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Explanation of Sri Damodara Ashtakam
Explanation of Sri Damodara Ashtakam
181118-Vrindavan [1.21.54]
Hare Krsna, you don’t say? [Hare Krsna] I like it atleast to say Hare Krsna at the beginning of the class. I also like that you are here in the courtyard of Krishna Balarama mandir and underneath the Tamal tree. This morning you could see there is no Bhagavatam verse written on the board. So there is no Bhagavatam, we have Damodaraashtakam verses.
Damodaraashtak ki….. jai
Yes, I just thought of staying in the mood of this month. Damodaraashtak certainly connects us with that mood or revives the mood of the most auspicious month- Damodaraa month. As I decided to do that, I don’t know whether you are happy or not that I decided to do this. But you know this garland (in his neck) is from Radha Damodara temple. I don’t ever remember receiving any garland from Radha Damodaraa. Today, in the morning, when one mataji said “Maharaja, Radha Damodaraa garland for you”, then I thought Damodaraa is happy with me so I selected this topic- some indication. It (garland) did not fall from His neck around my neck but someone brought it over and now it is here.
Radha Damodara ki……Jai
Yashoda Damodara ki… jai
Radha Damodara were the first deities of Vrindavan that I had taken darsana of, all the way in 1972.We used to sit there for listening Srimad Bhagavatam and Nectar of Devotion classes from Srila Prabhupada under the Tamal tree there also. Now it is the same month, same deities garland and same Vrindavan.
Vrindavan dham ki jai
Many, many things –not things, festivals and past times keep happening throughout this month every day, every other day and every night. Radha kunda appeared in the middle of the night and so day and night, things or past times keep happening throughout this month. However, I think of all those happenings, the past time between Yashoda and Damodara is most significant and highlight of this month. Something that happened – just one day.
ekada g?ha-dasisu yasoda nanda-gehini [SB 10.9.1]
Wife of Nanda Maharaja, she asks her maid “Do something else today. You do this sweeping, you do cleaning etc. Today I am going (swayam) to do the churning up of butter.”
Ekda- Sukdev Goswami is not putting any date, he is making a general statement by saying ekda-once upon a time. That time was the month of Kartik (pointing to the audience) Some of you already started sleeping, Krishna just woke up. It was early morning hour and there was no Yashoda around. Yashoda did not come to wake Him up. Uthi uthi gopala-she did not do that, that day. uthi uthi-Please get up. As soon as he would get up, the first thing that he would do or the first pastime of Krishna was to drink the breast milk every morning.
yasoda ca maha-bhaga
papau yasyah stanam harih [SB 10.8.46]
The most fortunate lady, yasoda cha mahabhaga papau-someone is drinking, who is that? Hari. Hari is drinking the breast milk of Yasoda. What a good great fortune of Yasoda? Sukdev Goswami says that Yasoda is mahabhaga. Krishna would do that, drinking breast milk every morning. But that morning-ekda-once upon a time or one morning that did not happen. Anyway, I am getting into narration of the past time which I did not want to get into because I wanted to go through these eight prayers of Damodarashtak. But what I meant to say was that, this past time took place just one day and it did not take place the whole day only part of the day. Basically and ultimately what happened was that Yasoda bound Krishna and the mortar with the rope. That was the final act of the episode and from that day onwards Balagopal Krishna became known as Damodara.
Dam and uddar put together becomes Damodara. Dam is rope and uddar is belly-Krishna’s stomach. Lord bound up with the rope that is Damodara. So that happening, that past time has become eternal past time, a topic of deep meditation and topic of discussion. And Lord has become famous of becoming Makhanchor. He is stealing and still He became popular. So Krishna is known as Damodara. It is confirmed that He steals butter. He is butter stealer. So many complaints were coming from the ladies. But Yasoda always denied. “No, no, how this is possible? My sweet little boy is stealing. Is there any shortage of butter at home? We have 9 hundred thousand of cows, tons of butter. Why He would go next door to steal butter”? Like that Yasoda would always deny. But ekda once upon a time that day was Diwali. On the day of Deepawali, Sri Ram arrived in Ayodhya, after the victory on Lanka. It was the same day but another age. Difference of one age, that was Treta Yuga but this is Dwapara Yug. That day, on Deepawali , Krishna who was supposed to be good, well behaved boy, was caught white handed by Yasoda. I knowingly said this what kind of Krishna’s hand was it, what colour? White hand. Usually thieves, robbers and thieves are caught red handed. Their hands become blood red but Krishna’s hands were bright white because of the butter. And He was caught then He had to be punished and not only He should be punished but also one who helped Him to steal the butter, should be punished. So who helped Him? The mortar helped Him. If there was no mortar around, there was no way Krishna could have reached the butter hanging from the ceiling. He found the mortar, placed it right underneath the pot full of butter. He climbed up and then he had fun that morning, good morning. Hari hari time is running out (to the audience) we better get to our business, actually we haven’t even started yet.
namamisvaram sac-cid-ananda-rupam
lasat-kundalam gokule bhrajamanam
yasoda-bhiyolukhalad dhavamanam
paramrstam atyantato drutya gopya
Satyavrat Muni is the compiler of Damodarashtakam. It is supposed to be dialogue between Narada and Shaunak Muni. These are beautiful eight prayers. So namami. These prayers are worship. This way we worship the Lord. We offer our obeisances unto the Lord. We glorify the Lord. Different things we do as we recite this Damodarashtakam. So the compiler of Damodarashtakam , begins the ashtak with namami. What is namami? I offer namami-namaskar. I offer my obeisances. Satyavrat Muni would do this from time to time. He would do that in the beginning, in the middle and in the end. He would do that again and again like.
aise sri bhagavan ko barambar pranam hai
Krishna is like this. Because He is like this, I would like to offer Him my obeisances. Because He is like this, I love to offer my obeisances unto such Krishna. So namami I offer my obeisance unto whom? Namami Ishwaram-I offer my obeisance unto Ishwar. Namami Ishwaram- this is one thing. I offer my obeisances to Ishwaram, Parmeshwaram, Krishnam, Sacchidanand rupam. I offer my obeisances so -vande has to be said every time. It is not said, not written –every time. It won’t fit into the meter like that. But vande goes with lots of items in this first verse also.
Sacchidananda rupam namami and who is offering namaskar? Aham namami –aham Ishwaram namami- aham sacchidanand rupam namami. There are small statements in the poetry but you could make that in the prose form-for understanding. You understand better when it is put in the prose form.
lasat-kundalam gokule bhrajamanam
The brilliant effulgent earrings unto such Damodara, I offer my obeisance. yasoda-bhiyolukhalad dhavamanam offer my obeisance unto him the Damodara- dhavmanam-who ran. Now – dhavamanam-one who was running, why was He running? Yasoda-bhi Because of the fear of Yasoda, He was running and ulukhalad –from where to where? He was on the ukhal-the mortar and He jumped down and started running away. Unto that Damodara, I offer my obeisance. paramrstam atyantato drutya gopya and Yasoda followed Him. He was running very fast- atyantato drutya gopya. He is running fast and she is trying to run faster but not able to manage because of her size and Krishna is little young boy. Okay, so he is trying to stay away, not allowing Yashoda to catch him up not as yet. It will happen later and as He tried and tried, I think it could be, while He is still running, He is afraid.
rudantam muhur netra-yugmam m?jantam
karambhoja-yugmena satanka-netram
He is still running or He has been caught and as that happened, what is He doing? – rudanta? He starts crying, crying again and again. In fact He is crying constantly, not that He is stopping and then crying and then stops and again cries.
muhuh svasa-kampa-trirekhanka-kantha-
sthita-graivam damodaram bhakti-baddham
First of all as He is crying, tears are coming out from both His eyes. He is using His both fists to rub His eyes. As He is crying, He is fearful, cannot even look at His mother or His eyes into mother’s eyes. That could also be the reason why He is trying to close His eyes “No no Yasoda, I can’t.”
karambhoja-lotus hands, yugmena – two hands, satanka-netram – atanka means fearful, very much afraid of-satanka. Atanka- atankwad –like a terrorism, you know Krishna is terrorised because of mother Yasoda. He is afraid of Yasoda.
muhuh svasa-kampa
I am sure you cried like this. Each one of you at some point of time, cried like that. Is there any exception? No exceptions. Because Krishna cried, we cried also. Krishna has set the standard.
mama vartmanuvartante manusyah partha sarvasah [BG 4.11]
Lord says in Bhagavad-gita, the path which I follow, the acts I perform, they are followed by the whole world. So the way, He cried as a baby, all the babies keep crying. It cannot be the other way because the babies around the world, the way they cry, Krishna looked and understood, they cry like this so let me also cry like that. No, it is the other way around. Krishna cried as a baby, the genuine, original eternal baby. He has set the standard. Of course the perverted reflection of that but whatever reflection we see, where it is coming? It has origin in Krishna.
trirekhanka-kantha
And there are three lines on the neck of Sri Krishna, they are always there. This way you get to know the details of the form of the Lord. When you go, next time, go back to Krishna standing face to face then you will remember, we were told, it’s exactly like that it is confirmed . Anyway you don’t have to really go and see and then confirm because this is in the sastra. This is praman, sastras see and show. Or those who have seen they have compiled the sastras-scriptures and the form. So it is confirmed. Because the scriptures say so, because Damodarashtakam says so, it has to be like that and it is like this.
sthita-graivam damodaram bhakti-baddham
And there is a locket- graiva is neck .And something hanging from his neck. Griva becomes graiva. There is a locket or pendant and that is also moving as His whole body is shaking. Whatever He is wearing, is also shaking.
itidrk sva-lilabhir ananda-kunde
sva-ghosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam
Satyavrata Muni further says- itidrk sva-lilabhir- lila like this-iti- means whatever has been only briefly explained. Certainly He is clearly stating, which lila- itid?k-like this-sva-lila by His own lila- by His past times. ananda-kunde- Damodara Krishna fills the kind the pool, lake or even ocean with ananda. There is so much bliss-ocean of bliss. This lila becomes the cause of ananda-so much ananda- ananda-kunde. Who is taking the advantage of this kunda? –sva-ghosam-the residents of Vrindavan, His associates. And what do they do?-nimajjante. They jump right into that lake, they swim, dive deeper into it. This is what we could say,
sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate- sri-krishna-sankirtanam
Sankirtana andolan, movement of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu sankirtana
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Ram, Hare Ram, Ram Ram Hare Hare
When we chant this, we are also supposed to be creating kunda, lake of ananda. Here it is referred about this lila -itidrk sva-lilabhir. But when we chant Hare Krishna as already stated,
anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam
What is the chanter supposed to be doing- sarvatma-snapanam. He drowns, he dives deeper into that ananda. Nimajyanti nimajyanti te maha anarth sagre-Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Prabodhanand Saraswati Thakur also said this. Anyway, if we keep talking like this, we will never see the end of this ashtakam. Okay we’ll just carry on, so nimajjantam-merging, entering into, becoming part of nimagna..
sva-ghosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam
tadiyesita-jnesu bhaktair jitatvam
punah prematas tam satavrtti vande
Again vande has come here. I offer vande –vandana. I worship-again namami-I offer my obeisances unto the Lord-how many times-satavriti. Avrtti means repetition. How many times- hundreds and hundreds of times-satavrtti vande and how do I do this? prematas- full of devotion-love for my Lord. I offer vandana-namaskar unto the Lord. One thing that is also mentioned –why I offer my vandana unto this Lord- bhaktair jitatvam.
Damodara becomes conquered-jitatvam. He becomes conquered. He is conquered by whom? bhaktair- by the bhaktas. Devotees conquer Him, otherwise He is unconquerable-Ajita Krisna even Ayodhya -unconquerable. No matter what kind of yudha- battle you come up with-Ayodhya the capital of Sri Ram is never conquered- unconquerable. Lord is like that but He becomes conquered by bhaktair jitatvam. Then akhyapayantam -He has become famous like this-famous for being conquered by his devotees- by His devotees’ devotion Lord is conquered. This is a statement, this Damodara Lila is making this statement. He could be conquered, He could be conquered-see how Yasoda conquered Him, arrested Him, bound Him up.
varam deva moksam na moksavadhim va
na canyam vrne ‘ham varesad apiha
No, no, I do not want, don’t give me varam, don’t give me benediction- Dev-O’ lord, do not give me benediction. moksam na moksavadhim va -anything all the way upto moksha and whatever is in between- bhuktikami, siddhi kami and this kami and that kami all the way upto mukti. There are so many kamnas all the way upto mukti. Even mukti I don’t want-moksavdhim-upto mukti. Anything from bottom all the way upto moksha, I don’t want.
na canyam -cha anyam and other similar var. Varesad-I know you are Var –ish, you are varada the giver of benediction or I know you are Varadraj- the king amongst the benedictors.
Varesad-Var-ish. But for me, I have no interest.
idam te vapur natha gopala-balam
sada me manasy avirastam kim anyaih
Oh! Gopal, Gopal-Gopalabalam-Bal Gopal- all that I want is sada-always-manasya virastam. Please stay in my mind, in my heart. Enter my mind. Let me always think of you-manmana. Let me do this,
manasy avirastam kim anyaih
All other things, I don’t care- kim anyai?-all other items I don’t care. I only want that-may Krishna be with you, may God be with you-like that we always say-so you be always with me and you be always in my mind. Let me always think of you.
idam te mukhambhojam atyanta-nilair
vrtam kuntalaih snigdha-raktais’ ca gopya
Now it is the turn of mukhambhojam – lotus face like karambhojam-lotus hand as said earlier. Now lotus face- mukhambhojam. You are mukh ambuj-you are lotus faced. Krishna is not ever trying to look for any lotus face here but maybe some of you may resemble. But your atma your spirit has. If I could see the spirit, the spirit’s face is like lotus-like father like son or like father like daughter. Why not, so many daughters are sitting here. We are all children of Krishna. So if our father is beautiful then it is also seen that if parents have beautiful features then children are also beautiful. If Krishna is beautiful then here also we must be, we are beautiful.
So Lord’s face is mukhambhojam but then he says atyanta-nilair. Well okay Krishna’s form is like that-deep bluish-Ghanshyam-ghan eva shyam. Krishna’s complexion is ghan eva- ghan is the clouds and they have to be not the clouds of the month of Kartik but of the month of rainy season. Like fresh monsoon clouds. Srila Prabhupada says –fresh monsoon clouds are loaded with lots of water drops and their density is very high then that complexion resembles Krishna’s complexion-ghan eva shyam.
atyanta-nilair vrtam kuntalaih
And that bluish face is covered, is hidden by the curly hair of you O’Bala Gopal.
snigdha-raktais’ ca gopya
muhus cumbitam bimba-raktadharam me
snigdha-raktais’ ca gopya
muhus cumbitam bimba-raktadharam me
manasy avirastam alam laksa-labhaih
So, similar earlier statements have been repeated here, that you please enter my mind. Please let me think of you O’ Lord. Now what kind of Lord- muhus cumbitam bimba-raktadharam me -something reddish. Two reddish things have been pointed here. First, the lips of the Lord which are reddish like the bimb fruit or the pomegranate seeds inside. So the Lords lips are red. Seven parts of the Lord’s body are reddish. One of them is the lips. The reddish bimb- raktadharam me and the cheeks are also reddish. There are red marks because of muhus cumbitam. Yasoda is always, doing chumban, kissing Him every now and then. She kisses her darling little boy Bala Gopal and His cheeks are very tender-not like the elderly faces. The skin on His face is not like the buffalo skin. No matter what you do with the buffalo’s skin, you bite it, it is not going to leave any impression. But the face of the Bala Gopal is so tender that even if Yasoda touches His cheeks, it seems as if will eat Him up. He is so sweet, we like to put Him in the heart. So as she kisses, His face becomes reddish-reddish cheeks and reddish lips-that is nice beauty. Beauty is enhanced. He is already beautiful but then His beauty is enhanced specially because of reddish lips. Lips get your attention. When you look at a person, first you see the eyes and lips of the person. You may see the nose, ears, hair later on. But first thing you see is the eyes and then the lips. So He wants,
manasy avirastam alam laksa-labhaih
He wants to keep the image, wants to store, preserve this. And He says, I do not care for millions of other kinds of benefits and benedictions. No, no I am not interested. Now moving along if we are allowed.
namo deva damodarananta visno
prasida prabho duhkha-jalabdhi-magnam
krpa-drsti-vrstyati-dinam batanu-
grhanesa mam ajnam edhy aksi-drsyah
So here we quickly point out that Satyavrata Muni is addressing the Lord in various ways. There are many addresses. You understand addresses like-O, aho, ye etc. are addresses to get attention. Namo is there again-I offer my obeisances, this is going on. This mood is always there. While he is saying all other things, he wants to offer obeisances constantly. He is offering obeisance to whom again.
Deva is one address-Adi Deva, Govind deva, Hari deva. O! Deva-that is one address. Damodara is another address. O! Damodara, O! Anant means unlimited. Ananta Vishno- O! Vishno- like hey Krishna karuna sindho. This is also a type of address. He is karuna sindhu but when you address, it becomes Karuna Sindho. He is dina bandhu but when you address, it becomes Dina Bandho. He is Vishnu but when you address, you say Vishno like she is Radha but when you want to address, she becomes Radhey. Radha is addressed as Radhey. Hare Krishna is also an address. Krishna Krishna-8 times and each each one is an address. There are 16 names in the maha-mantra. There each one is address. That is why it is Krishna not Krishnah. Two dots in front then it is Krishnah- the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You take away the 2 dots (visarga)-you remove them immediately-becomes O’ Krishna. So there is difference. So Hare Krishna means Hey Krishna, Hey Radhey.
prasida prabho -Prabhu here becomes Prabho- O! Prabho and another address grhanesa –esa is also an address. So these are addresses. esa is an address, Prabhu is address, Dev is address, Damodara is address, Anant is address, Vishnu is address. About by half a dozen of addresses, he is addressing. But each address has a reason- why he is saying Vishno, Damodara Anant? There are whole emotions and feelings and so there are reasons why is he addressig Lord with that particular address.
Now kripa drishti-and you are this, you are that, you are Prabhu, you are Vishnu, you are Ananta or you are Damodara. These are you, okay and what about me, look at poor me-and what kind of me.
Dukhjalabdhimagnam
Here I am drowning in the ocean of dukha- -abdhi means ocean. I am not drowning in a drop of suffering, a little lota full of suffering or a pool but in the whole of ocean. Where ever I go, I suffer. I cannot get rid of this. Where ever I go, everywhere- dukhjalabdhimagnam. I am absorbed in it and now-dinam- poor I am. But alas oh I am ajnam- on the top of all this, I am ignorant, fool. I am ignorant, fool. I am agyam, I am dinam, dukhdjalabdhimagnam. As I already said who you are, so what do I expect from such you and such kind of me-Kripadristi. Only krpa-drsti-vrstyati- -shower kripa (mercy) with your dristi-with your glance. Shower merciful glance on this wretched. edhy aksi-drsyah – let me with my eyes see such you-Ananta, Damodara, Vishnu ,Prabhu, Ish. Let me have darsana of you. Now 2 more paragraphs to go if you could tolerate.
kuveratmajau baddha-murtyaiva yadvat
tvaya mocitau bhakti-bhajau krtau ca
tatha prema-bhaktim svakam me prayaccha
na mokse graho me ‘sti damodareha
This past time also took place the same day- the day Krishna was caught white handed and He became known as Damodara because He was tied with the rope to the mortar. kuveratmajau the two sons of Kuvera.
kuveratmajau baddha-murtyaiva yadvat
You are bound up and inspite of being bound up-what you did? tvaya mocitau. You were bound up but you freed those two sons of Kuvera -Manigriva and Nalakuvara and not only you freed them but also liberated them.
bhakti-bhajau krtau ca
ou loaded them with so much bhakti bhava ,endowed them with so much devotion- so much prem for you. Yadvat-the way you dealt with those two sons of Kuvera-Satyavrata Muni says-tatha-like that- I like the way you dealt with those two sons. You liberated them but that is not big deal. You gave them so much bhakti bhava. You made them eligible-kripa patra, qualified, deserving candidate for having bhakti tatha-like that,
tatha prema-bhaktim svakam me prayaccha
Give me your bhakti, give me that kind of bhakti. Again repeating-no moksha, do not insist na mokse graho. I do not insist, not at all on this moksha business.
na mokse graho me ‘sti damodareha
O’’ Damodara-he is addressing-O’’ Damodara only give me bhakti and finally-
namas te ‘stu damne sphurad-dipti-dhamne
tvadiyodarayatha visvasya dhamne
namo radhikayai tvadiya-priyayai
namo ‘nanta-lilaya devaya tubhyam
Now namah, again you see namah is there-I offer my obeisances. So finally, he offers obeisances to 2 parties or 2 items, there are more also but in first half of this last ashtak, he offers obeisances to 2 parties. One part is- namas te ‘stu damne -let my obeisance be unto damne. What is damne?-Dam is rope and damne is unto rope. I offer my obeisance unto damne. I offer my obeisance unto damne the rope – sphurad-dipti-dhamne
Who is the abode or source of dipti-the effulgence. The rope is the abode of the effulgence-the brilliant effulgent rope. So one is dam and another is dhama. Dam is dhama, dhama of what? The rope is dhama-abode, refuge-take the shelter of, the protector etc. So to this brilliant effulgent rope, I offer my obeisance unto. This one obeisance is to the rope and other is to,
tvadiyodarayatha visvasya dhamne
I also offer my obeisance unto your uddar your belly. I want to offer my obeisance unto your belly which is uddar. I just offered my obeisance to dam-rope- Damodara, now I offer my obeisance unto uddar. One obeisance is to dam another obeisance unto uddar the belly. As rope was dhama of the effulgence, your belly is dhama- abode of visva- visvasya dhamne . Your little belly is abode of entire visva. The whole universe is within you-brahmanda like brahmanda ghat. When Yasoda says open your mouth-as Krishna opens His mouth, what was inside, the whole brahmanda. Whether that brahmand was right in the mouth or in His form or it was in the belly. Here it is said, your whole belly is the abode of the visva- the universe. And my obeisance unto uddar and that is the reason why Yashoda was finding difficulty in tying Krishna. No matter what length of the rope, she managed to get, Krishna’s belly was swelling, growing in size. Was He taking viratrupa- universal form? No the form remained the, same- maybe one foot or half meter or less big but the trouble was inside because there is the whole universe. So the rope has to be long enough to go around the universe. That is why too short-every time too short.
Okay, now 2 more obeisances are there in the last verse. It begins with obeisances and obeisances are going on and on. Now- namo radhikayai- my obeisance unto Radhika also. What kind of Radhika? tvadiya-priyayai- who was very very dear to you- tvadiya-priyayai.
namo radhikayai tvadiya-priyayai
He had to say this- Radhikayai, Vrindayai. If you have to offer obeisance to Radhika, don’t say Radhikah namah, it is incorrect. We end up saying Vrindai,Tulsidevai-all wrong. Most of the world is pronouncing it wrong. If Brahmins of south India hear us here- Vrindai, Tulsidevai-they will have no clue-what we are talking about or what we are singing. They will only think these are ignorant people or fools. They don’t know even simple things. If you have to offer obeisance unto Vrinda, then you have to say Vrindayai tulsidevyai priyayai… Why make so much effort, it is easy Vrindai, Tulsidevai. But Vrindayai tulsidevyai-takes a lot of effort and that is what the sanskrit language. The language wants you to make effort. It is not for lazy bums. Yes, like effort be conscious also. So Radhayai namah,Vrindayai namah,
vrndayai tulasi-devyai
priyayai kesavasya ca
krsna-bhakti-prade devi
satyavatyai namo namah
Devi is also an address but Devi doesn’t change. So, next time when you sing tomorrow morning sing it correctly. It is not difficult if you think you can do it, you could do. I know you can do only thing you never thought of doing it. My obeisance unto Radhe who is very dear to you.
namo ‘nanta-lilaya devaya tubhyam
My obeisance unto Devayai unto Dev who is Ananta- nanta-lilaya-performer of unlimited past times, so many past times and each past time becomes eternal. In that sense it is also ananta. There is no end and so is unlimited and that’s why this class is not coming to end. It is unlimited-no limit.
namo ‘nanta-lilaya devaya tubhyam
Okay, let us stop somewhere, so stop here and see you singing Yasoda Damodarastakam.
Damodarastakam ki ……jai.
Pune Bhagavat Katha 2017 – Day Seven – The principles of Vaishnavism (Vaishnavata ka pratik)
Bhagvata Katha 2017: Day Seven
Venue: Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, Swargate, Pune.
Date: 31 December 2017
Topic: The principles of Vaishnavism (Vaishnavata ka pratik).
jaya radha-madhava jaya kunja-bihari
jaya gopi-jana-vallabha, jaya giri-vara-dhari
jaya yashoda-nandana, jaya vraja-jana-ranjana….
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare
om namo bhagvate vasudevaya
My obeisances to Vasudev. May Lord Vasudev accept our humble obeisances. Also namsakar to all of you who are dear devotees of Lord Vasudev. Jivatam is always dear to the Lord. How dear He is to us is different, but we are always dear to the Lord and our relationship with the Lord is always there. The Lord has brought us here which is also due to His love for us. It’s His mercy that we are coming here for six days and today the strength is more. I welcome all those who have come today for the first time.
It’s said that when we become devotees of the Lord’s devotee, then we become His devotee. We are servants of His servants and that is what He likes. I am also serving you all by reciting this katha. Somethings are yet to be shared, and actually there no end to the lila and katha of the Lord.
Whatever I said was related to Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We have a very close relationship with Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu who appeared just 532 years ago. He is the latest avatar and Lord Himself. Every day we say, sri krsna caitanya radha krsna nahi anya. There is no one equal to the Lord, as He said in Gita
mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya (BG 7.7)
There is no Truth superior or equal to the Lord. There are lots of avatars of the Lord, but Sri Krsna is Lord Himself.
Lord Krsna and Caitanya Mahaprabhu both reside in Golok. Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to establish the dharma of Kaliyuga for all of us and that’s Harinama. ISKCON is Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission and it’s established to fulfil the HIs desire. It’s spreading all over the world and many people are coming together through this mission. When the devotees come together they……
mac-citta mad-gata-prana bodhayantah parasparam
kathayantas ca mam nityam tusyanti ca ramanti ca (BG 10.9)
….. discuss the lila and katha of the Lord. When we go back to our temples we will talk about it to others, that’s also bodhayantah parasparam. Prabhupada was ordered by his spiritual master, to preach in English in the West and translate the books in English. Then Prabhupada told his disciples to print books. That is all an expansion of the mission. Now preaching is continuing in more than one hundred languages.
Printed books are not just kept in godowns(storerooms) but they are distributed all over. In the month of December ISKCON devotees distribute the books on a large scale and that’s called the book marathon. In 1976 Prabhupad’s disciples distributed 7 million books. That’s 40 years ago, but now more and more books are being distributed. In the national capital region (NCR) more than 5 lakh Bhagavad-gitas have been distributed. In 1966 with the help of some English boys Prabhupada established ISKCON and it’s spreading all over. This is also expansion (vistar).
In the period of 500 BC, animals were killed in the name of Vedas. So karma kanda was going on. Then Lord Buddha appeared and established,
ahimsa paramo dharmah
If animal killing is recommended in the Vedas then we reject the Vedas. He established voidism (sunyavad). This siddhanta is not accepted by the Vedas. He wanted to stop karma kanda. Prabhupada said this siddhanta was meant only for that time. It was an emergency siddhanta. However, this siddhanta is still being followed and accepted and its expansion is going on. When Jesus came animal killing was also going on, yet one of the ten commandments in Bible states “thou shall not kill.”
Adi Sankaracarya came 1200 years back he preached jnana kanda called advaitvad. a-no, davit-two. That means that the jiva and Lord is one. That is also called nirakarvad or nirgunavad. This siddhanta ofnirakarvad is also called mayavada. In the Padma Purana, there is a famous verse wherein Siva tells Parvati that he will appear in the age of Kali as a brahmana to preach asat-sastra.
mayavadam asat-sastrampracchanam-baudham ucyate mayaiva kalpitam devim kalau brahmana rupinah.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu strictly warned all of us, mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa
“Anyone who follows the principles of Mayavada philosophy is certainly doomed. He said Lord is there and we all should worship Him.”
man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru
Always think of the Lord and become His devotee. Worship Lord and offer homage unto Lord.
But the mayavada philosophy says, brahma satyam jagan-mithya jivo brahmaiva naparah Brahman alone is real and this jagat is mithya, and the jiva is non-different from Brahman.’the Advaita philosophy,
Preaching of sunyavad was going on, then Sankaracarya came and he preached about advaitvad. Then came the acarayas of the 4 sampradayas, one after the other. All four acarayas appeared in the South and all the avatars of the Lord appeared in the North. These four sampradayas are Vaisnava sampradayas as they all serve and accept Lord Krsna, Vishnu, Ram. It is important to note that they take shelter of the Vishnu tattva and not of the demigods
1.The Sri Brahma Sampradaya whose Sampradaya Acarya is Sri Madhvacarya.
2.The Sri Laksmi Sampradaya whose Sampradaya Acarya is Sri Ramanujacarya.
3.The Sri Kumara Sampradaya whose Sampradaya Acarya is Sri Nimbarkacarya.
4. The Sri Rudra (Siva) Sampradaya whose Sampradaya Acarya is Sri Visnu Swami.
They all emphasised dvaitvad. There is a need understand all these siddhantas.
mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah
The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. We are not Lord, we are two not one.
Lord Krsna has 64 qualities and we living entities have 50 qualities. We are qualitatively same as the Lord, but quantitatively we are very small. advaitvad and dvaitvada are together. Out of the four acaryas, Madhavacarya emphasised on the two – dvaitvad, not one. He had defeated advaitvad. He preached vishista dvaita siddhanta.
Then Vishnu Swami who belongs to Kumar Sampradaya preached about dvaitadvaita siddhanta. They preached about Lord being ‘sakaar’-that means having form.
Srila Baladev Vidyabhusan wrote commentary on the Vedanta sutra which called Govind bhaiya and his siddhanta was called ‘acintyabhedabheda siddhanta’. There is a difference in the Lord and jiva . That isbhed and then there is no difference between Lord and jiva, that’s abheda.
If we get two buckets of sea water – one small and one big. They will be the same qualitatively but quantitatively different. So our relationship with the Lord is eternal.
Navadvipa jabe ami pragat hoibo tava sampradaya svikar karibo
Bhatki Vinod Thakur in his book Navadvipa parikrama khanda writes,
Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu took two special qualities of each sampradaya and then the Brahma Madhava Guadaya sampradaya was complete.
Krsna murti nitya jani tahar sevan sei ta dvitya sar jaan mahajana
These four acaryas also appeared in Gaur lila as, Sri Ramanujacarya – Ananta, Sri Visnuswami –Vallabha Bhatta, Sri Nimbarka – Keshava Kashmiri. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said,
aishwarya bhava has a lot of fear and reverence, but less love. In this bhava the devotee does not love the Lord very much. It is like a relationship between a servant and a boss.
There are two types of sadhana . 1. Vaidhi and 2. Raganuga. In raganuga bhakti there is reciprocation of love between bhakti and the Lord. Lord wanted to relish this bhava so Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared.
bhagavan more putra mora mitra mora prananath
Vatsalya. Sakhya and Madhurya are the main rasas and there is a lot of reciprocation of love between bhakta and the Lord or Lord becomes a bhakta.
panca-tattvatmakam krsnam bhakta-rupa-svarupakam
bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam namami bhakta-saktikam (CC Adi 1.14)
Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu has five features. He comes with all those five features to preach His message. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the form of a devotee, Nityananda appears in the form of a devotee’s spiritual master, Advaitacarya is the form of a bhakta (devotee) incarnation, Gadadhara Pandit is the energy of a bhakta, and Srivasa is a pure devotee.
anyadharman tiraskritya puraskritya mahotsavan
Narada muni said to Bhakti Devi, “I will establish you in every house, in everybody or every society. Mahotsavan – I will organise festivals. And with the festival as the forum, I will propagate you, establish you everywhere.
When Srila Prabhupada established ISKCON, he started many festivals like Sunday festival, first ratha yatra festival in San Francisco in 1966 in which 10,000 people participated. In a recent survey is was found that 600 Jagannatha Ratha yatras were organized.
What do the devotees do? They take up the mrdanga and sing and dance. Such festivals are going on everywhere all over the world. No festival is complete without sankirtana. Aindra Prabhu started akhanda sankirtana and now it’s going on. It was predicted that people over the world will come to Mayapur and chant Jai Sacinandan Gaur Hari.
We always say in Prabhupada’s pranam mantra gaurvani pracharini. He preached the message of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu all over the world protected and saved those who were affected by mayavadand sunyavad. We were also saved. Gaurvani closed the mouth of mayavad, sunyavad and advaitvada. We did not talk about Charvak siddhanta
“yavat jivet sukham jivet rinam kritvã dhritam pibet”
“As long as you live, live happily. Incur debt but drink ghee.
Take loans car loan, this loan that loan. Beg, borrow, steal but make sure that you live happily.
“bhasmi- bhutasya dehasya punaragamanam kutah.”
Once you die your body is destroyed, who comes again so just enjoy. There are so many follower of Charvak, mayavad, sunyavad, advaitvad. Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu rejected all this siddhanta and gave us complete knowledge. His message is for each and every person all over the world.
”This is my own and that is a stranger’ – is the calculation of the narrow-minded. For the magnanimous-hearts however, the entire earth is but a family’.
He is merciful and beyond the dualities of poor-rich, man-woman. Those who follow these dualities are narrow minded, laghucetasam. Laghu means small and Guru means heavy.
There is a Marathi phrase , he vishwachi maze ghar , which means that this world is my house and that’s also the world view of Lord. Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu made a plan so that His message reaches all over the world.
Prabhupada registered ISKCON and with its 7 objectives.
- Propagate spiritual knowledge all over.
Material knowledge is going all over. “Why are you calling us sudra? We are not Indian. Being sudra is also not bad.’ samsidhi hari tosanam’. The best secret is to please the Lord.
- Propagate Krsna Consciousness
Make Krsna the centre of our lives. As a mother sees her son’s toy and thinks of her son, our Krsna consciousness should be like that.
- Encourage the sankirtana movement
- Erect holy places of the pastimes of Lord Krsna
Prabhupada had established so many temples, gurukuls, goshala, farm houses and named them. Krsna loves cows so Prabhupada started goshala in foreign countries. Where people were gobhaksak, he made them goraksak.
- Teach a simpler and natural way of life.
However all the opposites are going on. There is high living and no thinking or low thinking. The mantra is – just do it. The effect of high living and no thinking is that mental diseases are increasing. India is also becoming number one. The President said in Delhi yesterday that 1 in 10, that’s 10% of the population is affected by mental diseases. He also warned us to be careful of the epidemic of mental diseases. It is going to come, so we need to do something.
At the malls we see the word ‘life style’ .I don’t understand what it means, I have no idea. But I say its ‘death style’. We all are suffering from diseases and from five star hotels to we are going to five star hospitals. Krsna Consciousness is the only way. There is no other way, no other way, no other way. Turn towards Krsna. Honor Krsna Prasad. Your mind also will become pure. wWe become hatever we eat. The mind does thinking, feeling and willing. So whatever we think ,like that we become. We use our senses for gratification and thus we get mentally diseased. We always have to keep our senses engaged in Krsna consciousness.
andha yathandhair upaniyamanas
Prahalad Maharaja says that blind men guided by another blind man miss the right path and fall into a ditch. Our leaders are blind and we follow them without thinking. Like sheep we follow each other and fall in a ditch.
na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum
The goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, and engage in the service of Lord Visnu.
The leader is the one who takes us to our goal, but today’s leaders don’t know about the goal. During Prabhupada’s time, the leaders were engaged in freedom work. Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur said that it was not needed. Here in katha we are distributing books. Harinama preaching is going all over and when we hear the harinama, our mind becomes pure and high thoughts come to our mind. And we just fulfil our basic needs. In China it was written – after you work spend time with us – which means earn full day and then spend money in our malls. Cheating is going on all over. Maya is cheating, Kaliyuga is cheating us. We are become follower of Kali-kalirchela.
All these members and even others addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power.
These are the names of different countries all over, Kirat-Bihar, Huna-germany, Yavan means turkey like that. People there will accept Krsna consciousness and become pure. Prabhupada did that. He circled the globe fourteen times. So the world is becoming pure. The 4 regulative principles. where
dyutam panam striyah suna yatradharmas catur-vidhah
The personality of Kali was given permission to live in four places – the place of gambling, the place of prostitution, the place of drinking and the place of animal slaughter.
Meat eating destroys daya (compassion). daya dharma ka mula hai. Somebody said that we are making our stomach a graveyard, eating all sort of animals and then we ask for peace or santi. Fighting is going on everywhere and that’s also due to eating meat. Gambling and mental speculation destroys Satya (Truthfulness). Intoxication destroys Tapa (Austerity)
Lord Rsabhadeva told His sons: One should engage in penance and austerity to attain the divine position of devotional service. By such activity, one’s heart is purified, and when one attains this position, he attains eternal, blissful life, which is transcendental to material happiness and which continues forever.
Illicit Sex destroys saucha (Purity). In 1966 Prabhupada asked his followers if they were ready to follow the 4 regulative principles and to our surprise, all the boys and girls said, “Yes Swamiji, we are ready.”
One who follows these 4 rules, all the 4 pillars of dharma becomes strong and dharma gets established.
Todays is a special day. Everyone is waiting for the new year, parties going on all in Pune. This is also our party. We have gathered here today to chant and dance and welcome the new year. We are hearing katha and lila of the Lord.
Do you all want to be happy in the new year. Happy new year to all of you! How can we be happy? Chant Hare Krsna and be happy.
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare
Everyday chant the holy name, those who are not chanting can make sankalpa today that we will chant the holy name every day in the New Year. Thank you.
Nitai Gaura Premanande…..Hari Hari Haribol.
Pune Bhagavat Katha – Day Six – The definition of Bhakti rasa
Bhagavat Katha 2017: Day Six
Venue: Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, Swargate, Pune.
Date: 30 December 2017
Topic: The definition of Bhakti rasa (Bhakti rasa ki paribhasa)
sri krsna caitanya radha krsna nahi anya.
We are remembering Caitanya Mahaprabhu, His associates and His different Lilas. Sometimes the basis of the katha becomes Bhagavad-gita, sometimes Srimad-Bhagvatam and sometimes Caitanya Caritamrita, Caitanya Bhagavat. Our discussions are based on these books. There is just one day left of this Bhagavat katha. Is that good news? You must be counting the days as to when the katha will be over. You will be free. How many of you would like the katha to continue? Haribol. Your ruci for this katha is increasing and that means that the ruci for the Lord is increasing. Katha is Lord, Lila is Lord.
visvaksena-kathasu yah
notpadayed yadi ratim
srama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8)
Everything we do is useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead. What do we get from katha? Someone asked, “What will we get from chanting?” More chanting. So when you hear katha you will feel like hearing more katha.
mac-citta mad-gata-prana bodhayantah parasparam
kathayantas ca mam nityamtusyanti ca ramanti ca (BG 10.9)
Pure devotees, whose characteristics are mentioned here, engage themselves fully in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Their minds cannot be diverted from the lotus feet of Krsna. Their talks are solely on the transcendental subjects. They are daily engaged in glorifying the pastimes of the Supreme Lord. Their hearts and souls are constantly submerged in Krsna, and they take pleasure in discussing Him with other devotees.
radha-krishna prana mora jugala-kisora jivane marane gati aro nahi mora
The divine couple, Sri Sri Radha and Krsna, are the life and soul of the devotees. They are their only shelter and they are always satisfied in the Lord. Everywhere people are dissatisfied, because whatever they achieve in this material world is not for the soul. There is lobha (greed) all over, that brings about dissatisfaction. We have to satisfy our soul then we will become atmaram (self satisfied) . Katha is Krsna and katha is for the soul. Hear katha with all your heart and meditate on the topic of the katha. Then you will be satisfied and happy.
Raise your both arms while you take Lord Gauranga’s name and dance
gauranga bhajile gauranga japile hoy duh?khera abasana re
Today is the sixth session. We welcome all of you – susvagatam.
yesha krsna ratih sthayi bhavo bhakti raso bhavet (Nectar of devotion 2.1.5)
Krsna rati or rasa of bhakti bhava . Bhakti-rasa is a mellow different from the ordinary rasa enjoyed by mundane workers. I am trying to talk about the bhakti rasa as presented by the sad- goswami’s of Vrndavana.
There are two types of rasas (mellows) of devotion.
The five primary rasas (santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya. They are the main rasas. There are seven secondary types of rasas known as Hasya (humourous mood), Adbhuta (astonishment), Veera (chivalrous mood), Karuna (compassionate mood), Raudra (angry mood), Bhayanaka (mood of awe and dread) and Vibhasta (ghastliness).
The loving dealings and reciprocation and relations between the Lord and the living entities is rasa. We all have a relationship with the Lord. With sambandha jnana, dharma begins. One is isvarya jnana misra rati and other is kevala rati. Isvarya rati means the Lord is great and we are small. In this bhava, the jiva remains away from the Lord. It’s based mainly on isvarya jnana of the Lord. Kevala rati means pure devotion.
An example of santa rasa is the 4 Kumaras. Once they were situated in santa rasa, but once while on yatra of Vaikuntha they smelt the tulsi at the Lotus Feet of the Lord.
In Vrndavana there is sakhya bhava. There is also sakhya bhava in Dwaraka and Vaikuntha but its mixed with isvarya bhava. We can see vatsalya bhava in Mathura. Vasudev and Devaki gave birth to a child and they are offering obeisances to their child. This is also vatsalya bhava.
gopala gopala devakinandana gopala
yasomati-nandana, braja-baro-nagara, gokula-ranjana kana
There is a difference between vatsalya and sakhya bhava. The vatsalya, sakhya and madhurya bhava in Goloka dhama is supreme. We will see there is a difference in the madhurya bhava also. The madhuryain Golok is supreme. There is madhurya, sakhya in Dwaraka, but its level is different. They are good at their respective places, but there is a difference on the divine level in love. Good, better and best like that. So this is rasa sastra.
parakiya-bhave jaha brajetepracar
The mellow of conjugal love is the most excellent of all rasas and is propagated in Vraja by Sri Krsna in the form of the divine parakiya-bhava [paramour love]. The conjugal relations are also there in Dwaraka with the Queens, but it is svakiya bhava. In Vrndavana however it is the supreme parakiya bhava. The conjugal mellow decreases in Vaikuntha. There is madhurya rasa between Laxmi and Narayana, but its at a lower degree than Vrndavana and Dwaraka.
mata more putra bhave karena bandhan atihina jnane kare lalan palan
This is the vatsalya bhava of Vrndavana. “Sometimes mother ties me to the mortar out of love.”
bandha ukhadala yalaha ukhadala nanda ghar cha chor (Marathi)
This does not happen in Vaikuntha. Who can think of punishing the Lord? That only happens in Vrndavana.
madhurya rase krsna nista
Krsna is mine, He is my Krsna-this is mamta. Krsna is mine, and I am His, Can you say that? Yes, we all belong to Krsna. This is determination and service. In vatsalya bhava, sometimes devotees’ think that they are the caretakers of the Lord. This bhava is also there between the Lord and His devotees.
priya yadi mane karaya …
Sometimes Radha and the gopis do not talk to Krsna, they say bad words to Him, and do not even look at him. This is a higher mellow.
We keep saying prema, Krsna prema. How to reach from sraddha to prema?
adau sraddha tatah sadhu- sango ’tha bhajana-kriya
tato ’nartha-nivrttih syat tato nistha rucis tatah (CC Madya 23.14.15)
adau sradhha is faith. Everything begins with faith. Then we have sadhu sanga like you all are here for katha. Bhajan kriya is then taught. We follow kriya and then comes anartha nivrutti. We get rid of all papa vasana (kama, krodha..). One is freed from all unwanted habits and becomes firmly fixed in devotional service. We become nistavan, we were sraddhavan now we have become nistavan and that stage is irreversible. From there we move forward. Ruci in the Lord’s holy name increases and then we develop asakti. Thereafter, one develops taste and attachment. This is the way of sadhana-bhakti, the execution of devotional service according to the regulative principles.
Then bhava arises in us-santa, dasya, sakhya, madhurya, vatsalya. Bhava is the prior stage of prema. Just as we see a little light before sunrise, that’s bhava. When the sun rises it is prema. When premabecomes more solid is called sneha. When we boil sugarcane, it becomes jaggery and then when you boil it further, there is more purification. You get solidified sugar. When sneha becomes more solid it is mana, pranaya then raga, bhava and mahabhava.
Radharani is Mahabhava Thakurani Radha. These are all the rasas of the spiritual world. Each one of us has an eternal relationship with the Lord with Him in the centre. The relationships of this world are temporary. Kya bharosa isi jindagi ka. It is just for some time. We study some books, but we don’t learn anything.There is so much knowledge, but we don’t read
maya-mugdha jivera nahi svatah krsna-jñana: jivere krpaya kaila krsna veda-purana.
Who will read Gita, Bhagavad and Caitanya Caritamrita?
There is one brahmanda/universe and at the bottom is Garbhodakshayi Vishnu. From His umbilical comes a lotus and on the lotus is Brahma. Once he said
iti shodasakam namnam, kali-kalmasha-nasanam;
natah parataropayah, sarva-vedeshu drisyate.
Lord Brahma said, the sixteen words, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare; Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, are especially meant for completely destroying all the contamination of Kali. To save oneself from the contamination of Kali-yuga, there is no alternative in all the Vedas except the chanting of this sixteen-word mantra. So the best you can do in Kaliyuga is chant the holy name.
The 10 topics of Bhagavatam
Sarga – Primary creation by the Lord.
Upasarga – secondary creation by Brahma. He is empowered by the Lord. He is not just the secondary creator, but he is the first acarya of our sampradaya. He is on the top. He is jnavan.
In the Brahmanda and coming from the stem of the lotus from Garbhodakshayi Vishnu are the 14 planetary systems. In between, there is Earth, which we call Bhurloka. At the equator below the earth is Atal Loka; Vital Loka; Sutal Loka; Talatal Loka; Mahatal Loka;Rasatal Loka; Patal Loka.
urdhvam gachchhanti sattva-stha madhye tishthanti rajasah
jaghanya-guna-v?itti-sth? adho gachchhanti tamasah
Those situated in the mode of goodness rise upward; those in the mode of passion stay in the middle; and those in the mode of ignorance go downward.
Srimad-Bhagavatam has wonderfully described the hellish planets or narkaloka. When Parikshit Maharaja heard it, he was scared. We can ask who has seen narka, but we cannot hide from it. Above that there are Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka and
a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino ‘rjuna
One who attains to Lord’s abode, never takes birth again. But from heavenly planets one has to return.
ksine punye martya-lokam visanti (BG 9.21)
One who is promoted to those higher planetary systems enjoy a longer duration of life and better facilities for sense enjoyment, yet one is not allowed to stay there forever. One is again sent back to this earthly planet upon finishing the resultant fruits of pious activities. You even reach Svarga loka but you can’t always remain there. Once your pious deeds are over, you have to come back to Pune, back to square one. Krsna says this and you have to follow it.
There are antakoti brahmas and our brahma is the smallest. He has four heads. As the size increases, the number of Brahma’s heads also increases, 5 heads, 6 heads…. The universe is in the shape of an egg. Prabhupada would say that it is shaped is like a football and we are inside it and it has a cover. Each universe has a very thick cover. Ksirodaksayi Vishnu resides in our hearts.
isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese ‘rjuna tisthati (BG 18.61)
The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart. It’s not that He only resides in the heart of Indians, but in everyones’ heart, including he hearts of animals.
vidya-vinaya-sampanne brahmane gavi hastini
suni caiva sva-pake ca panditah sama-darsinah
The humble sage/pandit, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater (outcaste)
Katha-Upanisad states that in our heart there is a tree and on that tree there are two birds – one is jivatma and other is Ksirodaksayi Vishnu (parmatma).
There is the Viraja River on which Karanodakshayi Vishnu lies down. From him comes the various universes. Once we cross the Viraja River, we face the brahma jyoti – effulgence coming from Lords body.
koti surya samaprabha – The Lord is as lustrous as a million suns.
vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jñanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate (SB 1.2.11)
Lord is the source of Brahman, Paramatma and
goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhuto
Lord Krsna resides in Golok. Then there is Devi dhama, Mahesh dhama, Hari dhama, Vaikuntha dhama. These are all spiritual kingdoms. The brahmandas are the material kingdoms of the Lord. Lord Siva stays in Mahesh loka.Then there is isvaraya dhama. That’s Vaikuntha. Laxmi and Narayan reside there.
We are jiva tattva. All the Lords are Vishnu tattva. Siva is neither jiva nor Vishnu tattva. Brahma Sahmita says that if the Lord is milk, then Siva is curd. He has his different tattva. From Krsna comes Balarama, from Balarama Sankarsana, then Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Narayana and then the purusa-avataras–Maha-Visnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu and Ksirodakasayi Visnu.Mahavisnu.
Eka pada vibhuti is Devi dhama. That is the material world and tripada vibhuti is the spiritual world. As we move above Vaikuntha, we get Ayodhya dhama and Golok dhama. In Golok dhama is Dwaraka, Mathura, Navadvipa and Vrndavana. There are two parts in Golok.
ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau (CC Adii 1.5)
Although Radha and Krsna are one in Their identity, They separated Themselves eternally. Now these two transcendental identities have again united, in the form of Sri Krsna Caitanya.
The place where Radha Krsna lila takes place is Vrndavana. Where there is Gauranga, it is Navadvipa. Both are Golok.
caitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caikyam aptam (CC Adi 1.5)
Radha and Krsna are two different personalities then they become one. That’s Gauranga Mahaprabhu who stays at Navadvipa dhama. Krsna and Radha’s pastimes were taking place in Golok, but once He developed a desire to taste the bhava of Radharani so Radha and Krsna become one as Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Names of Radha Krsna are wealth. There is a locker in Golok dhama where the jewel of Harinama is kept. Five hundred years ago Caitanya Mahaprabhu came and opened the locker and brought that mahamantra for all of us. That’s why he is called the most merciful, udara, mahavadanyaya.
vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
By all the Vedas am I to be known
This is all sastra. If we can’t see, then we need to get operated on and the ointment of knowledge has to administered.
om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
cakshur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah
The acarya or the spiritual master, opens our eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the torchlight of knowledge.
cakhu-dan dilo jei, janme janme prabhu sei divya-jnana hrde prokasito
The acarya opens our darkened eyes and fills our heart with transcendental knowledge. So divine knowledge is given to us by the Gaudiya Vaisnava acaraya. A lot of knowledge is being distributed all over and that work is done by ISKCON.
Krishna Govind Govind Gopal Nandalal..singing the glories of Krsna
Jai jai yasoda dulal girivardhari gopal
Nitai Gaura Premanande…..Hari Hari Haribol.
Pune Bhagavat Katha 2017 – Day Five – The history of Gaudiya Vaisanava parampara
Bhagavata Katha 2017: Day Five
Venue: Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, Swargate, Pune.
Date: 29 December 2017
Topic: The history of Gaudiya Vaisanava parampara (Gaudiya Vaisnava dhara)
I welcome you all for the fifth session of Srimad-Bhagavatm katha. Today is Vaikuntha Ekadasi. She takes us towards the Lord. If you take darsana of Sri Sri Radha Vrndavana Chandra today, then your seat in Vaikuntha dhama is reserved.
It is also Mr. Malhotra’s birthday. (supporter and donor). I always meet Mr Malhotra whenever I come to Pune and also during katha. I had met him first in 1975, so this year is the 42 anniversary of our meeting. He is a special citizen of Pune. He is a devotee of Krsna, but I would say that he is first a devotee of Srila Prabhupada. He voice was choked up when he was talking about Srila Prabhupada. Thank you Malhotraji, you have understood Prabhupada and his mission. You have dedicated your life to Prabhupada’s mission.
I remember one greater supporter of ISKCON in Mumbai. We were staying on Hare Krsna land as brahmacaris . Mr Sethi built quarters for us. Prabhupada said to Mr Sethi that the Lord has already made a house for him in Vaikuntha. So like that Malhotraji’s seat is also confirmed in Vaikuntha.
We were saying yesterday…
paropakaram vahanti nadya, paropakaram duhanti gaaya
paropakaram phalanti vriksha, paropakaram idam shareeram
Which means: “Rivers flow for Paropkar, Cows give milk for Paropkar, Trees bear fruits for Paropkar, similarly this body is also meant for Paropkar”
It’s also said, Kirtir yasya sa jivati: “Anyone who is reputed for his good activities, lives forever. In Marathi we have a phrase, marave pari kirti rupe urave You may die, but you must continue to live through your deeds. As we have become human beings, we should perfect our life.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu said,
Bharata-bhumite haila manu?ya-janma yara, janma
Srila Prabhupada also did para-upakara. He is Bharat Ratna. He had realized what the wealth of India is. We should also realize it. When we go to foreign countries, people ask where are you from? And we say India. Oh! That beggar’s country, people go to other countries only to ask for something, for begging, so we became popular as beggar’s. But Prabhupada went to give, not to receive anything.
One reporter asked to Prabhupada, “Swami ji why did you come to England? Prabhupada said, “Oh! You also had come? You looted our country. You took away the Kohinoor jewel and many things, but you forgot to bring the real treasure. And that’s Lord Krsna. I have come to do a home delivery of the wealth of our country to you.
How does person become wealthy? By becoming Krsna conscious.
Lord is with you, realize this fact. Increase your faith. Lord Krsna, Gita and Bhagvad are the wealth of our country. The culture of ancient India is the wealth of India. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said it,
Oh! Lord only you and your name is absolute truth.
Realize everything exists. Lord exists. His dhama exists. The song Krsna jinka naam hai, yasoda kini maiya hai, nanda ji bapaiya hai….everything exists. The asters believe that Lord comes from His dhama and everything exists there. For four days now we are hearing about Caitanya Mahaprabhu
sri-krsna-caitanya radha-krsna nahi anya
Caitanya Mahaprabhu is non-different from Radha Krsna.When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu came from His dhama, He appeared and on His first birthday many people brought gifts for Him, but He also brought the gift of the Holy name for all of us.
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare
This is the true wealth of our country. Prabhupada said to the reporter, “I have come to deliver this wealth to you all.” They had come to India and they had conquered us. We were a dependent country. But Prabhupada went to the West and now many English men have surrendered to Lord Krsna.
San Francisco was the capital of the hippies. Where ever the hippies were, Prabhupada went there and gave them the gift of harinama and made them happies. And he would proudly say, “They were hippies now they have become happies.” We are very fortunate to be born in India.
brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva” or “guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija”
According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe” We were also going round and round in 84 lakh different species, round and round, up and down. But enough of it! Happy, happy we shall be when we learn our A,B,C. That’s chanting of the Holy name. Hare Krsna is ABC or Bhagavad-gita is ABC. Prabhupada saved us.
There is a song, yadi Prabhupada na hoite. We would be here, but somewhere else. I would have become an engineer because that is what my family wanted. Prabhupada ordered me to start the padayatra dindi program and I sat in a bullock cart. It started from Dwaraka and we were going to Kolapur. I went to my village with this padayatra. My family had dreamt that I would come back to the village on a motor cycle (fatfati), but I returned on a bullock cart. Prabhupada made me sit in a bullock cart. I was back to square one, as I was born near the bullock cart. I was very happy. If Prabhupada was not there, then today’s katha would also not take place.
namaste saraswati deve gaura-vani-pracharine nirvishesha-shunyavadi pashchatya-desha-tarine
Prabhupada preached about Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu all over the world, he preached about Gauravani, his teachings his Caritra.
How would people understand the glories of Radharani if Caitanya Mahaprabhu would not be there? How many people would understand Krsna and Radha prem? He is also called prem purusottam. Like Sri Ram is maryada purusottam, Jagannath is also called purusottam. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is prem purusottam. He taught love, Krsna preme dharma to the people. The reciprocation between the jiva and the Lord is called prem dharma. The dharma of jiva is called jiva dharma. They have different names.
Dasya prem, sakhya prem, Madhurya prem, vastsalya, no karma kanda. By the karma kandas one can receive artha (wealth). sukh sampati ghar aave kasta mite tan ka – this dharma, this prayer is not a pure prayer. Few parts are fine, but this is a business transaction, not pure love bhukti, mukti, siddhi kami sakale asanta.
Lord Narsimha told Prahlad Maharaja to ask for any benediction. Sri Prahlad Maharaja said, “na sa bhrtyah sa vai vanik — one who does business with Krsna is a merchant, not a servant [SB. 7.10.4]. That person is not your real devotee, he is businessman.” asha-pasha-shatair baddah, driven by material desires materialist people accumulate money. They go to other Demigods. Prahlad Maharaja says such a person is not your devotee.
Caitaanya Mahaprabhu is the Lord Himself and He did all the correction / reformation in the dharma, that were lost by the power of time.
sa kaleneha mahata yogo nastah parantapa
Loving dealings between Lord and His devotees is bhakti. He taught bhakti to the whole world. He had come with His team. His team was practising sadhana and also distributing bhakti to everyone. Caitanya Mahaprabhu came and taught us sanatana dharma. Prabhupada become the founder acarya of ISKCON. He always said, “Try to understand the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu or Krsna consciousness.” Some understood, many did not. Giving Krsna and making them Krsna consciousness is the Lord’s mission. The ultimate goal is making people Krsna conscious.
Today is Vaikuntha ekadasi and those who come for darsana of Lord Balaji deserve Vaikuntha. Prabhupada would say they become eligible to go back home, back to Godhead. Why does the Lord come? He actually comes to take us back home. “Please come home.”
Lord said to Arjua, I will tell now the most confidential thing,
man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaisyasi satyam te pratijane priyo ‘si me
Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.
Prabhupada spoke about 4 regulative principles. When in ISKCON we talk of 4 regulative principles, No meat eating, no intoxication, no illicit sex and no gambling. These principles Prabhupada gave to his disciples. There are many types of gambling, it also means mano dharma. When people say, I think, that is actually mental speculation. Mental speculation is also gambling. So kali stays at these four places.
dyutam panam striyah suna yatradharmas catur-vidhah
So there should not be mental speculation. Prabhupada named the Gita, Bhagvad-gita As It Is. Prabhupada always said, “Let the Lord speak, for Himself. You! Shut up. It’s the Lord’s song, Bhagavad-geet. We all should support what the Lord says. If we reject what the Lord says, that’s cheating.
So the Lord says, always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. You will have Lord’s realization. You will have darsana of the Lord. We can have darsana of the Lord with these eyes. But once a devotee lives his body, there is no birth again this is one thing. And other thing is he goes to the Lords abode.
tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti
The purpose of the Lord’s coming to this world is to take us back. yah karsati iti krsnah. In Krsna there are two words, Krs means all attractive and na which means bliss. So Krsna attracts the living entity and fills him with happiness. He wants the jiva to come back home.
Tukaram Maharaja said, “ami jato amcha gava amcha rama rama ghyava.” The people of Dehu said, Oh! Your village is just a few kilometers. Tukaram Maharaj understood our real village is the Lord’s abode. The Lord is our father, mother, our everything. aham bija-pradah pita– I am the seed-giving father.(BG14.4)
Prabhupada stressed a lot on this concept of going back to Godhead. So in 1944 Prabhupada published his magazine and named it Back to Godhead. The magazine is distributed all over the world in many different languages. Such was Prabhupada, our leader. Nita, ni means one who leads us, one who takes us somewhere. Actually the real and original leader is the Lord, and those acaryas who follow the words of the Lord are also real leaders. The political leaders take us from gali (street) to Delhi. But an acarya like Prabhupada said chalo Vaikuntha.
Lord is a personality and we have an eternal relationship with the Lord. Once we return to the Lord’s abode then there is real life. There is no dead matter. Earth, water, fire, ether not even a particle of any of these is in the Lord’s abode.
Brahma described Lords abodes as,
cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa- laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam
laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-
All desire come true there and there are kalpa vruksha- desire tree in Lords abode, His abode is built with spiritual gems. There are cows, so it’s also called Golok. He is cowherd boy, what does He do? His bussiness is herding the cows. (BS. 5.29)
Sounds very simple. This is ancient culture of India. The cow is so useful. According to our culture, agrarian economy is the best economy. Lord said in Gita annad bhavanti bhutani. Prabhupada would say, “Our basic need is food because we have a human body. So that comes from the field. But the Industrial economy started in foreign countries is causing destruction of our country, climatic conditions are being changed, everywhere there is pollution. No air to breathe. There is a lot of suffocation and diseases are increasing. There is no progress, the earth has developed a fever, the temperature of earth has increased.”
According to sastra there are two types of diseases. Adhi- mental diseases and vyadhi- bodily diseases. Nowadays mental diseases are increasing. Stress and depression is increasing. 2 out of 5 Americans are fit to be admitted to a mental hospital. The global survey data states –America is the sickest country of the world. It’s the land of opportunity, but it is also the sickest country. When I heard this, I was not surprised. Because bhoga gives rise to roga. America is a bhogi country so there are lot of rogis, that’s not surprising. Enjoy, become bhogi. Lord said to Arjuna that he should become a yogi. But in material world it’s all the opposite. So a country which is full of opportunities is a sick country.
As today is ekadashi we will sing abhanga of Tukaram Maharaj..Govinda..Govinda.When we go to Balaji, everyone there says Govinda..Govinda..Govinda.
From Dehu, Tukaram Maharaj went directly to Vaikuntha. There was no airlines or airport there at that time. Lord sent His vaikuntha plane and took Tukaram Maharaj back to Godhead.
muukam karoti vaacaalam panggum langghayate girim
yat-krpaa tamaham vande param-aananda maadhavam
The history of Gaudiya Vaisanava parampara (Gaudiya Vaisnava dhara) is today’s topic
nitya krsna-carane unmukha ‘krsna-parisada’ nama, bhuñje seva-sukha (CC Madhya lila 22.11)
Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s associates/ parshad are nitya mukta and they are eternally enjoying the transcendental bliss of serving Krsna. Also the acarya who appeared before and after Caitanya Mahaprabhu are also nitya mukta. As the Lord takes Avatar, like that devotees also take avatar, actually it’s not called avatar. They glide down or come down to this world. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said once to a brahman in Mathura.
dharma sthapan hetu sadhur vevahar
Whatever a sadhu does, is to establish dharma. Lord is always present, but there are two types of lilas – pragat lila and apragat lila. In pragat lila, Lord appears and gives darsana. Sri Ram remained on this earth for 11, 000 years. Sri Krsna was in this world for 125 years in Vrndavana. That’s pragat lila and Caitanya Mahaprabhu did lila for 48 years. When the Lilas are not going on that time the acarya keep on preaching and establishes dharma. Protecting dharma and the saintly people.
paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge (BG 4.8)
People take shelter of dharma, they become dharmic. Dharmo rakshiti rakshitah – one who protects dharma, dharma protect them. There is need of dharma for humans, if we accept dharma then only we are humans otherwise we are like animals.
ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam cha samanam etat pashubhir naranam
dharmo hi tesham adhiko vishesho dharmena hInah pashubhih samanah
Common activities between man and animals are eating, mating, sleeping and defending. This goes on, but we actually become humans if we follow dharma or we will be pasuvat, be like animals. Dharma is the only special thing, without dharma humans are also animals. So Lord makes the arrangements, He comes down to this material world. Sometimes He comes alone, like Narasimha Bhagavan. He came alone or brings His associates like in, Ram lila, Krsna and Caitanya lila. Yasoda, Devaki became Lord’s mother in different avatars and yugas. Again Yasoda become Sacimata in Caitanya Lila. Jagannatha Mishra is Nanda baba, Dasaratha, Vasudev.
Gadadhar pandit is Vishnu tattva. So not only Krsna came but in the form of Gadadhar pandit Radharani also came. Narada Muni became Srivasa Pandit. Visvarupa, Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s brother was Lord Sankarsana. Navadvipa dhama, His dhama also took avatar. Mayapur dhama, Vrndavana dhama are cintamanii dhama, eternal and divine.
There will be annihilation, but Vrndavan dhama will be as it is. So whenever the Lord comes, He always comes in His dhama. All those dhamas are also avatars of Golok dhama.
Vishnupriya is Bhu-sakti, Jagadananda Pandit was Satyabhama. This is also a special. Those who were females or gopis in Krsna Lila take up the male form in Caitanya lila. Jagadananda Pandit was a male in Caitanya lila, but in Krsna lila he was Satyabhama. Janava mata was Revati. She was the consort of Nityananda Prabhu. Murari Gupta was Hanuman. Haridas Thakur was Brahma. He was given the name Namacharya Hari das Thakur. He was catur mukha Brahma, first acarya of our sampradaya. Brahma appeared and took chanting beads and started chanting.
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare
Nilambar Chakravarty was Garga Muni, the grandfather of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He did the name giving ceremony of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and named Him Vishvambhar. As he had done in Krsna lila.
Vrndavan Das Thakur who wrote Caitanya Bhagavad is Vedavyasa. Veda is apaurushya. It can’t be written. Initially vedas were in sruti form. There was no printing, no books. Students would hear and fix it in their heart and they were called sruti dhara. They would not forget. But for people of Kaliyuga Vyasadev wrote the sastras, but actually it was written by the Lord.
We come in Brahma, Narada, Vyasa, Madhava, Jaya Tirtha, Brahmanya tirtha, Vyasa Tirtha, Laxmipati, Madhavendra Puri.
The first Gaudiya acarya is Madhavendra Puri. He comes in the same parampara as Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Lord Himself appears as Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Madhavendra Puri sets the scene before the Lord’s appearance. He also comes in Madhavcarya sampradaya, but with a little change in dimensions. He realized prema dharma and also kaiyuga’s dharma is nama sankirtana. He preached about it. He was preparing for Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s arrival. He had that type of pure bhava.
krsna yadi prthivite karena avatara
prathame karena guru-vargera sañcara (CC Adi Lila 3.93)
If the Lord wants to come down he first sends acaryas to establish spiritual masters. So our Gaudiya sampradaya starts with Madhevendra Puri. He had a lot of realizations during his Govardhana parikrama, near the bank of Govind-kunda. He had darsana of the Lord. He never asked for food. He would only eat if given food otherwise he would remain hungry. One such day he was hungry, busy chanting and Lord Krsna came to give him a milk pot.
So such different pastimes are explained of each acarya.
jaya sri madhavapuri krsna-prema-pura, bhakti-kalpatarura tenho prathama ankura (Cc Adi 9.10)
All glories to Sri Madhavendra Puri, the storehouse of all devotional service unto Krsna! He is a desire tree of devotional service, and it is in him that the seed of devotional service first fructified. Madhavendra puri is a big name, a big personality, his teachings.
Once the Lord came to his dream and told him, “I am hidden in thorny bushes out of fear of yavanas.” That was the situation during those days in Vrndavan. Out of fear the Deities Radha Govind, Radha Vinod, Radha Damodar were being moved out of Vrndavana or hidden. He removed one such Deity of Gopal at the base of Govardhana.
Then again the Lord came to his dream and said, “I am feeling hot. Bring chandan for Me.” On the way to Jagannatha Puri, he visits Shantipur and initiates Advaitacaraya. Then he goes to Remuna, waits at the Gopinath temple. The Gopinatha Deity there stole kheer for Madhavendra puri, so that Gopinath was named as ksira chora gopinath.
ayi dina-dayardra natha he mathura-natha kadavalokyase
hrdayam tvad-aloka-kataram dayita bhramyati kim karomy aham (C.C MadhyaLila 4.197)
“O My Lord! O most merciful master! O master of Mathura! When shall I see You again? Because of My not seeing You, My agitated heart has become unsteady. O most beloved one, what shall I do now?”
This is his one verse which is mentioned in Caitanya Caritamrita. He has expressed his humility.
Nityananda Prabhu is Balaram.
vrajendra-nandana jei, saci-suta hoilo sei, balarama hoilo nitai
Balaram become Nityananda 500 years back. He got initiated by Madhavendra puri. Then Advaitacarya who is Mahavishnu, one tattva amongst the pancha tattva, he came before Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself.
That time adharma was spreading allover and increasing, so he thought now it’s time for the Lord to come. He stayed at Shantipur. He offered tulsi and Ganga water to Saligrama Sila and called the Lord who came in form of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Isvara Puri was also a disciple of Madhavendra Puri. Isvara Puri met Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Gaya and there he initiated Caitanya Mahaprabhu and became his disciple. Caitanya dhoba is a place in Bengal, the birth place of Isvara Puri. We had gone there while in padayatra. Caitanya Mahaprabhu had also gone to the birthplace of his spiritual master. He had brought a little mud from there and every day he honored it as prasada. People also followed this and because of that there is a big pond there now. He relished conjugal mellows. May such a Caitanya Mahaprabhu appear in your hearts. In a nutshell Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings
aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam
ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena va kalpita
srimad bhagavatam pramanam amalam prema pum-artho mahan
sri-caitanya mahaprabhor matam idam tatradarah na parah
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna, the son of Nanda Maharaja, is worshipped along with His transcendental abode Vrndavana. The most pleasing form of worship for the Lord is that which was performed by the gopis of Vrndavana. Srimad- Bhagavatam is the spotless authority on everything and pure love of Godhead is the ultimate goal of life for all men
Generally Hindu dharma means –kama, artha, moksha that’s all, all mixture and there goal is just heaven. When a Hindu dies its written on his photo svargiya or Brahmalina nobody writes Golokvasi or Vaikunthavasi. Nobody must be going there, that’s why. Vaikuntha or Golok is not their goal. They don’t know what’s the difference between heaven and Vaikuntha. Mukti does not take to Vaikuntha but bhakti/ devotional service takes us to Vaikuntha.
Nitya-lila-pravista Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ki …..jai. The acarayas have to be remembered always.
prema pum-artho mahan, Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught pure devotion. Bhakta is mukta but mukta is not bhakta.
A team of six goswamis were send to Vrndavana. This team was from Golok, one who reaches Lords abode never comes back to Pune. Sanatan Goswami is Lavanga Manjari or Rati Manjari There are gopis, manjaris, so few gopis and manjaris came with the Lord. In Caitanya lila a few gopis and manjaris have taken the male form and relished devotional services and also wrote different books There is no end to the list of the books written by them. Rupa Goswami wrote different books and built Radha Govindev temple. It was a 7 story tall, but Aurangzeb destroyed few stories and now we have just 4 stories.
Narottama das Thakur preached in Bengal. Vishwanath Chakrawarty Thaukur is Vinod Manjari. He also wrote many books. Once he was the protector of Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya. He appeared in the 17 century.
Baladev Vidyabhushan was disciple of Vishawanath Chakrawarty Thaukur. He wrote Govind bhasya infact Lord made him write. He also wrote many books.
Bhakti Vinod Thakur appeared in 18 century. He was setting the scene for ISKCON. Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur is his son. Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur was the spiritual master of Prabhupada. Bhakti Vinod Thakur was a district magistrate. He established deity worship process in Jagannatha Puri. He searched for the birth place of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. That’s yogapith at Mayapur. Out of the 9 islands in Navadvipa, his house is in Godrumdvipa. He served Gaur Gadhadhar. His son establsihed 64 gaudiya matha and out of them are outside of India. He ordered Prabhupada, “You look intelligent. Preach in English in the West.” Prabhupada went to the West, devaduta in Jaladuta and in 1966 he established ISKCON in New York. We say he was alone, but the Lord was always with him. He only had 40 rupees and in New York a person can’t live for 40 seconds on 40 rupees. So in America he was penniless. He did not know where to turn. No one to welcome him, no taxi, no hotel booking. He had Bhagavad with him. And which wealth?
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare
Now a full movie is made on his life. Our president released it in Delhi and he said Prabhupada is the ambassador of the spiritual world. He glorified Prabhupada. It was shown in many theaters. Did any see that movie? Haribol, many hands are up. Actually we are never in favor of watching movies but this is one movie all should see. We will talk about Gaudiya Vaisnavism again in the coming days.
Thank you
Pune Bhagavat Katha 2017 – Day Four – Philosophical Study of the Vedas
Venue: Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, Swargate, Pune.
Date: 28 December 2017
Topic: Philosophical Study of the Vedas
Ram katha is always going on in our country and what to talk about Bhagavat katha. That is also going on, but we hardly hear Caitanya katha. Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared just over 500 years ago so His katha should be going on, but that’s not happening.
We always pray to Srila Prabhupada when we recite his pranam mantra:
namaste saraswati deve gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi pashchatya-desha-tarine
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanya and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism. He is the one who gave Lord Caitanya and His message to the whole world. And now that preaching is going on all over.
We should understand the Lord tatvatha. Prabhupada gave us Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Before that very few people knew about Caitanya Mahaprabhu. I was one of them. I was in third standard and we had one lesson with the title Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In Maharashtra there was Tukaram Maharaja, in Gujarat there’s Narsingh Mehta, in Rajastahn there was Meera Bai. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu was Lord Himself. As instructed by His Guru Maharaja Prabhupada translated Caitanya Caritamrita which was in Bengali and spread the Nama, Rupa, Guna and Lila of Caitanya Mahaprabhu all over. I always say, from Nama to Dhama. Uttering Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s name we will reach dhama, which dhama? Mayapur dhama. Prabhupada made Mayapur his head quarters and from there was preaching Gaur lila all over the world. So I was saying Bhagavat katha and Ram katha always take place but Gaur katha never happen so we selected this theme and in the coming years there will be Gaur katha all over.
Once in Naimisaranya Gaur katha was taking place. Shivji was also on the way, but Nandi his Bull was slow. Our padayatra oxen walk 4 kms/hour. Shiva went to Brahma and borrowed his Hansa and soon arrived to Naimisaranya to hear Gaur katha. He likes katha very much. In this Kaliyuga we should get the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
mo sama patita prabhu na paibe ara
patita-pavana-hetu tava avatara
We are very fallen and Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s appearance is for the fallen and He becomes more and more merciful for us fallen.
namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te
krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah [Madhya 19.53]
As we are more fallen He is more compassionate – this is our pair with Lord Gauranga.
So we will sing a song of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He does not only sing, but whenever He sings, He also dances.
hari haraye namah? krsna yadavaya namah, yadavaya madhavaya kesavaya namah
Hari! Obeisances to Lord Hari, unto Krsna, and Yadava. Obeisances to Lord of the Yadus, Madhava, Kesava.
ei chay gosair kori carana vandan jaha hoite bighna-nas abhista-puran
I bow to the feet of these six Goswamis. By their grace, our obstacles can be destroyed and all desires are fulfilled.
ei chay gosai jar—mui tar das ta-sabara pada-renu mora pañca-gras
I am the servant of these six Goswamis. The dust of their lotus feet is my fivefold subsistence.
tadera carana-sebi-bhakta-sane bas janame janame hoy ei abhilas
To be a servant of their lotus feet and to reside in the company of devotees–this is my aspiration birth after birth.
ei chay gosai jabe braje koila bas radha-krsna-nitya-lila korila prakas
When these six Goswamis lived in Vraja, they revealed the eternal pastimes of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna.
anande bolo hari bhaja brndaban sri-guru-vaisnaba-pade majaiya man
In ecstasy, sing the name of Lord Hari and worship Vrndavana, joyfully fixing your mind upon the lotus feet of the bona-fide spiritual master and the pure devotees.
sri-guru-vaisnaba-pada-padma kori as nama-sankirtana kohe narottama dasa
The lotus feet of my guru and the Vaisnavas are my aspiration. Narottama Dasa thus sings Hari-nama sankirtana.
Like the people of Maharashtra keep singing the abhangas of Tukaram Maharaja, such as sundar te dhyana ubhe vitevari, like that people from Bengal keep singing the bhajans written by Narottam Dasa Thakur.
jaya sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda.
om namo bhagavate vasudevaya
A conditioned soul is bewildered by the Lord’s illusory energy (maya). Maya’s business is to keep the conditioned soul forgetful of his real relationship with Krsna. Thus the living entity forgets his real identity as spirit soul and instead of realizing his factual position thinks himself the product of the material energy.
Out of his causeless mercy and compassion, Krsna has compiled various Vedic literatures in His incarnation as Vyasadeva He has very kindly presented these literatures to awaken the conditioned soul to his senses. Unfortunately, at the present moment the conditioned souls do not care to read the Vedic literatures. Although there is an immense treasure-house of knowledge, people are engaged in reading useless literature that will give them no information on how to get out of the clutches of maya. The Lord given us sastras. He first gave the knowledge to Brahma.
tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye
Vedas are apaurusheya, Vedas are always there. Before Brahma the Vedas were there. They are laws given by the Lord. Vedas means complete knowledge, practical and spiritual, superior and inferior everything is in the Vedas.Vedic knowledge is divided into shruti and smriti sastra. Shruti sastra is apaurusheya as I said earlier. Vedas are divided into four – Rig Veda, Sama Veda. Yajur Veda, Atharva Veda. There are many Upanisads and in them 108 Upanisads are the main and there conversations go on. Gita is also called Gitopanisad.
Then there are Upaveda (Secondary vedas) Dhanur veda- skills of war. Ayurveda. Gandharva veda. Sthapatya- architecture.
The six Vedangas are Siksha, Chhanda, Vyakarana, Nirukta, Jyotisha and Kalpa. First four are related to the Sanskrit language.
Vedas are also divided as Karma kanda, Jnana kanda, Upasana kanda.
karma-kanda, jnana-kanda, kevala visera bhanda
The path of karma-kanda (fruitive activities) and the path of jnana-kanda (speculation) are just like strong pots of poison. Karma kandis can reach heaven by doing karma. They are also called bhukti kami. Those who desire mukti or liberation are mukti kami.
Vaisnavas don’t desire liberation even if it is offered. But the jnana kandis desire liberation and they don’t desire bhakti. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that jnana kanda, karma kanda are all just poison.
Smriti sastra is divided into tantra, pancha tantra, 18 Puranas, itihas, sada darsana. There are 18 puranas. There is the tamasic purana for deliverance of tamasic people. Puranas are not tamasic but we are bound by the three modes of material nature. There is also the sattavic purana.
Mahabharat and Ramayan are itihas. These are all facts but people did not take note of it.
prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah
Gita is part of Mahabharat. There are parvas in Mahabharat and Gita is from the Bhisma parva. There are 18 chapters. The war continued for 18 days and there were18 aksauni divisions of army.
vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedanta-krd veda-vid eva caham
Lord say in Bhagvad-gita, “By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.”
Lord has given us sastra. We have to wear spectacles of sastra to see the Lord, that’s darsana.
caksu-dan dilo jei, janme janme prabhu sei, divya jnana hrde prokasito
With the eyes of sastra we can have darsana of the Lord.
Scientist thought if there is matter then there should be anti-matter/sprit also. So how will we have darsana of the soul. Through sastra and then the spiritual master can teach us about the soul and the Lord. Teachers like Sandipani Muni teach about Bhagavad-gita and about sprit. The unfortunate people of this world are busy studying matter – physics, chemistry. Those who just study matter are called sudra.
kalo sudra sambhava- In Kaliyuga there will be sudra-factories and all sudra business.
catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah
Its guna karma not janma karma, According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created. One who is influenced by the mode of goodness are called sattavic and they are Brahmans. Vaisas have satva guna and tamo guna. Ksatriyas have rajo and tamo guna, sudras have tamo guna, like that guna karma vibhagasah.
We can’t be called humans if we don’t study vedas. We should become students of Bhagavat. Here we are hearing about Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We want to capture the real you. Such advertisements go on all over, but that’s not real. The atma is real. It is eternal. Pune is full of IT business, the study of matter. Doordarsana, they see few planets through instruments. There are so many Brahmanadas, but these instruments can’t reach these brahmandas. They can just have knowledge of a small particle of sand. There is so much knowledge in sastra.
In TOVP there will be darsana of 14 planetary systems. It is also possible by ….
om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya cakshur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah
Spiritual master, opens our eyes, which are blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the torchlight of knowledge. And then we get knowledge, which knowledge we will get?
raja-vidya raja-guhyam pavitram idam uttamam
This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge,
So there are two forms of darsana, astik and nastik
Nastika veda nidakaha- those who don’t accept vedas – Charvak, Jain and Buddha
Astik darsana includes – Nyaya, the school of logic, Vaisesika, the atomist school, Samkhya, the enumeration school, Yoga, Mimamsa, Vedanta or Uttara Mimamsa.
Stuti of vedas – Pradipaha sarva vidyanam ashraya sarva dharmanam
Four vaisnava sampradaya acaryas wrote commentaries on the Vedanta sastra.
sampradaya-vihina ye, mantras te nishphala matah
Nimbarkacharya, Vishnu Swami, Ramanujacharya, Madhvacaraya. So each acarya has their own siddhanta and they defeated advaitavad.
mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah
The living entity is the fragmental part and parcel of the Supreme Lord-eternally.
Advaitvada refers to the idea that the soul is the same as the Lord. But we are part and parcel of the Lord.
We are amsa and Lord is amsi , but the advaitvad we can become Lord. Thus Bhagavad has rejected advaitvad.
dharma projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam (S.B 1.1.2)
Kaitava dharma is cheating religion. So advaitvad siddhanta is a cheating dharma. Bhagavad has kicked it out. Prabhupada used to say, “Bhagavad has kicked out advaitvad” The link between the soul and the Lord is Bhakti yoga. They don’t want to do bhakti. but Advaitvadis want to become Lord. Prabhupada would say that this is last snare of Maya. Through bhakti we have strong relations with the Lord.
The commentary of Vedanta sutra is Srimad- Bhagvad, and the writer of both is Srila Vyasadev. So Gaudiya Vainavas thought what is the need of writing a commentary again. One acarya of our sampradaya, Srila Baladev Vidya Bhushan wrote the commentary as he was inspired by the Lord and that was called Govind Bhasya.
Srila Vyasdev wrote Bhagavad. He had written many sastras, but he had no job satisfaction. Once Narada Muni came to see Srila Vyasadev and he saw that Vyasadev was not satisfied. O! Gurudev please tell why that is happening?
yatha dharmadayas cartha muni-varyanukirtitah
na tatha vasudevasya mahima hy anuvarnitah (SB 1.5.9)
You have written a lot about dharma, artha, kama and moksha. But you did not write about Lord Vasudev. You have just written a few lines about Lord. Then Srila Vyasadev wrote Srimad-Bhagvatam. Prabhupada would say that Bhagvatam is graduation study. Every house should have Srimad Bhagvatam. Say, “My house should have a Bhagvatam.” There are lot of newspapers in my house, what’s the use? Bhagvatam is Lord himself, so we should have Bhagvatam, Caitanya Caritamrita etc.
gita bhagvat karatii sravan akhanda cintan vithobha
Tukaram Maharaja always said, “One who will meditate on Bhagvatam we will have good thoughts, and thoughts of the Lord.
Om Sarve Sukhinah Bhavantu Sarve Santu Nir-Aamayaah
Sarve Bhadraanni Pashyantu Maa Kashcid-Duhkha-Bhaag-Bhavet
Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih
Let everyone be happy. May All become Happy, May All be Free from Illness. May All See what is Auspicious, May no one Suffer.
Once I went for an inauguration of a hospital and I recited this sloka. The owner came running. O! Maharaja!What are you saying my hospital will close. (laughter)
paropakaram vahanti nadya, paropakaram duhanti gaaya
paropakaram phalanti vriksha, paropakaram idam shareeram
Rivers flow for Paropkar, Cows give milk for Paropkar, Trees bear fruits for Paropkar, similarly this body is also meant for Paropkar
We should work for welfare of others. The body has been given to us in order to benefit others. Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked, “How will you do paropkar/ welfare?”
bharata bhumite manusya janma haila yara: janma sarthaka kari karo para-upakara (CC Adi 9.41)
Give Krsna prema to people. That’s the best welfare activity. Prema is pancham purusartha. We have four purusarthas – dharma, artha, kama, moksha
srimad-bhagavatam pramanam-amalam prema pumartho mahan
Srimad Bhagavatam is the spotless authority (amala puran) on everything and pure love of Godhead is the ultimate goal of life for all men. Distribution of Krsna prema is the best welfare activity. That will give us happiness and satisfaction. Whenever there was an indian gathering would say ,
bharata-bhumite haila manusya-janma yara janma sarthaka kari’ kara para-upakara (CC Adi 9.41)
Food, house, clothes are just for the body but what about the soul? The soul needs Krsna prema. ISKCON is doing that welfare activity; all of you understand it and join the ISKCON. All the new audience coming for katha, you all come forward, get connected. This katha will go on for just seven days, but we have a temple here. All the activities are going on every day in the temple. Bhagvatam katha goes on in the temple. Get acquainted with the activities of Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON.
yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa amara ajñaya guru hasa tara’ ei desa
“Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Sri Krsna as they are given in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.”
This is order of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, whomever you meet you should talk about the Lord Krsna.
Once Chanda Kazi was protesting against the sankirtana movement. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to His house with his associates. Out of fear, Chanda Kazi was hiding inside his house. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu called him, then only he came out. There was a conversation between them. Chanda kazi told Lord Caitanya how he had darsana of Narsingh Bhagvan and thus Chanda Kazi was delivered.
So keep Gita, Bhagavatam and Caitanya Caritamrita in your homes and of course study them. Do kirtana at your house daily. The Lord will be very pleased.
Nitai Gaura Premanande…..Hari Hari Haribol.
Pune Bhagavat Katha 2017 – Day Three – Magnanimity of Sri Krsna Caitanya (Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki audaryata)
Srimad-Bhagvatam Katha 2017: Day Three
Venue: Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, Swargate, Pune.
Date: 27 December 2017
Topic: Magnanimity of Sri Krsna Caitanya (Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki audaryata)
Hare Krsna! What happened? Om Shanti. You all are silent. Thank you.
Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki ….Jai
jaya sri-krishna-caitanya prabhu nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda.
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare
sundara-bala saci-dulala nacata sri-hari-kirtana men
Caitanya Mahaprabhu is dancing in kirtana, whenever there was kirtana Caitanya Mahaprabhu would definitely dance.
bhale candana tilaka manohara alaka sobhe kapolana men
sire cuda darasi bale vana-phula-mala hiyapara dole
pahirana pita-pat?ambara sobhe nupura runu-jhunu carano men
His hair is wrapped in a topknot, and a garland of forest flowers sways upon His chest. Wearing brilliant yellow silken garments (pitambar), He dances with ankle bells (nupur) tinkling upon His feet.
radha-krsna eka tanu hai nidhuvana-majhe bamsi bajay
visvarupa ki prabhuji sahiaota prakat?ahi nadiya men
What you are hearing and understanding? Sri Sri Radha and Krsna have become joined in one body, and together They play a flute within the grove of Nidhuvana. In this mood, the Lord of Visvarupa has come and manifested Himself in the town of Nadiya.
koi gayata hai radha-krsna nam koi gayata hai hari-guna gan
mangala-tana mrdanga rasala bajata hai koi rangana men
Our subject of meditation is Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. There cannot be any other topic.
sada hridaya-kandare sphuratu vah sacinandanaha (CC Adi 1.4)
May that Lord, who is known as the son of Srimati Sacidevi, be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart
Specially for all of us and this age of Kaliyuga, Lord becomes Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He is always there in His dhama.
goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhuto
There are two divisions of Golok, one is Vrndavana and other is Navadvipa. In Vrndavana there is Lord Krsna and in Navadvipa there is Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Lila is always going on there always.
sambhavami yuge yuge..kalpe kalpe…manvantare
Six manvantars are over and now the seventh manvantar is going on – named Vaivasvat manu. At end of 28 dwapar yuga Lord Krsna appears.
paras tasmat tu bhavo ‘nyo vyakto ‘vyaktat sanatanah (BG 8.20)
Krsna’s superior spiritual energy is transcendental and eternal. It is beyond all the changes of material nature,
Between material world and spiritual world there is Viraja River. And in every brahmanda there is Vrndavana. And at end of 28 dwapar yuga Lord Krsna appears and after the dwapar yuga comes Kaliyuga. In that Kaliyuga Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu appears.
It’s said in Caitanya Mangal that Rukmini once said to the Lord, “Prabhuji, you don’t know something which I know and more than me Radha knows.” Lord asked, “What? You don’t know I am abhijnah -fully cognizant and svarat, fully independent; I have given knowledge to Brahma.”
abhijsah svarat tene brahma hrdya adi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1)
Rukmini is talking about vipralambha bhava, Love in separation. There is a feeling of separation. sunyitam jagat sarvam. She said, “The pain we feel during separation, You can’t feel, but I can feel it, and more than me Radha and the gopis feel it. So Krsna thought. “ Oh! I want to feel that bhava. I am the cause of the feeling of separation.”
Krsna Das Kaviraj has stated in Caitanya Caritamrta some general reasons for Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s appearance.
paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge
In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.
Every yuga has its own dharma or process and Kaliyugu’s dharma is Harinama sankirtana. Whenever Kaliyuga come, there is,
harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha.
Kaliyuga will come for 1000’s of times and for those many times its dharma will be Harinama. That time Lord comes as Gaur Narayan. And in this Kaliyuga Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu is doing the work of Gaur Narayan yugavatar.
Caitanya Caritamrita gives some confidential reasons why the Lord Himself appears in this Kaliyuga. For that reason Rukmini is saying, “Lord, you don’t know.” Then Lord says , “Next time when I appear I will know the reason. “
sri-radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayaiva
svadyo yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah
saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhat
tad-bhavadhyah samajani saci-garbha-sindhau harinduh (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 1.6)]
The love of Radha is called pranaya. There are different states of Love. Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani’s love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appeared from the womb of Srimati Sacidevi, as the moon appeared from the ocean. Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu does different lilas. He takes sannyasa and spends 18 years in Jagganath Puri and distributes Harinama.
yadi gaura na hoito, tabe ki hoito, kemane dharita de?
radhara mahima, prema-rasa-sima, jagate janata ke
One of our acharyas Vasudev Ghosh has written, if Lord Gaura had not appeared as the yuga-avatara in this age of Kali, then what would have become of us? Who in this universe would have ever learnt about the topmost limits of loving mellows that comprise the glory of Sri Radha? How would this world know about the greatness of Radha-prema. Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared and first He relished the love of Radha Rani and then gave He it to us. Radha is Gaurangi and Lord became Gauranga. Why did He become Gauranga? To experience the bhava of Radharani.
namo mahavadanyaya
This is pranam mantra at the lotus feet of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. First word is also namo means namaskar and last word is also namah. I pay my obeisances to the Lord and how is He? Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is described as mahavadanya, the most munificent of charitable persons.
Vrndavana dhama is known as madhurya dhama and Navadvipa is audarya dhama. So in Navadvipa Caitanya Mahaprabhu relished the madhurya of Vrndavana in Radha bhava and also gave us the Lord Krsna – take Krsna.
krsna se tomara, krsna dite paro, tomara sakati ache
Krsna is yours. You have the power to give Him to me. Take Krsna, what people want? There is a shortage of Bhakti bhava. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s complexion is Gaura varna. So He gave us in different forms, mainly He gave Lord Krsna in the form of His holy name.
kali-kale nama-rupe krsna-avatara
The Hare Krsna maha-mantra is the incarnation of Lord Krsna. Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare
Nama chintamani caitanya rasa vigraha nitya suddha
mukta abhinatvam,abhinatvam nama namino
Harinama is mukta, siddha, and non-different from the Lord. And His teachings are Radha Krsna.
hari mukhe mana punya chi ganana kon kari (Marathi abhanga)
So the Lord Himself came and taught us to chant the Holy name. He did not just say, but Himself also chanted the Holy name. He told people to perform sankirtana and He also did sankirtana. This is the main teaching of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sankirtana is Kaliyuga’s dharam. This is vedavani.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa at the age of 24. Can He be just 24 years? No, He is….
adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca
Although He is the oldest person, He always appears as a fresh youth
patrapatra-vicara nahi, nahi sthanasthana
yei yanha paya, tanha kare prema-dana
He did kirtana everywhere, Caitanya Mahaprabhu became a bhakta, He did Bhakti like Radha Rani. In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates did not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not, nor where such distribution should or should not take place. They made no conditions. Wherever they got the opportunity the members of the Panca-tattva distributed love of Godhead. He took Sannyasa and preached the Holy name.
In Radha bhava, Gauranga Mahaprabhu did sankirtana. Many people without any prior information would come for sankirtana. How would that happen? Through heart to heart connection. Lord in everybody’s heart would inspire them and all would come running for sankirtana. In Maharashtra kirtana means some abhanga and then some bhajans. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s kirtan means, Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare
mahapraboh kirtana-nritya-gita- vaditra-madyan-manaso rasena
Chanting the holy name, dancing in ecstasy, singing, and playing musical instruments. All this would be there in sankirtana. So His main teaching was to do sankirtana. He also said to Nityananda and Haridas Thakur.
bolo krsna bhaja krsna karo krsna sikha
Kirtana is Yajna, it’s also called sankirtana yajna, its mantra meditation, its worship, its everything.
yajnanam japa-yajno ‘smi (BG 10.25)
Lord says in Gita, of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names [japa]
Namsankirtana is all in all, there is only one process, harinama or whatever you do is avidhipurvakam.
krsnam vande jagat gurum
Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Guru of Gurus. He becomes everyones’ Spiritual Master. He gave diksa and siksa and the mantra to everyone.
ekam sastram devaki-putra-gitam eko devo devaki-putra eva
eko mantras tasya namani yani karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva (Gita Mahatmya)
There is only one scripture, one common scripture for the whole world — Bhagavad-gita. Let there be only one God for the whole world — Sri Krsna.There is only one mantra, one prayer — the chanting of His name: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. There is only one work — service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu Said,
prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama
“In every town and village, the chanting of My name will be heard.” And we can see sankirtana is going on all over the world and He left the preaching work to ISKCON and we can all see that’s happening.
He also gave us Siksastakam, eight slokas of siksa. Ceto darpan marjanam…our heart will be pure –thinking, willing, feeing will be pure. Bharat svachata mission is going on but Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted purification of cetana. Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu started that mission- purification of consciousness. There are eight different slokas and there are eight different benefits we get from them.
ceto darpan marjanam, bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam
sreya?-kairava-candrika-
trnad api sunicena taror iva sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih
One should think himself lower than a blade of grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and not expect personal honor but always be prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.
ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram patitam mam visame bhavambudhau krpaya tava pada-pankajasthita-dhuli-
I am Your eternal servant, but because of My own fruitive acts, I have fallen in this horrible ocean of nescience. Now please be causelessly merciful to Me. Consider Me a particle of dust at Your lotus feet. These are the bhava of Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
When that day will be mine,
nayanam galad-asru-dharaya vadanam gadgada-ruddhaya gira pulakair nicitam vapuh kada, tava nama-grahane bhavisyati
“My dear Lord, when will My eyes be beautified by filling with tears that constantly glide down as I chant Your holy name? When will My voice falter and all the hairs on My body stand erect in transcendental happiness as I chant Your holy name?
When will that opportune moment come to us, when there will be shivering of the body as soon as we chant Lord Gauranga’s name? While chanting Hare Krsna, when will there be tears in the eyes?
Tukaram Maharaja also said , “anandale mana preme pasarati locana…” His heart becomes filled with happiness and then happiness overflows from his eyes.
yugayitam nimesena caksusa prav?sayitam sunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda-virahena me
“My Lord Govinda, because of separation from You, I consider even a moment a great millennium. Tears flow from My eyes like torrents of rain, and I see the entire world as void.
Now the last slok Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu says in bhava of Radha Rani.
aslisya va pada-ratam pinastu mam adarsanan marma-hatam karotu va
yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah
Whatever you do embrace me or trample Me or break My heart by never being visible to Me. You can do whatever you like, but still no one other than you are the worshipable Lord of My heart.
Once Suradasa was doing kirtan, Devikinanadan gopala……Lord Himself came to hear his kirtana. How must the kirtana be that Lord Himself came? Similarly Tukaram Maharaja did kirtana on the bank of Indraini and with a lot of love he called Lord to take him back home back to Godhead. Lord heard his call and sent the Vaikuntha plane for him. And Tukaram Maharaja said, “ami jato amchya gava”. He was very happy while returning home.
So by listening to Surdas’s kirtana the Lord came and he understood that the Lord had come. He got up to touch the Lord. The Lord also got up and started running away and he followed Him. But Surudas was old and he could not follow the Lord. Then he said, “Ok your wish, if You want to give darsana, it’s ok or you can go. I have captured You in my heart and from there You can’t run away.”
The special team of Sad-Goswami was helping Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu in preaching.
vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau.
The six Gosvamis, namely Sri Rupa Gosvami, Sri Sanatana Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Sri Jiva Gosvami, and Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami,
To all of them Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave his teachings. He taught Sanatan Goswami for 2 months. That’s called Sanatan siksa and is famous in Caitanya Caritamrita. And other sastra are Caitanya Bhagavat and Caitanya Mangal, Prabhupada called them as the post graduate syllabus in bhakti. Srimad-Bhagvatam is just graduation.
You should all read these books, Caitanya Caritamrita is written in 60 different languages. The Chinese are also reading this sastra. How much I can say here, then you all are hungry and there is call from your home. So take Caitanya Caritamrita its available.
Now let’s sing this prayer,
gauranga’ bolite habe pulaka-sarira ‘hari hari’ bolite nayane ba’ be nira
When will that moment come to me, when there will be shivering of the body as soon as i chant Lord Gauranga’s name? While chanting Hare Krsna, when will there be tears in the eyes?
ara kabe nitai-cander koruna hoibe samsara-basana mora kabe tuccha ha’be
When will I obtain the mercy of Lord Nityananda-candra? When, by His mercy will the desire for material enjoyment become very insignificant?
visaya chariya kabe suddha ha ‘be mana kabe hama herabo sri-brndabana
When the mind is completely purified, being freed from material anxieties and desires, then I shall be able to understand Vrndavana and the conjugal love of Radha and Krsna, and then my spiritual life will be successful.
rupa-raghunatha-pade hoibe akuti kabe hama bujhabo se jugala-piriti
When shall I be very much eager to study the books left by the Six Gosvami’s, headed by Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami? By their instruction I shall be able to properly understand the loving affairs of Radha and Krsna.
rupa-raghunatha-pade rahu mora asa prarthana koroye sada narottama-dasa
My only aspiration is to attain the lotus feet of the Six Gosvamis headed by Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. Narottama dasa constantly prays to attain their lotus feet.
Nitai Gaur premanande Hari Haribol.
Pune Bhagavat Katha 2017 – Day Two — Establishment of the Bhagavata of Sri Krsna Caitanya (Lila-vichar)
Srimad-Bhagvatam Katha 2017: Day Two
Venue: Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, Swarget, Pune.
Date: 26 December 2017
Topic: Establishment of Bhagavata of Sri Krsna Caitanya (Lila-vichar)
jaya sri-krishna-caitanya prabhu nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda.
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare
krsna murari sri krsna murari ………………
Say Hare Krsna! What happened? Thank you for saying Hare Krsna and also for your presence in the katha. Like I said yesterday, every year on the evening of 25 December we have our appointment with the Lord. Every evening we are assembling here to meet the Lord. Every evening the Lord’s address becomes Ganesh Krida Manch.
mad-bhakta yatra gayanti tatra tisthami narada
Where ever my devotees come together and sing, there I appear.
So where ever the Lord appears we should be present there, then we will meet the Lord. Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare, We can realise that this is also Lord. This name is Lord Himself.
abhinatvam nama-namino (Padma Purana)
There is no difference between the name and the named.
ya svayam padmanabhasya mukha-padmad vinihsrita
Bhagavad-gita is the Lord. Whatever the Lord said, is also the Lord. Lord’s Lila is also the Lord. Everything, whatever the Lord does, it is lila. Yesterday we heard about the Lord’s four madhuryas – His Rupa Madhurya, His beauty is Lord- sundar te dhyaan ubhe withhewari kar kataawari thhewoniya…this is the description of the Lord. Words which describe the Lord also become the Lord.
Sabda parabharma. In the beginning there was word. Word was with God and word was God. This is also written in the Bible. Yesterday was Christmas, Happy Christmas, one day late. sabda yonitvad is said in the Vedanta sutra. Sabda yonitvad. From sound comes Rupa and akar. This is one siddhanta. So the Lord’s Lila is Lord, His rupa, His venu madhurya all is Lord. We can’t separate His venu madhurya from Him.
Those who say Lord is there – asti asti yes, yes – the Lord is there, He exists, are called astir or theist. Those who say, nasti, nasti. He does not exist, are called nastik or atheist. All of you are lovers of the Lord, Bhagavad katha premi, Vitthal premi. You can also be Sri Ram premi. But not masoba khandoba premi. Who is everybody’s ba(father)? It is Lord Vithoba. Darwins theory of evolution says everybody’s father is an amoeba. He did not know, our father is Vithoba, sabka ba Vithoba. Lord Vithoba is always our father…ado ante madhe always.
Every year to meet the Lord, to hear about Him we assemble here. We are sadhakas.
sadhu sanga sadhu sanga sarva satre koi, lava matra sadhu sange sarva siddhi hoi
This katha is also sadhu sanga. For us sadhakas its time for sadhana and from sadhana to siddhi. Here we have sravanam, kirtanam and also we show the Lord in His photo form. Videos are also displayed where Lord Gauranga dances, that means the Lord is appearing on the screen and doing some lila. Then we will have Lord’s realization, self-realization and arouse our Krsna consciousness.
Today is the second session of this Bhagavat katha mahotsava, you remember what the topic is today?
Establishment of Bhagavata of Sri Krsna Caitanya (Lila-vichar)
If anybody asks you who is Sri Krsna Caitanya? What you will answer?
sri-krsna-caitanya radha-krsna nahe anya
Do not forget this small mantra, Sri Krsna Caitanya is non-different from Radha and Krsna.
Today we will establish the greatness/ Bhagavata of Sri Krsna Caitanya through different lilas. Whether we say it or not, He is always great. But we will try to establish His greatness in our heart.
sakhi madhurimamayi vani kaho gaur hari , karunamarupi krishnashrakansare
deena vidhira gocharam, subhaga sadhanavaram, japa nityam nama charan hari murari
nama swayam radha nama giridhari, bhaja nam chintaya cha nama shaktirachintya
asadh sadhan kari naam shri hari, japa nityam nama charan hari murari (Devotional padabali kirtana to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu)
gaurangere madhurlila jare karna, praveshila hridaya nirmal habe tar
When the madhur lila of Gauranga enters our heart through the ears, if we allow, then one’s heart will be purified. One who hears, his heart becomes purified.
pasu pakhi jhure, pashana vidare, suni’ janra guna-gatha
The merciful qualities of Caitanya Mahaprabhu are so great that upon hearing them even birds and beasts cry and stones melt, such is the sweetness of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s lila.
Today we will also hear about this lila. When Lord appears, that’s also lila.
janma karma ca me divyam (BG 4.9)
His birth is not like ours. That’s why He is called ajanma. Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared on Purnima in the year 1486, just 532 years back. That Purnima is now known as Phalgun Purnima or Gaur Purnima. It’s now the scene of Navadvipa, Mayapur. Sacimata is mother of Gauranga Mahaprabhu.That Devakinandan, Yasodanandan who appeared in Mathura at midnight, that time there was garbha stuti by the Demigods. When the Lord was in the womb of His mother , demigods appeared and sang garbha stuti. In Navadvipa Mayapur, Demigods also appeared.
yam brahma varunendra-rudra-marutah stunvanti divyaih stavair
All are singing the glories of Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya, Jai Sacinandan Gaur Hari….
Along with Demigods appeared….
savitri, gauri, sarasvati,?saci, rambha, arundhati
ara yata deva-narigana
nanaa-dravye patra bhari’, brahmanira vesa dhari’
asi’ sabe kare darasana (CC 13.105)
………dressing themselves as the wives of brahmanas, all the celestial ladies, including the wives of Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Lord Nrsimhadeva, King Indra and Vasistha Rsi, along with Rambha, a dancing girl of heaven, came there with varieties of gifts.
Later He became Sri Krsna Caitanya, but now He is just Sacimata’s child. We can have darsana of the Lord’s lotus Feet.
balya-lilaya age prabhura uttana sayana
pita – matey dekhaila cihna carana (CC 14.6)
In His first childhood pastimes the Lord turned upside down while lying on His bed, and thus He showed His parents the marks of His lotus feet.
grhe dui jana dekhi laghupada-cihna
tahe sobhe dhvaja, vajra, sankha, cakra, mina (CC 14.7)
When the Lord tried to walk, in His small footprints the specific marks of Lord Visnu were visible, namely the flag, thunderbolt, conchshell, disc and fish.
stana piyaite putrera carana dekhila
sei cihna paye dekhi’ misre bolaila (CC 14.11)
Once when Sacimata was breast feeding her child she saw His feet. She called Jagannath Mishra. They both had adbhut darsana of Lord’s Feet. There are different symbols on His feet.
batrisa laksana — mahapurusa-bhusana
ei sisu ange dekhi se saba laksana (CC 14.14)
There are thirty-two bodily marks that symptomize a great personality.
pañca-dirghah pañca-suksmah
sapta-raktah sad-unnatah
tri-hrasva-prthu-gambhiro
dvatrimsal-laksana mahan
Five of his bodily parts are large, five fine, seven reddish, six raised, three small, three broad and three grave.
The five large parts are the nose, arms, chin, eyes and knees. The five fine parts are the skin, fingertips, teeth, hair on the body and hair on the head. The seven reddish parts are the eyes, soles, palms, palate, nails and upper and lower lips. The six raised parts are the chest, shoulders, nails, nose, waist and mouth. The three small parts are the neck, thighs and male organ. The three broad parts are the waist, forehead and chest. The three grave parts are the navel, voice and existence.
narayanera cihna-yukta sri-hasta carana
ei sisu sarva loke karibe tarana (CC 14.16)
When the child was born it was said, ‘This baby has all the symptoms of Lord Narayana on His palms and soles. He will be able to deliver all the three worlds.’ The child was born below a neem tree so he was named Nimai…Nimai..Nimai. Such a beautiful name. You all keep names Tinku, Pinku..meaningless names. Lord’s official name was Visvambhar.
At the bank of Ganga Lord,
ganga-snana kari’ puja karite lagila
kanyagna-madhye prabhu asiya basila (CC 14.49)
When the girls engaged in worshiping the different demigods after bathing in the Ganges, the young Lord would come there and sit down among them. Why should we worship you? Nimai would answer,
ganga-durga — dasi mora, mahesa — kinkara (CC 14.50)
The Ganges and goddess Durga are My maidservants. What to speak of other demigods, even Lord Siva is My servant. Worship Me I will give you benediction.
The girls could not understand what He is saying. He stays next to our house and today He is saying, “the Ganges and goddess Durga are My maidservants”. Mahaprabhu was saying this with all understanding, but the girls did not know anything about it.
Once a brahman came to Jagannath Mishra’s house. He had his own Saligram Sila. Everyday he would cook for the Lord and offer bhoga. Here at Jagannath Mishra’s house he was also doing the same, but at that time baby Nimai came and ate the bhoga. The Brahman said, “Now it’s spoiled,” and again bhoga was prepared. The same thing happened. Nimai came and ate the offering. After a lot of convincing the brahman cooked for the third time. This time Nimai was locked at Chandrashekhar Acharya’s house, a relative of Sacimata. Nimai was there and the doors and window were closed. But again Nimai came and ate the offering made by the Brahman. Nimai said, “This brahman only calls Me again and again. I am not coming myself. It’s not My fault.” The brahman was calling the Lord. Sri Krsna Caitanya is Lord Himself , so He came on being called. When the brahman saw Nimai, Nimai displayed astabhuja form. In one Hand He had makhan and with the other Hand He was eating it. With the other two Hands He was playing the flute and in other four Hands – sanka, cakra, gada, padma. This is the darsana He gave the brahman. He also reminded him that once 5000 years back he had come to Vrindavan. Now we are meeting again here and now I am Nimai Pandit.
Then we come to Navadvipa Digvijaya Pandit, Keshav Pandit. He used to go to different areas of India and defeat different scholars. Digvijay Pandit came with horses and elephants and when the pandits of Navadvipa heard about his arrival they left with a message that he should first meet Nimai Pandit.That time Nimai Pandit was also known as a great scholar. In Krsna lila He learnt from Sandipani muni, now Sandipani Muni appeared as Ganga das pandit – Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s teacher. On the bank of the Ganga, both pandits were sitting and Digvijaya pandit immediately recited 100 sloks. At the end the pandit was defeated by the Lord.
Gauranga Mahaprabhu married twice, in Krsna Lila He married 16,108 times, this is also bhagavata of the Lord. Is there any one who can marry so many times? We all are prakriti and Lord Krsna is purusha. Gaur ganodesa dipika makes it clear that Lords Ram’s Janaki became Laxmipriya. So Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s two wives were Laxmipriya and Vishnupriya.
One more lila which proves the Lord’s greatness is when Jaya Vijay appeared as Jagai Madhai. Jaya Vijay appeared in three yugas , but as they got the news that the Lord is coming in a special form, they extended their visa and appeared as Jagai Madhai. They were like demons and they were liberated by the Lord.
suno suno nityananda, suno haridas
sarvatra amar ajna koroho prakas
prati ghare ghare giya koro ei bhiksa
bolo ‘krsna’, bhajo krsna, koro krsna-siksa
These are the teachings of Lord Caitanya.
bhaja gauranga kaha gauranga laha gaurangera nama re
je jan gauranga bhaje, sei (hoy) amara prana re
gauranga boliya du’ bahu tuliya naciya naciya bedao re
gauranga bhajile gauranga japile hoy duhkhera abasana re
Worship Lord Gauranga! Chant Gauranga! Speak about Lord Gauranga only! Those who worships Lord Gauranga is indeed my life and soul, they are very dear to us. Chanting Gauranga, go out with your arms raised dancing and dancing. By chanting Gauranga and worshipping Him, one’s miseries will end.
Nityananda and Haridas Thakur would go preaching. Once they both saw Jagai Madhai. These two brothers did not like their preaching. Madhai lifted a pot and hit Nityananda’s head. When Mahaprabhu got the news that someone had offended his preacher devotee. He angry and called for His Sudarsana. But Nityananda pacified Him and said no weapon will work in this yuga. If you use chakra then you have to use it on everyone and then no one will be left in Pune. The chakra of Kaliyuga is Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare. The two brothers accepted this chakra and the harinama weapon destroyed their pap buddhi (their sinful tendency).
papi tapi hariname udharile tara sakshi jagai madhai
Is there any proof? Yes, Jagai and Madhai became great saints. Their samadhis are there on the bank of the Ganga and kirtana goes on there. They became well behaved and served the Vaisnavas. Their names were Jagadananda and Madhavananda. Names are good, but we make Ram –Ramya, Raghunath- Raghya.
You can see two images, two lilas – one of Vrndavana-Krsna with Gopis, their meeting and in Navadvipa you can see sankirtana. Krsna who sings and dances in rasa dance, full of rasa. kirtana and musical instruments. During rasa lila instruments were played, madhur sangita was there during rasa lila. And with three crore gopis Krsna dances in rasa. So Vrndavana is famous for rasa lila on the bank of Yamuna. The same lila on the bank of Ganga in Mayapur. Here in Mayapur Ganga and Yamuna flow together and on their banks Krsna in form of Gauranga does sankirtana with His associates.
udilo aruna puraba-bhage,
dwija-mani gora amani jage,
bhakata-samuha loiya sathe,
gela nagara-braje
tathai tathai bajalo khol,
ghana ghana tahe jhajera rol,
preme dhala dhala sonara anga,
carane nupura baje
The mrdangas (khol) resounded “tathai, tathai,” and the jhanjha (large metal karatalas that look like small cymbals) in that kirtana played in time. Lord Gauranga’s golden form slightly trembled in ecstatic love of Godhead, and His footbells (nupur) jingled.
mukunda madhava yadava hari,
bolena bolo re vadana bhori’,
miche nida-base gelo re rati,
divasa sarira-saje
So Krsna’s main lila is rasa and Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s main Lila is Sankirtana.
Advaitacarya called Gauranga from His dhama. In Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s lila, Narada Muni becomes Srivasa Pandit. The Lord gave him special catur bhuja darsana. There is one serial named Abhayacaran, in that serial we can how see that Lord gave darsana to Srivasa.
Once Lord Gauranga with His associates were all doing kirtana for a long time. All of them were hungry and thirsty. Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu planted a seed of mango and within sometime the small plant of mango became a huge tree with mangoes all over. And then mahaprasade govinde…all of them had mango juice. For one year the tree gave mangoes. Devotees would go there doing sankirtana and relish the mangoes. So a small seed became a big tree. This was controlled by some different laws.
Once Lord gave darsana of sukara- rupa to Murari Gupta. Lord lifted a small pot on His tusk and He became Varaha rupa. And He said,
Mora stuti karaha murari, kesava dhrita-sukara-rupa jaya jagadisa hare
One more lila was the mahaprakash lila that went on for 21 hours where the Lord was giving darsana to each devotee according to the devotees bhava. So each one had different darsana, as he was connected to that lila.Murari gupta was Hanuman of Ram Lila
utha utha murari amar tumhi pran amha raghavendra tumhi hanuman
So Murari gupta was having darsana of Lord Rama and he himself had become Hanuman, he also had a tail. To Advaitacarya He gave virat rupa darsana.At Jagganath Puri the Lord displayed His Radha Bhava, during ratha-yatra mahotsava. sri krsna caitanya radha krsna nahi anya. Sarvabhaum Bhattacharya in Puri was given sadbhuja darsana. And in Jharikhanda Forest He did kirtana and made all the animals dance.
krsna! krsna! krsna! krsna! krsna! krsna! krsna! he!
krsna! krsna! krsna! krsna! krsna! krsna! krsna! he!
krsna! krsna! krsna! krsna! krsna! krsna! raksa mam!
krsna! krsna! krsna! krsna! krsna! krsna! krsna! pahi mam!
rama! raghava! rama! raghava! rama! raghava! raksa mam!
krsna! keaava! krsna! kesava krsna! kesava! pahi mam!
Here the animals of the forest are dancing and singing Hare Krsna. Sometimes the people of Pune don’t sing and dance. Then through Jharkhand Forest He reached Vrndavana. Everyone there thought Syamsundar has come. Gaurasundar had come, but they thought Syamsundar had come. You also have darsana, see how the Lord is being welcomed by Yamuna, birds, animals. You also welcome Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
dhule dhule gora chanda hari guna gai, asiya vrndavane nace gaura ray
The moonlike Lord Gaura Chanda arrives in Vrndavana while dancing, swaying to and fro, and singing the glories of Lord Hari.
vrndavaner tarur lata preme koy hari katha, nikusjer pakhi guli hari nam sonai
The creepers adorning the trees of Vrndavana are overwhelmed with ecstatic love, and they are speaking about the glories of Lord Hari. Flocks of birds who live in the groves are singing the name of Lord Hari.
gaura bole hari hari sari bole hari hari, mukhe mukhe suka sari hari nam gai
Lord Gaura says, “Hari! Hari!” a female parrot responds, “Hari! Hari!” and then all male and female parrots start singing a loud chorus of the name of Hari.
hari name matta hoye harina asiche dei, mayur mayuri preme naciya khelay
Becoming intoxicated by the holy name, the deer come forward from out of the forest. The peacocks and peahens are dancing and frolicking in ecstatic love.
prane hari dhyane hari hari bolo badan bhori, harinam geye geye rase gale jai
Lord Hari is in His heart, Lord Hari is in His meditation, and He always chants the name of Hari with His voice. Gaura Chanda is intoxicated by ecstatic mellows and rolls around on the ground while singing and singing Harinama.
asiya jamunar kule nace hari hari bole, jamuna uthole ese carana dhoyai
Arriving on the bank of the Yamuna River, He dances wildly while chanting “Hari! Hari!” Mother Yamuna becomes so ecstatic that she arises and comes forward to wash Lord Gauranga’s Feet.
Gaur premanande! Hari Haribol
Pune Bhagavat Katha 2017 – Day One — The Greatness of Lord Caitanya
Srimad Bhagvatam katha: Day One
Venue: Pune
Date: 25 December 2017
Topic: Greatness of Sri Krsna Caitanya
Gaur premanande! Hari Haribol
Sri Krsna Caitnaya Prabhu doya koro more…………….
This is a prayer at the Lotus Feet of Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya
sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu doya koro more
toma bina ke doyalu jagat-samsare ………………….
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare
Om namo Bhagvate Vasudevaya
Hare Krsna, I heartily welcome each one of you. You are the Lord’s and are all dear devotees of the Lord. You are not less than VIP’s, so again welcome. This is 16th Bhagvata katha organised by ISKCON Pune. Like we chant 16 rounds, this is the 16th round of katha.
Nityam bhagvat sevaya, every year we meet on 25 December in Pune. We started from Radha Kunjabihari temple. Once we held it at Golibar Maidan and now for the past ten years or so it is held here. How many of you have heard all the katha? I can see some hands, thank you.
Katha was mostly from Srimad-bhagvatam. We also had Caitanya katha, Ramayan katha, Narsimha katha, Vaman katha, Bal lila of Lord Krsna and other lilas. Then last year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of ISKCON and we had Srila Prabhupada’s katha. We have Guru and Gauranga. Last year we heard about Guru, his achievements throughout the world. So this year we will have Gauranga katha.
Sri Krsna Caitanya is Lord Krsna. Not only Krsna but – “Sri Krsna Caitanya Radha Krsna nahi anya” – Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s katha is also Bhagavata katha.
7 days of katha will have 7 different topics.
Bhagavata of Sri Krsna Caitanya (Greatness of Sri Krsna Caitanya) (Tattva-vichar)
Establishment of the Bhagavata of Sri Krsna Caitanya (Lila-vichar)
Magnanimity of Sri Krsna Caitanya (Sri Krsna Caitanya ki audaryata)
Parikars of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Their introduction and what they were in Krsna lila. Yasoda becomes Sacimata in Caitanya lila. Gaurganodesh dipika states all this. (Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki bhaktamala).
Teachings of the associates of Caitanya Mahaprabhu (Sri Caitanya parshad sikshamruta).
Vedic and nonvedic darsana (Vedic aur avedic darsana).
How the principles of Gaudiya Vaisnavism are the best (Gaudiya Vaisnavata ka Pratik)
sankirtanaika-pitarau – This Hare Krsna movement which keeps on moving. It is the revolutionary movement of Caitanya Mahaprabhu making Caitanya Bhagavata as the basis. Prabhupada used to say, “Books are the Basis”. This movement is exceeding in preaching all over the world and realising Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s prediction.
prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama
Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “My name will be heard all over the earth, in each village and town.”
We chant Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare. His name includes the names of Lord Krsna and Radha, so that will be topic on the last day. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Radha Krsna, yugal jodi of Radha Krsna.
Today’s topic is Bhagavata of Caitanya Mahaprabhu (Greatness of Caitanya Mahaprabhu)
Caitanya Mahaprabhu was amongst us just 500 years back. He had come to my village, of course I was not there at that time. Not only to my village, Aravade but He went to many villages and preached.
ajanu-lambita-bhujau kanakavadhatau
sankirtanaika-pitarau kamalayataksau
visvambharau dvija-varau yuga-dharma palau
vande jagat-priyakaro karunavatarau
I offer my respects unto Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, His arms extend down to His knees, He has a golden yellow complexion, and inaugurated the congregational chanting of the Holy Names. His eyes resemble the petals of a lotus; He is the protector of religious principles for this age, the benefactor of the universe, and the most merciful of all incarnations. (Caitanya-bhagavata 1.1.1)
He is doing kirtan in all ecstasy. Many saints do kirtana, but His kirtana was very special “na bhuto na bhavisyati.” But why did He do kirtana? Sambhavami yuge yuge, in every yuga there is process of Bhakti and in Kaliyuga, Kaliyuga keval naam adhara. Sri Krsna’s greatness is the greatness of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
ishvarah paramah Krsnah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaha
anadir adir govindaha
sarva-karana-karanam
This is the first sloka of Brahma Samhita. There are many ishvaras, but Lord Krsna and Caitanya Mahaprabhu are Paramishvara. Krsna who is known as Govinda, the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal, blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.
How is He?
sundar te dhyaan ubhe withhewari Kar kataawari thhewoniya, tulasi haar gala, kaanse pitaanbar Awade nirntar techi rup
His is Sacidananda. This is definition of the Lord.
aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate
I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. (BG 10.8)
Just few days back we celebrated Gita Jayanti.
“ya svayam padmanabhasya mukha-padmad vinihsrta” (Gita Mahatmya)
The words coming out of Lords lotus mouth is Gita. So who is father of Gita? Lord Krsna and where it was said? At Kuruksetra. I was at Damodhardesh on that day, Dubai is called Damodhardesh. So I celebrated Gita jayanti there. mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya
mayi sarvam idam protam sutre mani-gana iva
There is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread. (BG 7..7)
He is the one who supports everything. He is the One who gave birth to Brahma and also gave him knowledge. Not only to him but to everyone in form of Vedas. We have no knowledge – ke ami
maya-mugdha jivera nahi svatah krsna-jnana
jivere krpaya kaila krsna veda-purana (CC Madhya 20.122)
The forgetful living entities or conditioned souls have forgotten their relationship with the Supreme Lord, and they are engrossed in thinking of material activities. Lord mercifully gave us sastra and puran, to understand this world and to deal with it.
ekale isvara krsna, ara saba bhrtya
yare yaiche nacaya, se taiche kare nrtya
Only Krsna is Lord and others are His servants and helpers. prakriti has to dance as He wants. They dance as He makes them.
“mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram”
In Gita the Lord tells Arjuna, This material nature is working under My direction.
“narayanad brahma jayate narayanad ruder jayate,narayanad indro jayate narayanad prajapatih prajayante
narayanad dvadasaditya rudra vasavah sarvani chandamsi, narayanad eva samut padyante” (Narayan Upanisad)
From Narayana came Brahma, Rudra, Indra, Prajapati. From Narayana came the twelve adityas, the twelve rudras, the twelve vasus, all the vedic meres and all the devatas. Everything came from Narayana in the beginning and everything enters into Narayana at the end. From the navel of Garbhodakasayi Vishnu Brahma appears and then from Brahma creation takes place. Everything is also going on now. Even now Laxmi is also serving Lord Visnu’s lotus Feet.
ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam
indrari-vyakulam lokammrdayanti yuge yuge (SB 1.3.28)
This is the main sloka of Bhagavat. The whole Bhagavat is an expansion of this sloka. There is description of the 22 avatars of the Lord. There should be 24, but only 22 are described. At end of the description of the avatar this sloka comes.
All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Sri Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead So we pay obeisances to such Lord Krsna.
Krsna jinka naam hai, gokul jinka dham hai
Aise shri bhagawan ko, aise shri bhagawan ko…………………….
We said some things about Lord Krsna’s greatness. He is full of qualities, He is rasakhan. In Bhakti rasamrita sindhu, Rupa Goswami describes the 64 qualities of Lord. Lord is called nirguna which means He is beyond the three modes of material nature, not that He does not have any qualities. We are part and parcel of the Lord and to some extent we have 50 qualities. Like father, like son or daughter. Brahma, Siva and Demigods have about 5 more qualities, that’s 55. Other avatars of Lord Krsna has 60 qualities. 4 gunas that are only in Lord Krsna – Rupa madhurya, venu madhurya, His flute brings about lots of wonders in Vrndavana, guna madhurya and Lila madhurya.
Srila Rupa Goswami has enumerated the transcendental qualities of the Lord as follows:
1) beautiful features of the entire body; 2) marked with all auspicious characteristics; 3) extremely pleasing; 4) effulgent; 5) strong; 6) ever-youthful; 7) wonderful linguist; 8) truthful; 9) talks pleasingly; 10) can speak fluently in all languages; 11) highly learned; 12) highly intelligent; 13) a genius; 14) artistic; 15) extremely clever; 16) expert; 17) grateful; 18) firmly determined; 19) an expert judge of time and circumstances; 20) sees and speaks on the authority of Vedas, or scriptures; 21) pure; 22) self-controlled; 23) steadfast; 24) forbearing; 25) forgiving; 26) grave; 27) self-satisfied; 28) possessing equilibrium; 29) magnanimous; 30) religious; 31) heroic; 32) compassionate; 33) respectful; 34) gentle; 35) liberal; 36) shy; 37) the protector of surrendered souls; 38) happy; 39) the well-wisher of devotees; 40) controlled by love; 41) all-auspicious; 42) most powerful; 43) all-famous; 44) popular; 45) partial to devotees; 46) very attractive to all women; 47) all-worshipable; 48) all-opulent; 49) all-honorable; 50) the supreme controller. 51) changeless; 52) all-cognizant; 53) ever fresh; 54) sac-cid-ananda (possessing an eternal blissful body); 55) possessing all mystic perfection. 56) He has inconceivable potency. 57) Uncountable universes generate from His body. 58) He is the original source of all incarnations. 59) He is the giver of salvation to the enemies whom He kills. 60) He is the attractor of liberated souls. All these transcendental qualities are manifest wonderfully in the personal feature of Lord Krsna. 61) He is the performer of wonderful varieties of pastimes (especially His childhood pastimes). 62) He can attract all living entities all over the universes by playing on His flute. 63) He is surrounded by devotees endowed with wonderful love of Godhead. 64) He has a wonderful excellence of beauty which cannot be rivalled anywhere in the creation.
Lord Krsna is the source of all avatars.
ramadi-murtishu kala-niyamena tishthan
nanavataram akarod bhuvaneshu kintu
Krsnah svayam samabhavat paramaha puman yo
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
Lord, who manifested Himself personally as Krsna and the different avataras in the world in the forms of Rama, Nrisimha, Vamana, etc., as His subjective portions.
He is called as avatari and others are called avatar. From Lord Krsna comes Svayam Prakash ( Krsna, as He manifests Himself). Svayam Prakash is two-fold, Prabhav- Prakash and Vaibhav-Prakash. This is a little technical.
Some avatars of the Lord are called Lila avatar.
Guna avatar: Each Guna has one avatar. Shiva- avatar is the mode of ignorance. Brahma the mode of passion and Vishnu, mode of goodness. Saktyavesha avatar- Parasuram, Prithu maharaj.
Yuga avatar: There are 4 yugas and in each yuga the Lord takes an avatar. Manvantar avatar, in brahma’s one day there are 14 manvantars. Now Vaivasvat manu is going on and Krsna comes at end of 28th Dvapara yuga . After Dvapara comes Kaliyuga. In Kaliyuga Caitanya Mahaprabhu appears. Whenever Krsna comes Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu also comes. So there are many vaikunthas there also there are Narayans.
In Mahesh dham Lord Shiva is there, and in Golok dhama there is Navadvipa dhama and Lord Caitanya does His lila there. Now you wills see adbhut temple which is coming up in Mayapur. In that temple there will be darsana of all 14 bhuvan, darsana of Mahesh dhama, Golok dhama. A team of ISKCON is studying cosmology and accordingly that temple is being made. This was desire of Srila Prabhupada, we call that temple as TOVP- Temple of Vedic Planetarium.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu stayed in Bengal for 24 years and in Jaganath Puri for 18 years. So the Vaisnavas there are called as Gaudiya Vaisnavas. We will see some praman/proof from sastra about the greatness of Lord Gauranga,
anarpita-carim cirat karunayavatirnah kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam
harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandipitah
sada hrdaya-kandare sphuratu vah saci-nandanah
“May that Lord who is known as the son of Srimati Sacidevi be transcendentally situated in the innermost core of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has descended in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most elevated mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love.”
No need to tell that He is Lord, just by darsana we can understand that He is Lord. Have you seen such beauty anywhere.?
radha-krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini-saktir asmad
ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau
chaitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam chaikyam aptam
radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krsna-svarupam (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita: Adi-lila, 1.5)
Although Sri Radha and Sri Krsna are by nature one, through the hladini-sakti, a transformation of Their love, They exist eternally in separate forms. Now, They have manifested in one combined form as Sri Chaitanya. I bow to Him, Krsna Himself adorned with the heart and halo of Sri Radha.
vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate (SB 1.2.11)
We should know the Lord tatvatha. Learned transcendentalists call the Absolute Truth as Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan. Three svarupas of Lord Krsna. but those who are perfect seers of the Absolute Truth know well that the above three features.
sad-aisvaryaih purno ya iha bhagavan sa svayam ayam
na caitanyat krsnaj jagati para-tattvam param iha (CC Adi Lila 1.3)
Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna Himself, filled with six opulences. He is the Absolute Truth, and no other truth is greater than or equal to Him.
When Gargamuni went to Gokul for the name giving ceremony of Krsna and Balaram, the ceremony took place in goshala.
asan varnas trayo hy asya grhnato ‘nuyugam tanuh
suklo raktas tatha pita idanim krsnatam gatah (SB 10.8.13)
Gargamuni said to Nanda Maharaja that Krsna comes in different yugas and according to that He has different complexions. In the past, He assumed three different colours—white, red and yellow—and now He has appeared in a blackish colour. In Dvapara-yuga, He appeared as Lord R?macandra in the color of suka, a parrot. The pita varna mentioned in the sloka is of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
savara kevala nilacale sthiti apani acari’ jive sikhaila bhakti.
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught bhakti to all, and we are learning from Him. Who can be the giver of bhakti?
krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasa? (11.5.32)
Krsna will appear and what He will do? Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna Krsna he…
Intelligent people will worship Krsna’s name, Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare. Sankirtana is going on all over the world. It’s also said that Caitanya Mahaprabhu will appear in Mayapur.
suvarna-varno hemango varangas-candanangadi
sannyasa-krc chamah santo nistha-santi-parayanah
In the Lord’s early pastimes his complexion is golden (suvarna-varna), his limbs are the color of molten white gold (hemanga), his body is extremely beautiful (varangas), and he is decorated with sandalwood pulp (candanangadi). He accepts sannyasa (sannyasa-krt)
Which Lord took sannyasa? Sri Krsna Caitanya. He is also called chanaa avatar (covered avatar). He established bhakti by appearing in brahman family. Lord became a devotee so protect all of us and to teach us bhakti. he left his Golok for our protection
Mirabai says He was makhan chor, but now He has become a vairagi( a renunciate.)
kaha chadi vahu mohan murali?
kaha chadi saba gopi?
mora mundayi gora kati bandhi,
mane na mani gopi!
mata yasomati makhan choran
bandhi jaki baha,
syama kisor bhaye nava gora,
caitanya jako nam!
pitambar ko bhava dikhavai,
kati kaupina base
O my dearest Mohan (Krsna)! Why have You discarded Your intimate companion, (Priya-Sakhi)- the Divine Flute? And why have You renounced all Your eternal Sweethearts, Gopis? You appear now with shaven head and ochre cloth at Your waist! But this clever Gopi uncovers Your disguise and doesn’t care to reveal it! Now it seems like Mother Yasoda has tied up both the arms of the Butter Thief! Alas, no more mischievous tricks! My Dark Beloved has now reappeared as the newly fresh Golden Lord Whose blessed Name is ‘Caitanya’! And has clad Himself in skimpy rags and His Pitambara (Yellow Divine Attire.)
Ramananda Raya was a governor and he was given special darsana by Lord Caitanya. Like we have Visnusahastra nama, there is also caitanya sahastra nama
Recite this prayer after me.
namo maha-vadanyaya Krsna-prema-pradaya te
Krsnaya Krsna-chaitanya-namne gaura-tvishe namah
O most munificent incarnation! You are Krsna Himself appearing as Sri Krsna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributing pure love of Krsna. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.
Nama, guna, rupa, lila is explained in this sloka.
Tomorrow we will come to know more about Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya.
Glories of Radharani
Glories of Radharani
Venue: Krsna Balaram Mandir, Vrndavana
Dated: 29.08.2017
Occasion: Radhastami
Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!
Srila Prabhupada is the one who has given Radha and Krishna to us. So Prabhupada is to himself celebrate Radhashtami, Janmasthami. Even when he was little boy, he celebrated, he used to share this with us. And then sadhus coming to his home and Gour Mohan Dey’s used to do special appeal to all those sadhus, “please bless my son.” What sort of blessing? So that he becomes devotee of Radhey!! Radha’s devotee. So Srila Prabhupada was Radha’s devotee, Radha bhakta. Varsabhanavi dayita, his spiritual master also has this name; Varsabhanavi dayite Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvate Thakur. So blessings of all those sadhus. Gour Mohan Dey was also first guru, siksha guru. His blessing, sadhus blessings, Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur’s blessings and Srila Prabhupada became a great devotee of Srimate Radharani ki……. jai!!
It must be very first year after ISKCON was founded, ’66 foundation. Even before the foundation day but the same year ’66 in New York, Srila Prabhupada held first Radhashtami festival in New York. Initiation also held on that day, Satsvarupa Swami, Brahmananda, Achyutananda, they received blessings of Radharani. They were initiated that day. Every year of course Prabhupada has been celebrating Radhashtami here and there, everywhere. I found out some year which years where. In 68 he was in Montreal, Canada celebrated Radhashtami there. In 69 in London, he was there a few times in London for Radhasthami festivals, ’69, ’71 and ’73. Three times in London Prabhupada celebrated Radhashtami Mahotsava ki…………. jai!!
In 1970 it was turn for Kolkata, Radhastami in Kolkata. Jayapataka and Achyutananda were given sannyasa initiation on that day! Haribol!!
And moving forward ’72 Los Angeles Radhashtami. ’74 Kolkata again. ’75 Krsna Balaram opening had already happened on Rama Navmi. And that year Radhashtami, Srila Prabhupada was right here!! Haribol!! I Am sure he was right here sitting and celebrating. And that day the International Gurukul school corner stone ceremony was led on Radhashtami of 75. Then ’76 was the turn for New Delhi, Lajpat Nagar, 21 Feroze Gandhi road. I was there so I remember. Prabhupada celebrated Radha Parthsarathi’s Radhashtami. Guess what? He was translating Srimad Bhagavatam like always and everywhere. So that day, on Radhashtami day, Srila Prabhupada completed the translation of the 8th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. Haribol!!
This commentation, Srila Prabhupada was writing, that commentaries on Srimad Bhagavatam has been finished in our New Delhi center today, 1st September, 1976, the day of Radhashtami, by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the acharyas this was possible. Srila Prabhupada is writing he continues to write there.
Srila Narottama dasa Thakura says,
‘tandera carana sevi bhakti-sane vasa janame janame haya, ei abhilasa’
I am attempting to present Srimad Bhagavatam in the English language by the order of my spiritual master, Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and by his grace the work of translation is gradually progressing, and the European and American devotees (He is remembering them, he is not remembering Indians), who have joined the Krsna consciousness movement are helping me considerably. Indian devotees were not helping at that time. Those who helped were American, European (Laughter). Thus we have expectations of finishing the great task before my passing away. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.
That was also day Radhashtami in New Delhi. Srila Prabhupada gave me personal instructions to start the bullock cart sankirtan party. I was enjoying travelling in the buses, German buses of Hamsaduta Maharaj he was at that time. Prabhupada said ‘No’, Buses had to go also back to Germany. I was left with no mode of transportation. He said, ‘get down from the bus get into bullock cart.’ That instruction for me was, is very special to me. And I received that instruction on Radhashtami day 1976 New Delhi Radha Parthsarathi mandir. And then I just want to share what Prabhupada had been saying at some of these Radhashtami celebration days. Especially in London in ’71 and again in ’73.
You’ll like to hear what Srila Prabhupda said? Haribol!!!
Prabhupada said, must be Radha Gokulananda temple in London. Radharani is Krsna’s pleasure potency.
‘radha krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini saktir’ (C.C Adi 1.5)
He quoted that; The Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has got varieties of energies. As it is confirmed in the Vedic literatures.
‘parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate
na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate’,
(Svetasvatara Upanishad) Prabhupada quoted.
The Supreme Lord has nothing to do personally. ‘na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate’
He has nothing to do. Just like here in this material world, we find very big man political head or business head, personally he has nothing to do because he has got so many assistants, secretaries. That personally he has nothing to do anything. Similarly the Supreme Personality of Godhead full with six opulences, why He’ll have to do something. No, He has got many assistants.
‘sarvatah pani-padam tat’
In Bhagavata Gita He has got everywhere His hands and legs. You’ll find Krsna, He has nothing to do. He is simply engaged in enjoying with Gopis and Radharani. Haribol! Jaya Radhey!
And then ’73 Radhashtami London Prabhupada said, ‘Actual aim of life is to satisfy Visnu. And Krsna is original Visnu tattva. And He is pleased through Radharani.’ Haribol!!
Such a profound statement. He is pleased through Radharani. Therefore, we don’t keep Krsna alone, no. Radha Krsna, first Radharani. So that day is today. First you have to worship Radharani. If you go through Radharani, therefore, in Vrndavana you will see all the devotees they will address one another Radhey!! Radhey!! Jaya Radhey! Still, meaning even today. Because they know, if I can please Radharani; Radharani presented the original pleasure potency, always absorbed in thought of Krsna. So anyone who comes before Radharani to serve Krsna, She becomes so pleased, ‘Here is a devotee of Krsna.’ She immediately recommends, ‘Krsna! Oh Krsna! Here is a devotee. He is better than me!’ This is Radharani.
I may be not devotee. I may be most fallen rascal but if I try to reach Krsna through Radharani, then my business is successful. Therefore we should worship Radharani first. That is our business. Instead of offering directly one flower to Krsna, you just put it in the hand of Radharani. You can say this, ‘My dear Radharani, jagat mata, if you kindly take this flower and offer it to Krsna.’ Radharani says,’ Oh you have brought a flower?’
Krsna says, ‘patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati’
But don’t try to offer Krsna directly. Just offer through Radharani. It will be very much appreciated by Radharani. Haribol!!
So this is our philosophy. So please Krsna through Radharani. And just today is auspicious of Radharani’s appearance. So we should offer pushpanjali and pray to Radharani. You could say the prayer, ‘Radharani kindly be merciful and tell about me to your Krsna.’ Krsna is not independent. Krsna is Radharani’s property. So you have to approach Krsna through Radharani. Today is auspiscious day. So worship Radharani very nicely and be happy. Prabhupada said.
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Chant Hare Krsna and be happy. That we normally hear. And here Srila Prabhupada says, ‘Worship Radharani and be happy.’ So what’s the difference? There is no difference! The chanting of Hare Krsna Hare Krsna is what? That is worshipping Radharani, worship Deity of Radharani, Radha Shyamsundar. Everyday we worship Radha Shyamsundar. Everyday we worship the Holy name. And here also, the first comes Hare then comes Krsna. This is also prayer. Srila Prabhupada used to always simply, not getting into the details. He would translate this, ‘Oh Radhey, Oh Krsna, please engage me. I am yours. Please engage me in your service. Or Oh! Radhey, you are engaged in Krsna’s service, please engage me also in Krsna’s service. This chanting Hare Krsna Hare Krsna is that prayer, that meditation. That is the worship of Radha Krsna, worship of Radharani. Worship Radharani nicely and be happy. So chant Hare Krsna nicely. Nicely is what? Attentively is what?
‘aparadh-sunya ho’ya loho krsna nama’
That is worshipping Radharani, worshipping Krsna, worshipping Their Holy names.
So Prabhupada gave us Radha Krsna, gave us Radharani. Take Radharani. Take Hare. Take Krsna. Prabhupada gave us Radha Krsna in the form of Their names.
We could say that also, by worshipping the Holy names.
Today is Radharani’s appearance day, formal Radhashtami. But She is willing and ready to appear every day, every time wherever. She is ready to appear. What form and shape?
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
In the form of the Holy name Radha and Krsna are appearing everyday to every body.
‘kali kale nama-rupe krsna-avatara’ or
‘kali kale nama rupe radha avatar’, ‘radha krsna avatar’, ‘kali kale nama rupe’ in the form of the Holy name Radha Krsna appearing. In fact this is Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given Himself to the world. In parampara we receive Radha Krsna in the form of the Holy name. Chant Hare Krsna and be happy. At the time of initiation, what are we given? What do we receive when we are given initiation? What we are given is Hari nama, Radha nama, Hare Krsna.
‘hare krsna nama gaura karila pracara’
So we are given that Radha Krsna nama. If we worship this Holy name, we could attain perfection of our life. One goal is to achieve Krsna prema, Radha prema and that could be done by chanting Radha Krsna’s names. Hare Krsna.
Today is allowed to go on and on till abhishek time. Are you fasting? You are not remembering. (Laughter). And feasting in fact. Today is the feast day. We eat feast through the ears. That feast, karanamrta not the annamrta.
So much you could talk about Radha Krsna. But could we finish in two hours? This never ending discussion and ever fresh, you don’t have repeat. So much to talk about.
Somewhere something we want to talk. There is so much to talk and of all that talk what to talk today. I am not surem, but I have to talk something for my own purification
‘krsna kanta gana dekhi tri-vidha prakara
eka laksmi-gana, sutre mahisi-gana ara’
You know Krsna takes avatar, Krsna is avatari. So is Radharani, avatari, she has been said here as anshini. Radha and Krsna are complete and they have different expansions, manifestations, different forms. They both appear, Krsna appears in so many different forms so does Radharani appears in so many different forms. And three of them specifically are mention here. Beginning with all the sakhis including Lalita and Vishaka and asta sakhis and then special hundred and eight gopis. And millions and trillions of gopis in Vrndavana and those many are required in order to increase the rasa, the juice to make the rasa dance juicy, so many are required. So Radharani expands and She becomes all the sakhis and all the gopis. They are described as
‘lakshmi sahasra-sata-sambhrama sevyamanam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami’ (S.B.S 29)
They are also mentioned as Lakshmis of Vrndavana. Vrndavana’s Maha Lakshmi is Radharani. Vrndavana Lakshmis are sakhis. Vrndavana Lakshmis are gopis. How many Lakshmis are serving Sri Krsna. ‘lakshmi sahastra’
So this is all Radharani. Then Radharani further expands and says, ‘mahishi gana’. All the queens of Krsna in Dwarka, this is further expansion of Radharani. Radharani personally becomes? Who is Radharani in Dwarka? Satyabhama, hot tempered. There is left wing gopi and right wing gopi. And Radha appeared today and Chandravali appeared today. In Dwarka lila Rukmini is Chandravali. She is straight forward, soft and kind. She never gets on the case of Sri Krsna and makes His life very difficult as Radharani does. And so is Satyabhama, she continues doing that in Dwarka. Lalita is Jambhavati. Yamuna is Kalindi, the fourth queen of Sri Krsna in Dwarka. And all the queens, this is further expansions of Radha. And then the third is all the avatars of the Lord in Vaikunthas, they have their hladini shaktis, pleasure potency and they are called Lakshmis. Lakshmi Narsimha dev ki…. jai!!
Varaha Lakshmi, Narayana Lakshmi like that. ‘nana avatara’ again who is these Lakshmi? This is Radharani in Vaikuntha is Lakshmi. Radharani in Dwarka is Satyabhama. In fact they are all Radha. Radha becomes all the sakhis, gopis. Radha becomes further mahishis, queens. Radha becomes all the Lakshmis in the Vaikuntha planets. If Krsna is everywhere, then Radha is everywhere in all those manifestations.
‘bahu kanta vina nahe rasera ullasa
lilara sahaya lagi bahuta prakasa’
So many many Radhas are required. So Radha becomes many in the form of sakhis and gopis. Many many are required and Radha becomes many and then there is rasa dance and then other pastimes of Vrndavana.
‘govinda nandini radha’ nice to hear. How is Radha? If you could understand what we are saying, Govind Nandini Radha; one who gives ananda to Radha, Govindanandini.
‘govinda mohini govinda sarvasva, sarva kanta siromani’
There are so many kantas, lovers of Krsna in Vrndavana. Radharani is siromani, the top of all those kantas. ‘sarva kanta siromani’
‘krsna mayi radha’, it should be really waking us up if we meditate. How is Radha? Just one word but everything is said. You don’t have to say anything more like this one Govind Nandini is complete.
‘sarva kanta siromani’
If you want to say Radha in one word, say something, everything about Radha you could say Radha is Krsna mayi.
If mind is sleeping, mouth will not open. Say Krsna mayi!! Krsna mayi means full of Krsna. She is filled with Krsna, fully Krsna conscious. If anyone is most Krsna conscious, that is Radharani.
‘tara bhakti tara saha hoya eka rupa
krsna vanca murti rupa kare aradhane’
‘vancha kalpatarubhyas ca’, for Krsna, Radharani is that ‘vancha kalpataru’ desire tree, wish fulfilling tree. Desire tree is Radharani for Sri Krsna. All the desires for Sri krsna are fulfilled by Radharani.
‘purna ananda maya ami cinmaya purna tattva’
But then Krsna saying, ‘I am ‘purna ananda maya’, I am supposed to be complete ‘om purnam adah purnam idam’, ‘cinmaya purna tattva’ I am purna, I am complete.
‘na jani radhar preme ache koto bal
radhikara preme ama karaya unmata’
I am full of anand, I am complete. But then He says, ‘ Radha’s prema makes me mad, I become mad after that Radha.’
Krsna says, ‘I can’t understand how much power there is in that Radha’s prema, Radha’s love. How attractive is that Radharani to Me. I am complete still I am attracted to that Radharani, I am taken over, I am overwhelmed.
‘radhika prema guru ami shisya nata’
Krsna says, ‘I am just the actor, She is the one who makes Me dance. She makes Me dance. She is the prema guru. She is the guru for Me. What does She teach? Love, Lessons of love I learned from her. She is My guru.’
‘ami shisya nata’
I am disciple, actor, I am Her student.
One time Vrnda has just come from somewhere. But Radharani doesn’t know from where she has come from. Hence Radharani is inquiring.
‘kasmat vrnde’
‘Where did you come from?’, Radharani is asking.
‘priya sakhih hareh pada mulat’
‘Oh I was there at the feet of Sri Krsna. From His lotus feet wherever they are, I have come.‘Where is He? Where are those lotus feet right now?’, Radharani is kind of counter questioning Vrinda devi.
‘kunda aranye’, ‘In the forest.’ Which forest? ‘kunda aranya’. Radha kunda aranya, the forest around Radha kunda. That is where He was. I just came from there. ‘What is He doing there?’, Radharani is very curious.
‘natya siksyam’ ‘He is taking lessons in dance. He is busy with the dance lesson.’ ‘guru kaha’, Radha asking, ‘He is taking lessons? Who is His guru?’ Then Vrnda devi says, ‘You! You are the guru.’
‘He is just dancing right behind you. Wherever He goes, He is seeing you. He is only inspired. Wherever He looks, He sees You. ‘There and there is Radharani.’
‘bahir narsimho hrdaye nrsimho, yato yato yami tato’.
Where Krsna goes, there is Radharani. Outside is Radharani, inside is Radharani. So He is running everywhere after You and taking lessons from that You there and He is busy dancing hither and thither everywhere.
‘krsna vanca purna rupa kare aradhane’
Radha of course she is worshipping Krsna. Krsna is worshipping Radha. It is also said, they are not two. They are one, two in one or two together is one.
‘radha krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini saktir asmad’
Krsnadas Kaviraj Goswami begins Caitanya Caritamrta with one of these statements. He says the manifestation of hladini shakti of the Lord; that is Radharani manifest. And then there is ‘radha krsna pranaya vikriti’, the prema. This is even just not prema but pranaya, very intense, condense prema is called pranaya. Superior to prema is sneha. Superior to sneha is maan. And superior to maan, when maan becomes condensed, paripakva, then it is pranaya. So that pranaya, is manifestation of hladini shakti. The pleasure potency of the Lord, Radharani manifests and then there is Radha Krans pranaya.
‘ekatmanav api’
‘ekatmanah, ek atma, Radha Krsna, They are one atma, one spirit, one entity.
‘deha-bhedam gatau tau bhuvi pura’
But then long long time ago, don’t ask that, what happen? They were one, then what happen? They became two for the pastimes and They are having pastimes.
‘caitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caikyam aptam’
But now, what happen again? He appeared as Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They had become two and again They had become one. Sri Krsna Ciatanya Mahaprabhu ki jai!!
‘radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krsna-svarupam’ (CC Adi 1.5)
He is Shyamsundar Sri Krsna. Because He wanted to know, what kind of powerful is Krsna prema and Radha’s greatness. He had three questions. ‘mahima ki drashi’, and He became anxious to know Radha. He became greedy, lobha.
‘saci-garbha-sindhu harinduh’
Hari, that is Lord, Indu, that is moon. And He appeared and became Caitanya Chandra appearing in the womb that is compared to the ocean. That became ocean and Saci mata gave birth to Harindhu, that is Caitanya Chandra.
Like ‘vrsbhanudadhi-nava-sasi-lekhe’
Vrsbhanu and Kirtida, they are like an ocean and Radharani appeared there today.
Later on He appeared as ‘saci-garbha-sindhau harindhuh’. So that Radharani who worships Krsna. That is what the gopis said:
The gopis said, ‘whose footprints are these?’ All the gopis were searching for Krsna. They are looking everywhere. They are asking everywhere, gone mad even asking trees, asking everybody. So as they were searching, at one point, they saw some footprints. Some of the gopis found. They were spread all over. So one group, they saw some footprints. As soon as they saw footprints,
All those signs on Krsna’s footprints; the flags, fish, they were all there. ‘Oh! For sure this is Krsna’s footprints. Hey! Come on here!’ all gopis came running. Because they thought the footprints are here and there, they are very fresh. These footprints are very fresh, maybe few minutes ago. He was right here. He is not very far away from here. So they called over and were following these footprints. And as they walked some distance, they noticed another person walking next to Krsna. ‘Whose footprints could these possibly be? Who is walking next to Krsna?’, someone is wondering. ‘You fool, pagli kahi ki, of course these are footprints of Rdaharani.’ Then some gopis said those who were sure,
‘anayaradhito nunam bhagavan harir isvarah’ (S.B 10.30.28)
These footprints are of the worshipper of ‘bhagavan harir isvarah paramah krsna’, the worshipper. They are not taking the name directly. Oh! that one! One who worships Isvara, Hari, Krsna , Bhagavan. Who is that? Radharani!! So the gopis were following the footprints of Radha and Krsna.
But after some time they could not see Radha’s footprints, only Krsna’s footprints. And they were wondering, ‘what happen here? Where did she go? Of course Krsna must have picked her up. And He must be carrying Her on the shoulder. He is double load, that’s why the dust was deeper into the earth. He must be carrying Her.’ Then they go some distance this way and that way.
Then they noticed, only the front portions of Krsna’s foot impression were there on the raman reti. What is He doing here? He must have climbed up to reach the flowers. He is jumping up and down to pick up flowers for Radharani. And as the gopis are looking hither and thither, ‘Hey look! Some of them found, this is where They must have sat together. The impression in the vraja like one person sitting behind the other person. So this is Krsna sitting behind and Radharani in the front. Those flowers He picked up, He made flower garlands and hair decorations. So they are meditating and they are still moving on, to find Them. They are looking for Radha and Krsna now. They know not only Krsna has gone into the deep forest but Radharani also.
And then something had happen and Radharani has become very proud. ‘I am the only one leaving all else behind. He took me with Him. I must be very special.’ So She has become proud and there maan develops. And now again she says, ‘Krsna I am very tired walking and walking. You have to pick me up.’ And Krsna says okay and He was sitting and said, ‘jump’. And as She was about to jump, She didn’t land on the shoulders, She landed on the ground, Krsna disappeared. He has taken the position, ok climb and jump and as She was about to jump, He disappeared. And the gopis searching for Radha and Krsna, they have reached Radharani, only Radharani. And they saw Radharani overwhelmed, crying for Krsna. Krsna! She is saying,
‘ha natha ramana prestha kvasi kvasi maha-bhuja’
Where are You now? Where are You now?! Where have You gone? You are maha bhujah, certainly very powerful. Now I realize.
‘dasyas te krpanaya me sakhe darsaya sannidhim’ (S.B 10.30.39)
I am just but dasi of You. Have mercy upon me, oh Krsna! O Sakhe! Please give me darshan. Either You come and give me darshan. Or let me know where are You. I will come. I would like to be with You, close proximity of You. Then Radha and all the gopis, their search continues. And Krsna is nowhere to be found. And they concluded, ‘why should we be looking for Krsna in the forest. We lost Him on the bank of Yamuna. That’s where we lost Him. So we should go back to bank of Yamuna where we lost.
Wherever I lost my keys in the office, why should I look for them in the temple room? ‘So we lost Krsna on the bank of Yamuna, let’s all go back to bank of Yamuna. That’s where all the gopis they returned. And upon returning, they all started singing in chorus. Radharani leading and gopis joining.
Radharani Ki ……..jai
Krsna’s Madhur lila in Vrndavan
Krsna’s Madhur lila in Vrndavan
Date: 19 Jan 2017
Venue: Pandharpur
“pasya pasya vayasyams te matr-mrstan svalankrtan
tvam ca snatah krtaharo viharasva svalankrtah” (S.B. 10.11.19)
pasya pasya- just see, just see; vayasyan-boys of Your age; te- Your; matr-mrstan-cleansed by their mothers; su-alankrtan-decorated with nice ornaments; tvam ca – You also; snatah- after taking a bath; krta-aharah- and eating Your lunch; viharasva- enjoy with them; su-alankrtah- fully decorated like them.
Translation and short purport by Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!
Translation:
Just see how all Your playmates of Your own age have been cleansed and decorated with beautiful ornaments by their mothers. You should come here, and after You have taken your bath, eaten Your lunch and been decorated with ornaments, You may play with Your friends again.
Purport:
Generally young boys are competitive. If one friend has done something, another friend also wants to do something. Therefore mother Yashoda pointed out how Krsna’s playmates were decorated, so that Krsna might be induced to decorate Himself like them.
“pasya pasya vayasyams te matr-mrstan svalankrtan
tvam ca snatah krtaharo viharasva svalankrtah”
There is no objection for your playing but not now. Now is the time for eating. Nanda baba is waiting for You. Look! Look!’, this is mother Yashoda addressing her child. She is bringing to her child’s attention. He is not God for her, He is just a child for her.
The way other mothers also would deal with their children, Yashoda also deals with her two sons. Two Lords, they have become two sons. One is of course her own son, Sri Krsna. And son of Rohini, Rohinandana Balaram. It is something that we, I also experienced this, going through this (laughs). My mother also coming with a stick. And as the rule goes, children must play.
‘bala avasta krida sakta’
All children all over the world wherever they are, children must play. And here, God, the Lord who has become a child, what is He most interested in? Playing! And they would like to play and play and go on with their play. If they are not stopped, interrupted, they would go on. If demon would not come, they would just keep playing even forget the lunch. That is why demon has to come and interrupt His play. And then, time for lunch, we have to take our lunch.
So that is in the forest. When Krsna grows up here, He is still in Gokula. He is not cowherd boy yet. He is spending time playing with His friends.
So we also did the same thing. We used to play and play and play. Then our mothers would come. My mother would also come and call, ‘Hey Raghu! Or Ragya! (Laughter), Ramya, this goes on in Maharashtra. Nice name, Rama becomes Ramya, Raghu becomes Ragya. And if we did not respond to that call, mothers would come closer, hold our ears and, ‘You had been playing!’ and exact same thing what Yashoda is saying here. The way she is dealing, our mothers also dealt like that. I don’t know the West? Your mothers also? You used to play? How come? You are not Hindu. You would play football?! (Laughter) We were playing chini dandu (sport played in the rural areas).
When I went to America, Europe first time, I used to think that American children must not be playing. They must be scientist from the childhood days, serious and looking through their microscopes and telescopes. But that was not the case. I landed at JFK and driving to the temple in New York. On the way, there was a school and school ground. And I saw children. What were they doing? They were playing! I was surprised. American children and playing!! This is the arrangement. This also proves that there is but one creator. And there is but one governing rule. If you are a child, you play. Sankaracharya, in fact, he made these observations.
‘bala avasta krida sakta yuva avasta taruni raktah vrudha avasta chinta magnah’
‘avasta’ means your age or stage in your life. If you are ‘bala avasta’, if you are child, you play. Yuva avasta, you are grown up then ‘taruni raktah’, you are attracted by opposite sex. Man looking at woman. Woman looking at man. This also happens in America? All the time!! So same rule, the same Lord.
‘mayadhyaksena prakriti suyate sa-caracaram’ (B.G 9.10)
This is, I am the superintendent and I make all the rules. And when you are old, you are full of anxiety, ‘chinta magnah’. And that must also be happening in Japan or China or Canada or Brazil. The age of Kali is in your country also? They may say, ‘No, no, no! We are not Hindus. Kali is for you not us. But Kali is everywhere. The age of kali is for the whole world. One who takes birth, he must die, Krsna says in Bhagavad Gita. So Westerners may think, ‘This is your God’s statement. This is from Bhagavad Gita. But we are not Hindus. We don’t have to follow this. We don’t agree with this.’ But they are forced to agree. They all must die and they all do die. So this is universal principle, it is not India limited or Hindus only.
‘catur varnyam maya srstam’ (B.G 4.13)
The four varnas, there is observation. It doesn’t take much to come to this conclusion. In every country, every nation, you’ll find the brahminical. They may not be studying Bhagavatam but studying Bible. Every country has some kings and administrators, that is ksatriya. And the whole world is busy with the businesses. So that’s vaisya or they are dealing with the cows. Unfortunately, they are dealing with the cows, instead of drinking cow’s milk, they drink cow’s blood, in a negative way. And the sudras are everywhere. Russia is full of sudras. So is of course India and the whole world.
‘kalau sudra sambhava’
Kalau means the age of kali. ‘Sudra sambhava’ means there would be sudras everywhere in the age of Kali. So, Kali is everywhere. Kali was asked, ‘you stay, you reside where there is meat eating.’ So they may not know this Kali, name term. But kali is doing its business. He is in business everywhere. So where there is meat eating that means kali is there. Intoxication, kali is there. Illicit sex, that’s kali’s residence, domain. And then gambling. Right there in the church they play bingo. ‘Thou shall not kill’, Bible says. But they are all killing that’s kali. Kali gets you to kill. And then they do not follow bible as it is. There is interpretation. ‘Oh killing, Thou shall not murder. Now the New Testament, the interpretation, ‘Thou shall not kill’ is to be replaced with “Thou shall not murder.”
‘Thou shall not murder’ means you should not kill human beings but you could kill everyone else, animals included. But ‘Thou shall not kill’ is replaced by ‘Thou shall not murder’ getting their license to kill animals. Human beings are human beings everywhere. All the laws made by the Lord are also everywhere.
When I was just a child I knew, it’s not only India exist but there are other countries which also have human beings. But I did not know what they look like. What they do or are they similar to us or they are very much different. Then for the first time, I saw some documentary, some Western countries and Western people. And I was surprised! They look just like me! Two hands and they had head also (Laughter). In that documentary, I saw and I heard a lady crying. I knew ladies cry. But I was thinking only Indian ladies must be crying. Why women overseas, rich countries, modern people, educated, they must not be crying. In the documentary I saw and heard women crying. And everything was confirmed. We all people wherever we are, we are very much alike.
So talking of children, when Krsna has become child, He is also acting as a child. Children they love to play. That’s what Krsna is doing here. The mothers are always concern about their children. They must eat. Look at your cloths, all dirty.
‘dhuli-dhusaritangas tvam putra majjanam avaha’
That was yesterday, look your cloths are all dirty and my mother used to slap. ‘Look! I just washed these cloths yesterday. You were given these clean and washed cloths but just look!’ She would dragged me to home and dumped me in well, washed me. Or get some bucket, pull water from the well and pour on my head.
So when great God, God is great- we hear; proprietor of everything and full of six opulences. When He plays these human like pastimes, they become very very interesting. So childhood pastimes of all the pastimes, they are very very attractive, very appealing. As we hear, the greatness of God becomes even greater as that ‘mahan’ Bhagavan becomes ‘lahan’. The great becomes small and begins playing. Lord cannot enjoy these kinds of pastimes in Vaikuntha. He does not even take birth in Vaikuntha. There is no mother for Him in Vaikuntha. You will find only Lakshmi Narayana. Visnus and the Lakshmis are massaging the feet of the Lord. So Lord is missing this. He likes to have some mother, ‘me too, me too, I want, mother I want, I want father, I want friends, I want some lovers.’ And to experience all this, for His experience becomes complete, wholesome, Lord descends. ‘sambhavami yuge yuge’
He descends and He takes birth, Lord takes birth and He has father and mother. Then He has friends, children in the neighbourhood become His friends. And as He grows up, there are gopis, yet another relationships, another kind of life.
So all these dimensions are added in Krsna’s pastimes in Vrndavana. In Vaikuntha only dasya bhava- only servants. There are no friends, no parents. And He is there only with Lakshmi, that’s all, He is married. But Lord is great and unlimited also. How could He just have only one wife?
So in Vrndavan,
‘laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam’
In Vaikuntha, there is only one Lakshmi. One Lord, one Lakshmi, one Narsimha, one Lakshmi. And one Varaha, one Lakshmi. One Narayana, one Lakshmi. One Sri Rama, one Sita. Sita is also like Lakshmi. But in Vrndavana, how many Lakshmis?
‘laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam’
Hundred multiplied by thousands multiplied by like that, those many Lakshmis. There is one Lakshmi in Vaikuntha, so much opulence. But then Vrndavana has thousands of Lakshmis.
And then He also has thousands of parents. Officially just one father, one mother. There are two sets. One father and mother in Mathura, Vasudev and Devaki. Father and mother Vrndavana side. But in Vrndavana, all the ladies, elderly ladies, there are two kinds of ladies. Young ladies, young girls, cowherd girls and then elderly already married elderly ladies. So young girls are His beloved gopis. They are Lakshmis. And all elderly ladies are mothers. They would like to have Krsna as their son. They were always praying,’ I wished I had son like Krsna.’ And He has so many friends also, so many parents, so many beloved gopis, lakshmis. God is great. Right there! He must be God. He has so many many many friends. Unlimited number of friends Lord has. He comes down and He has experienced of so many friends. ‘So many friends I have. So many parents I have.’
Because all those ladies were wishing, ‘I wish I had Krsna like son.’ And Lord reads their mind. ‘I know I know you mother, I know what are you thinking. You like to have son like me. I know I know.’ And then Krsna arranges that also. ‘Okay you could have Me.’ He gets Brahma to come down. All the friends are stolen. And Krsna becomes all the friends. All the friends as many friends there were and they were stolen. Those many friends Krsna becomes. And when they return to their respective homes and everyone loves Krsna including cows. Whole Vraja loves and serves Krsna. The water is also Krsna conscious. The milk is Krsna conscious as you know. And that milk which was being boiled on the oven and Krsna was drinking the breast milk of Yashoda.
‘yasoda ca maha-bhaga papau yasyah stanam harih’ (S.B 10.8.46)
What a great good fortune of Yashoda this is. And as that was going on, Krsna was drinking breast milk of Yashoda, then that milk which was being boiled in the kitchen, that milk was thinking, “Oh! He is going to fill up His belly with the breast milk. And He is not going to drink us today. What good is life? What good is our existence, my existence?! Milk is thinking, ‘If Krsna doesn’t drink me, I don’t get opportunity to serve Krsna so I better give up my life. I’ll commit suicide.’ And how I would do that? Fire is right there. So I’ll jump out of the pot and burn myself in the fire. And milk was about to do that, all flooding and some suicide was beginning. And Yashoda had taken note, she just threw Krsna on the floor and ran into the kitchen to save the life of that milk. So the milk is Krsna conscious. The clouds are Krsna conscious.
Yashoda would like Krsna to take umbrella. Krsna says, “no no, umbrella for me? No! Cows don’t have umbrella. How could I carry umbrella?” “No, no, no they are cows. You take one.” But Krsna insist, ‘First you get umbrella for cows. Every cow must have an umbrella. Then I’ll take one Myself also. But the difficulty is, the cows have only legs, no hands to hold an umbrella.” Then Krsna says, ‘ you also need one person next to the cows holding an umbrella over the cows.’ So where would Yashoda get so many umbrellas and so many men to hold that umbrellas. So she gave up that idea. But as Krsna goes into the forest, the clouds are in the sky. And they wanted to serve Krsna. How does cloud serve? He spreads. The cloud becomes an umbrella. Wherever Krsna is going herding His cows or playing, he is up there in the sky also watching the pastimes of Krsna and serving also at the same time. So whole Vraja is serving.
So here when Brahma had stolen friends of Krsna. Krsna becomes all those friends. And they are all returning to respective homes. Brahma not only stole Krsna’s friends but Brahma also had stolen all the calves. Krsna also becomes all those calves. So Krsna has become friends. Krsna also becomes calves. So they all returned. The friends go to their homes. The calves go into the goshalas. And now those calves are drinking their mother cow’s milk. Now who is drinking the milk? These cows are also thinking, ‘would Krsna ever come to milk us’. Normally the milk is in the buckets, pots and then it’s boiled, later on He drinks. But it would be best if Krsna would personally come to goshala and drink our milk directly like our calves drink. Would He ever do that? Oh! when would that day be mine? When would that day come? The cows are also thinking. Cows are like mothers. Cows have affection for the calves. That is called vatsalya bhava. ‘vatsa’ means calf and the cows affection for or towards the calf, that whole dealing, reciprocation, that bhava, cow’s bhava, cows’ thoughts and feelings, that is called vatsalya. Vatsalya bhava, cow’s feelings for the calf.
That is how the mothers, ladies thought for their children. This is also termed as vatsalya bhava. But the original vatslya is cow’s feelings for the calf. So here for entire one year, everyday the calf of each cow was drinking milk. And that was none other than Krsna. For whole year He was drinking. And cows were enjoying. They were happy, more happy than ever before. This was very special time. And the mothers in each home, they had Krsna as their son. And their affection for those sons during that one year was on rise, was increasing day by day, everyday more.
They had more affection for their own children. They were thinking their own children but we know. They didn’t know. We know more than they did (Laughter) that was Krsna. Our acharyas explain this in the commentaries that this one year was special. Before the commencement of that one year, the ladies of course made distinction, ‘This is my son. This is that gopi’s son. And that one is the other lady’s son. And this is Yashoda’s son, Krsna.’ They were making these distinctions, my son, their son. But during that one year period as days and months were passing by, there was a time in their life, they were not able to make any more distinction. This is my son, this is that lady’s son. This is Yashoda’s son. They were experiencing, this is the same person. My son is equal to that lady’s son is equal to that other lady’s son is equal to even including Yashoda’s son. There is no difference. So indirectly they were given that understanding, this is Krsna. So they were aspiring to have Krsna as their son or Krsna like son. But who is Krsna like? Only Krsna is Krsna like. There is one like Krsna. So Krsna had to become their son. So Krsna fulfilled the desire of the cows, fulfilled the desire of all those elderly ladies.
Also, we hear ladies and gentlemen with their young daughters now of their marriageable age, they were also thinking, ‘We wish we would get Krsna like husband for our daughters.’ All the parents were thinking, ‘Oh! I wish I wish my daughter would get married to Krsna. So during this one year, they were making announcements, “ If you have daughters who should be married by now, go ahead marry them. Shubh muhurta, it is very auspicious time, auspicious moments. Go for it, marry your daughters. This is marriage season. Marry your daughters. So they are getting married to who? All those young boys in Vrndavana, They were Krsnas. So all the girls also got Krsna as their husband. Cows had Krsna as their calves. And the ladies had Krsna as their sons. Everyone had a good time during that one year. Krsna fulfilled everyone’s desire.
The Yamala-Arjuna trees had just now being uprooted. And as they collapsed, there was a big bang, big sound, dust storm causing darkness everywhere. Everyone was scared, ‘Where is Krsna? Is He still alive?’ They were worried about everybody in general but especially Krsna. Vraja vasis, Gokula vasis, they are all Krsna conscious.
So Sukadeva Goswami had not even completed, he was in the middle of that pastime. And they would be finding out that Krsna is safe and they are going to call emergency meeting, all the vraja vasis. That was going to happen next, one after the other. Yamala Arjuna trees fall and dust storm and then, ‘We have to find some solution to these terrorist attacks.’ Putana came, there was Trnavarta and Shaktavarta. And this happened. There is no end to this, we have to do something. So with that aim in mind, they are going to get together. But before that get together, Sukadava Goswami just in the middle squeezed in some childhood pastimes. They are quiet irrelevant here. They should not be fitting here. He should just have continued. There is emergency and then ishtagoshti. Nanda baba, Upananda and Abhinanda and Nandananda. They are five bothers. Nanda Maharaj had four brothers including Nanda. That is five children of Parjanya Maharaj. Parjanya Maharaj is the father of Nanda and others.
So in between Sukadeva Goswami has some nectarean childhood pastimes. Just little sampling of dealings with Krsna and Balaram. How would Gopis deal and tease Krsna. ‘You want butter?’’ They are tall ladies. They are holding butter. If you jump reach the butter, then you could have it.’ Then Krsna has to jump. They make their hands go higher and higher and He has to jump higher and higher and His mouth is watering.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, this is what He has to go through. He is supposed to be controller of anything and everything. Not even a blade of grass moves without His sanction. But in order to get some butter in some gopi’s hand, He has to jump and cry. So that makes the relationships so sweet, sweet dealings. So that supremacy of Vaikuntha, isvara bhava, aishvarya of Vaikuntha is not there in Vrndavana. There is Madhurya in Vrndavana and audarya in Mayapur, Aishvarya in Vaikuntha.
So all the pastimes in Vrndavana are madhur lila,
‘adharam madhuram madhura dipati akhilam maduram’
All the things are so sweet in Vrndavana. So those sweet things, the lilas of Krsna are madhur in Vrndavana- lila madhurya. Lord Sri Krsna in Vrndavana is known for four kinds of madhurya which is not found anywhere else outside Vrndavana, not even in Mathura, not even in Dwarka, forget in Vaikuntha. It is found only in Vrndavana. And lila madhurya is one of them. Then venu madhurya is whole venu geet. What is the third one? Rupa madhurya-His beauty. And then prema madhurya- His loving dealings.
Shiva has 55 qualities, add five more and that becomes Visnu. Visnu has 60 qualities. But Krsna has 64. So additional 4 qualities not found in any Personality of Godhead, not even in Sri Rama.
‘nanavataram akarod bhuvanesu kintu’
So many avataras, expansions, plenary portions, portions of the plenary portions.
‘advaitam acyutam anadim ananta rupam’
Ananta forms are there but only Sri Krsna amongst all of them has these 4 additional features, full of madhurya, full of sweetness. As the result, because Sri Krsna resides in Vrndavana,
‘goloka namni nija dhamni tale ca tasya’
In Gokula, Vrndavana Krsna resides so this dham becomes very special dham. So no Personality of Godhead is equal to.
‘mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya’ (B.G 7.7)
He already said that. So as no one is equal to Sri Krsna, no dham is equal to Vrndavana dham.
The greatness of dham depends of dhami- the Lord of that dham. As great is the Lord of that dham, that great is dham. So Krsna is the greatest, so dham is also the greatest means madhurya dham. That sweetness of Vrndavana is shared and distributed in Mayapur by same Krsna. He becomes Sri Krsna Caitanya and then,
“ krsna prema pradayate, krsnaya krsna caitanya namne gaura tvise namah”
Lord becomes magnanimous. Audarya means the magnanimity. Lord becomes most magnanimous and shares the most nectarean pastimes. And He shares Radha Krsna also. He shares Vrndavana. All that is revealed, something that is most confidential in Vrndavana and it is concealed in Vrndavana, it is revealed in Mayapur by Mahaprabhu, by Krsna Himself.
So dham becomes audarya dham, the magnanimous dham. And Pancha Tattvas, they are sharing, plundering and taking, giving out Krsna prema. Do not fear, take this.
I had gone to Bankura to get the deities of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. One hand up and one hand in the front. And I asked the carver what’s the meaning of one hand up and one hand in the front? He explained and his explanation made sense to me. He said, Lord says, ‘ Do not fear and come here, come near, oh dear and take this.’ One hand in front, take this Krsna prema pradayate. Come here and take this nectar.’ He is giving and handing out Krsna. Krsna is giving Krsna in the form of the holy name also.
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
Krsna is transformed into holy name and making Lord into holy name and He is distributed, take this. There is no difference between the form and the name.
So the form is transformed into the name, mantra murti- murti means form, mantra form. In the form of Hare Krsna, Lord is shared by Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
There is so much to say, thinking of something else and that never happens. We got distracted-transcendental distraction. And we took another path. We are governed like that. We just surrender and flow wherever it takes us, we just follow.
Any question,
Question (1) : It is also described some of the devotees, they take the form of demons in the spiritual sky. They are not demons but they take the form.
Answer: Yes. Some devotees, they become demons in spiritual sky. Then there is something like killing, like a drama. Here also Jaya and Vijaya. Because Lord also likes wrestling, battling. So He wants to enjoy, relish that spirit, that rasa. So who He will be battled with? So He makes His Jaya Vijaya, His doorkeepers become demons. They play the role of powerful demons. Lord would not battle with small tiny demon. They have to be very very powerful. So He transforms His own devotees, the gate keeper devotees into demon and then He is battling, fighting with them. He appears three times. Varaha Narsingha that is one, to battle one time. Then He appears as Sri Rama and Lakshman. Kumbhakaran and Ravan are killed. Then He appears as Sri Krsna and He killed Sishupal and Dhantavakra. They should have gone by that time. They had to appear only three times. But as they got the news that Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord is going to appear as Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and exhibit very sweet pastimes, so those Jaya Vijaya, they extended their visa (Laughter). And they stayed on till the beginning of the age of Kali. Let the Lord appear. We don’t want to miss this nectar. Just being at the gate with the stick and gun, that’s boring. Let us enjoy. So they stayed on. So Jagai and Madhai. Lord Nityananda, they also battled with Him. Kali yuga style battle. Of course Lord had come with the sudarshana but then Nityananda, ‘No, no. this is the age of Kali.’ Then the sudarshana was made to disappear. And then he used the Holy Name weapon, the humility weapon, the kindness weapon. Killing with love as they say. Sometimes you kill somebody with love.
Question (2): When the real boys came back after one year from the cave, the gopis were married. So how do they explain that?
Answer: They were not married, Krsna was married. Boys in the cave, they remain brahmacari. Only those who were in the field and those boys were Krsna. The marriage has taken place with Krsna. In each home there is Krsna. So all these young daughters were married with Krsna. You could ask so many related questions.
When Krsna had to return from Dwarka because He had promise to Nanda Maharaj. Then the parents were thinking, ‘We wished we had married our daughters with Krsna. He was in Mathura for long time. Instead of returning from Mathura. He went to Dwarka for long long time. We were compelled to marry our daughters. And we have married our daughters not with Krsna but with some other gopas, some other young men. But we wished we had married our daughters with Krsna. If He had come back and stayed on in Vrndavana or returned to Vrndavana earlier, we could have married. But He took long long time and then we were forced to get our daughters married. And thinking this way, all the residents and the elderly ladies and gentlemen, they were full of lamentation.
And this time Paurnamasi, Yoga maya, she gathered all the residence of Vrndavana together. And there is a special demonstration. She wants to prove that, ‘No, no your daughters are not married. There is confusion. They think they are married. Yoga maya said, ‘No, no. They are not married.’ So she invites Durvasa Muni and she asks durvasa Muni to undergo severe austerity quickly, very intense fast one. Crash course kind of austerity. That would create an intense fire, fiery tapasya, austerity. That happens and then Yoga maya also says, ‘Look look at your daughters.’ As they all look at their daughters, they see two daughters looking alike. One real one, one shadow one. One real daughter gopi and one shadow. This is something similar with Sita.
Sita stolen by Ravana was chaya –shadow Sita. Real Sita was protected by fire God, rescued and preserved.
So like that. Now Yoga maya says, ‘You’ll see if your original daughters are pure, untouched, chaste, not married. I want them to prove that they are eternal pure, spiritual chaste. So, they were asked to pass through that fire caused by the austerity of Durvasa Muni. And that is what happens. All these gopis walked through the fire. And fire didn’t touch them, not even one hair.
What is the first thing that is burned? The hair. All these beautiful hairs are gone. When there is cremation, first thing that is burned is the beautiful hair, finished in fraction of second. But here, nothing of that sort happened. They walked on, they walked through and they walked out clean. Sari is intact, hair everything. And then Paurnamasi says, ‘See! They are not married. Krsna is here. Go ahead.
Radha also is not married with Abhimanyu. This marriage business is not there in Goloka. It is happening here. Some false husbands are created. Who could marry Radharani? Who could claim Radharani as his wife? Only claim over Radha and only claim over the gopis, is that of Krsna. But the situation was created and gopis are married.
‘parakiya bhave jaha vrajete pracara’
Not His own wives but wives of others. That kind of relationships which is even more sweeter.
And then Krsna goes away to Dwarka. He had already gone. Then He is married there with 16,108 queens. Who are they? Like in Vrndavana there are eight sakhis, asthasakhis and Dwarka has eight principle queens; so when Krsna goes Dwarka side, all these gopis are feeling separation from the Lord. They cannot survive without the Lord. So they are the ones. They expand and have become queens of Krsna in Dwarka. They are princesses of different kings and they are imprisoned by Bhaumasura.
Bhaumasura had kidnapped them and they are in his custody. 16,100 of them and they had sent the message,’ Krsna! Krsna! Protect us please. Help! Help!’ Then Krsna had gone and battled with Mura demon. Mura was the assistant of this Bhaumasura. So Mura was killed. The enemy of Mura is Murari. Bhaumasura is son of Bhumi, earth. So Bhaumasura is also killed. And all these queens, no one would accept them. So what would happen to us? So Krsna accepts them. They were sent to Dwarka and then they were married. And eight principle queens were married. Each one, there is a pastime how He managed to get them and married them.
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For a soul there is no old or young, it’s never too late, grab the opportunity. If you try to enjoy here, you will end up suffering. There are two sagars, Prema Sagar and Maha-anartha sagar, and those who are intelligent will always go for Gauranga.
Love is divine. Love is something out of this world. Love is on the level of the soul. One soul loves the other soul and all the souls love the Supreme Soul and the Supreme Soul loves all the souls. That is love, that is loving dealing, loving reciprocation, which we miss a lot here in this material world.
Keep the mind fit. Keep the mind healthy. If the consciousness is contaminated, the consciousness of the soul is not healthy, then the mind is not healthy, then the body is not healthy. So ultimately it depends upon the health of the soul, the consciousness of the soul.
His Holiness is working tirelessly to preach and promote Krishna Consciousness in every town and village. His determination to serve his Spiritual Master is seen in many Spiritual Initiatives he has taken in the last many decades.
firelessly to preach and promote Krishna Consciousness in every town and village. His determination to serve his Spiritual Master is seen in many Spiritual Initiatives he has taken in the last many decades.