Srimad Bhagvatam from Sukhdev Goswami and that would be most
beneficial leading to “ante narayana smrti” remembering the Lord at the time of
death, at the important moment of our life.

So Krishna consciousness is like, there is art of living
there is also art how to die? Of course in the west I was told they are
learning art of committing suicide. There is a book published in Sweden in some
countries its very popular, art of committing suicide. There are 100 versions
there are so many versions and you can pick up one and go for it. So human form
life is a meaningful “adhruvam apy
arthadam” (S.B 7.6.1) Prahlad Maharaj says “adhruvam” yes yes its temporary, it’s not going to last forever or
for long but it’s meaningful. So we get a meaning to our life like Krishna
climbed up the hoods of Kaliya and left the impressions of His feet there ,
then Kaliya’s life was meaningful you may go now anywhere Krishna said you are
safe . So we want that assurance otherwise no one in this world is capable of
protecting us “abhaya caranaravaibda re” “
bhaja hu re mana, bhaja hu re mana sri nanda nandana  abhaya caranaravinda re” OH! My dear mind
please worship “abhayacaran” they
offer fearlessness to otherwise very fearful entities, human beings but there
is no protection, no security, we are in anxiety , we are fearful. Only
reliable security is protection from the Lord, once we are Krishna connected
then we are safe not otherwise.

So Srila Prabhupad has given us philosophy of Bhagvat this
Bhagvat dharma has given us this beautiful scriptures. So many volumes full of
glories of Sri Krishna, “punya sravan
kirtan” our life becomes auspicious “hridayantastha
hi  abhadrani vidhunoti suhrutsatam” (S.B
1.2.17). So it’s the declaration of Bhagvatam deep within the heart there
is so much dirt, but Srimad Bhagvatam Katha which is not different from the Lord,
enters our heart hridayantastha hi abhadrani,
hridi- in the heart , antastha-inside or even at the core of the heart
or bottom of the heart is abhadra,
there is do many auspicious things. So where ever inauspiciousness is there
within us, in our mind, in our consciousness, our heart vidhunoti-cleansing is done, and once we are clean we are happy, we
are pure and we get connected with the most pure Personality “param brahma param dhama pavitram param
bhavam” (B. G 10.12) Arjuna made that statement “my dear  you are pavitra, param
pavitra”. So as we become pavitra, purified then we will have a link,
communication with Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is certainly ours and we
are His, if we could even say this “once
in our life if we could say once my dear Lord I am yours and you are mine
that’s the end of material existence”. If someone could say that with some
understanding, some sincerity Lord would immediately take charge of that
person, do everything within His power and there is a nothing that is not in His
power. He will go out of his way to protect us and infact it’s only Him who is
capable, competent and always concerned about our protection. If someone is
doing that we should understand that person is doing on behalf of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead our Supreme Father, Supreme mother, friend. “tvameva mata pita bandhu sakha mam
dev-devaha dravinam” everything.

So we had been talking and trying to remember that Lord for
past few days of course in Hare Krishna temple everyday this process and programme
of remembering the Lord. This 7 days recitation of Srimad Bhagvatam we had been
doing this is 4^th day and few more days to go. Unfortunately it
would be over, why unfortunately you could continue on the 8th day also you
could study, do homework read Bhagvatam get into the habit of “nityam bhagvat sevaya” serve Bhagvat
it will do good to you, to everybody. As
we study Bhagavatm we learn to depend on the Lord and that is the real
independence. Depend on the Lord in the God you trust, in God we trust
depend upon him, you will become independent in true sense; you will be
liberated once and for all.

So today we will be having a Govardhan poja festival here
that’s one of the few topics of the day this evening. Govardahan festival we
will read couple of chapters from Bhagavatam dealing with that pastime. It is
one of the most favorite pastime of devotees of Krishna, residents of Vrindavan
and soon you will see Govardhan hill is going to be  right here manifesting  in the midst of us with Govardhan Shila on
the top,  there would be beautiful
darshan of Govardhan hill and we would be offering, we will attempt to worship
Giriraj Govardahan the way the residents of Vrindavan did 5000 yrs ago and also
circumambulation, parikrama of Govardhan, one of the important items as you go
to Vrindavan you do parikrama, circumambulation of Giriraj. So if you stay on
little longer, there will be worship of Giriraj Govardhan and parikrama also of
Govardhana hill.

So if you could stay, stay not because  I am the speaker you should stay, stay its
Krishna, its Bhagvatam it’s our life
otherwise we are lifeless, useless and then few more days we will be
dealing with very confidential subject matter Krishna’s  Rasa dance, dealing with that there are 5
chapters, so that is our tomorrow’s subject matter. We may have some drama,
some dance and so on 6th day we will have Akrura going to Vrindavan, Kamsa  sent him and the way he goes, the way  he is thinking of the Lord on the way to Nandagram
that’s  the way to go to Vrindavan, he
has set wonderful examples . Then he returns to mathur with Krishna and Balarama.
So that is the 6th day’s topic and finally we will conclude with the Krishna
killing Kamsa. So these are all Krishna’s pastime in Vrindavan in final day he
enters Mathura, it’s quite interesting details how he enters Mathura, residents
of Mathura reciprocates with Krishna and Balarama, many things happen then
finally the wrestling killing very exciting.