Monthly Archives: February 2025

Date: 25 February 2025
Speaker:  HH Lokanath Swami Maharaj
Topic: Disappearance Day of Srila Ishwar Puri
HH Lokanath Swami Maharaj:

Hari Hari!

When the mouth speaks, actually the soul is speaking. The ears do not hear unless the soul permits. The nose smells due to the presence of the soul. So, one must understand the concept of body and the soul,which means the body and the one who resides in the body.

Bg. 2.13:

dehino ’sminyathādehe
kaumāraṁyauvanaṁjarā
tathādehāntara-prāptir
dhīrastatranamuhyati

Translation:

As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change. The soul drives the body

Bg. 2.20:

najāyatemriyatevākadācin
nāyaṁbhūtvābhavitāvānabhūyaḥ
ajonityaḥśāśvato ’yaṁpurāṇo
nahanyatehanyamāneśarīre

Translation:

For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.

Bhagavad Gita says we are not the body; we are the soul.

Krsna has many Gopa friend in Vrindavan in Vishrabha Bhava, like Madhu Mangal and so on. They serve the Lord in sakhyabhaav – mellow of friendship and not awe and reverence. Hey! Krsna you are not a specialpersonality! You are our Shyam. They would often say.

All entities have some or the other qualities.

CC Madhya 22.107:

nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema ‘sādhya’ kabhunaya
śravaṇādi-śuddha-cittekarayeudaya

Translation:

“Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.

I am the younger brother but I have become a guru and my family members are now my disciples. So, I too have to maintain certain etiquettes with them.

Today is the disappearance day of Srila Ishwar puri. It was the 500th appearance festival and ISKCON was celebrating 1486 years.

Disappearance day is the day of joy and distress. The joy is that they will meet with the Lord after leaving this body and the distress is that we will not be able to associate with them.

We were coming to Mayapur by pada yatra. We stopped at Kumara Hatta, the birth place of Srila Ishwar puri. I was giving my first initiation there and the chief yagya pujari was HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj. I initiated only 4 disciples and one of them was from my village. We went from Gujarat to Aravade too. We had to go to south India to all the places where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also travelled. A young boy also joined us. He joined from my village and was initiate. Others were Jai Vijaya who were Americans. Others were Shyam kunda and Radha kunda – they were husband and wife.

When we moved from Halisar, another initiation ceremony took place where HGSahastranamPrabhu was the second candidate. Like this, 2-3 small initiation ceremonies took place. Then in Pandharpur my sister, Sita Mataji got initiated.

For a while no one was taking initiation. Then my brother Nanda Lala Prabhu, his name was Nivrutti which means the one who is renounced, joined. He would sing Tukaram bhajans the entire night especially during Ekadashi. That initiation was conducted in Aravade. Then eventually others also joined. Now at least there are 40-50 initiated devotees in my family.

This is the mercy of Srila Ishwar puri! If we would not have the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and who would have spread the glories of boundless devotional love of Radha Rani!

The first acharya to spread the love of Krsna was Srila MadhavendraPuri. He is the first founder Acharya of Gaudiya lineage. Srila Ishwar puri was like the small off shoot of the devotional tree which further evolved into a huge stem. With proper nutrition, then Sri Krsna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu became the future tree of Devotional service. So, Srila Ishwar puri was the disciple of Srila Madhavendra puri and he received the opportunity to serve Srila Madhavendra puri in Remuna in Orissa. When Srila Madhavendra puri would come to collect sandalwood, he would go to Vrindavan. But the deity of Gopal told him to offer sandalwood paste in Orissa itself and no need to come to Vridnavana every time. He was old and was served nicely by Srila Ishwar puri as one needs a lot of help, depends in his old age. Srila Ishwar puri once came to Mayapur and stayed with Srila Gopinath Acharya. We hear about him in Jagannath puri. He was originally from Puri but was living in Navadwipa.

Once while doing morning walk Srila Ishwar puri met Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and surely it was love at first sight! The sun is also known as Bhaskar. Which means it can spread its rays and brightness to everyone. Nimai invited Srila Ishwar Puri to his house. Sachi cooked a special meal. She offered the same to her home deities and then offered the same to Srila Ishwar Puri. She invited her relatives to also take darshan of Srila Ishwar puri. At that time, he was writing a book which was based on the past times of Krsna. He also met Srila Gadadhar pandit. Ishwar Puri came to know about the loving nature of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So out of utter love for Nimai pandit, he recited the same in front of Nimai. He wanted Nimai pandit to correct if any mistakes. To this Nimai pandit replied that when a devotee recites Krsna’s glories, only a sinner will find faults. Vishnave namaha is correct. But only gyaya or-the educated will know.There is some grammar also involved.

So, Mahaprabhu says that Kṛṣṇa is Bhavya grahi Janardan. He accepts whatever is offered with devotion. Beware, do not take undue advantage of this fact though. One must endeavour to learn nicely and even then, if there is any mistake then Krsna forgives. Eventually when Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu goes to Gaya, near Falgun River to offer oblations to his ancestorsand requested His guru to give Him shelter which alone could deliver Him!

CC Ādi 7.71:

prabhu kahe — śuna, śrīpāda, ihārakāraṇa
guru more mūrkhadekhi’ karilaśāsana

Translation:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied to PrakāśānandaSarasvatī, “My dear sir, kindly hear the reason. My spiritual master considered Me a fool, and therefore he chastised Me.

Eventually He received the mercy of Srila Ishwar Puri, in Gaya and He also heard many instructions from His guru Maharaja. Instantly all this happened!he was completely engrossed in love of Godhead.

CC Ādi 7.81:

kibā mantra dilā, gosāñi, kibātārabala
japitejapite mantra karilapāgala

Translation:

“My dear lord, what kind of mantra have you given Me? I have become mad simply by chanting this mahā-mantra!”

All the potencies of Krsna are present in His holy names. In Vrindavan, there are 64 samadhis and one of them is Srila Ishwar puri’s Pushpa Samadhi. Before leaving his body, he initiated two of his disciples Kashishwar and Govind and asked them to serve their God brother Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And he did so.

Sri Guru-vandana By Srila Narottama Das Thakur:

guru-mukha-padma-vakya, cittetekoriyaaikya,
arnakoriho mane asa

Translation:

My only wish is to have my consciousness purified by the words emanating from his lotus mouth.

All Glories to Srila Ishwar Puri!

All glories to HG Nand Laal Prabhu ji!