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!