English
15 July 2024
Speaker: HH Lokanath Swami Maharaj
Theme: Iskcon is our home
Hare Krsna!
I heartily welcome you all. I am welcoming you individually through my words. You all are mine and I love you all. Srila Prabhupāda used to address his disciples in his letters, “My dear spiritual sons and daughters!” Therefore, you are also my sons and daughters. I am your mother and father both. Hence, loving you all is natural from my side. My birthday party has been organized. Relatives and friends are invited to birthday parties. Of all my loved ones, you are my closest and dearest. How many of you join the zoom japa session? All who raised their hands, we chant together online everyday. Just today, we are chanting on the ground. We have been chanting with each other for the last 5 years. Hence, we are creating a family. One of the objectives of celebrating my 75th birthday or Amrit Mahotsava is that I want you all to love each other also apart from loving me. Then our loving dealings are complete. Family that prays together, stays together. We all are going to pray and stay together for the next 2-3 days. Let’s experience vasudev kutumbakam which means the whole world is one family, vasudha means Earth. Srila Prabhupāda established Iskcon for all of us. We have one world in which one family is living according to vasudev kutumbakam. But some people have divided the one family into many which has been considered as the low thinking.
Ayam nijah paro veti gananaa laghuchetasam
Udaar charitaanam to vasudhaiwa kutumbakam.
Translation
Only narrow minded persons have two different outlooks towards common matters relating to themselves and others, whereas for noble and broad minded persons the entire world is like their own family. (And their approach towards all matters is uniform, be it their own matter or that of others i.e. they are never partisan.)
Our Krsna conscious society is creating one family by joining us together. Iskcon is our home. Prabhupāda built a house in which the whole world can live. This movement was started by Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahāprabhu who is Radha and Krsna.
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya
Translation
“Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is a combination of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.”
Mahāprabhu made Srila Prabhupāda as senapati bhakta or the ambassador of the spiritual world whose army is all of us. And Prabhupāda is the commander-in-chief of this sankirtan army. He was a commander that’s why he went to foreign country via jalduta boat. He was also a devaduta who boarded jalduta. On the instruction of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakura in Kolkata, Srila Prabhupāda went to foreign country to preach Krsna consciousness. According to the prediction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu,
pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma
sarvatra pracāra hoibe mora nāma
Translation
"As many towns and villages there are on the surface of the globe," sarvatra pracāra hoibe mora nāma, Lord Caitanya says, "everywhere people will know My name." This is the prediction of Lord Caitanya. [CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126]
krsna se tomara, krsna dite paro,
tomara sakati ache
ami to' kańgala, 'krsna' 'krsna' boli',
dhai tava pache pache
Translation
Krsna is yours. You have the power to give Him to me. I am simply your servant running behind you shouting, "Krsna! Krsna!" (Text 4, Ohe Vaisnava Thakura, Bhaktivinoda Thakura)
Srila Prabhupāda has given everything to the world by giving Krsna to us. Vaasudevam sarvam iti, means ‘God is all there is.’
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna
Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
Theme: Bombay is my office
Bombay was Srila Prabhupāda’s office and we were the staff members in that office. When Prabhupāda used to come to Bombay, we would wait to receive him at the terminal building. He would walk like a king as he went and he conquered the world.
param vijayate sri-krishna-sankirtanam, all glories to the Sri Krishna Sankirtana.
brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
Translation
“According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service. (CC Madhya 19.151)
I met Srila Prabhupāda by the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Then it added value to my life. When the Hare Krsna festival was celebrated in Bombay at Prabhupāda’s time, everyone was new, including me. There were many American and European devotees. This surprised everyone. Prabhupāda would address all the western devotees as “This is a united nation of the spiritual world.” I heard, saw and experienced the kirtana for the first time that day when all the western devotees as a family were doing kirtana in the festival. And then I was convinced by the symptoms of such devotees. Then and there, I also became the property of the Holy Name. Holy Name is Krsna Himself. Ya akarshati sa Krsna, Krsna attracts everyone. Holy Name attracted me.
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna
Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
Holy Name has never left me since then and I too never want to leave the Holy Name. I have always wanted to serve others since childhood but didn’t know how to do it. Prabhupāda told us that the Lord is the root or seed giving father, like a tree has roots.
(02:55:15) yathamul yesechanena trapyanti skandabhujo pashakha
The world has been compared with a tree. If we water the roots of the tree, the stems, leaves, fruits, and flowers start growing; similarly the Lord is the root of the world. If we serve the Lord, all the living entities will be automatically served.
This was the first thing I learned from Prabhupāda. I thought Prabhupāda had told this to me and with this, my spiritual life had begun. I lived in Bombay for four years as a brahmacari which was Prabhupāda’s office. Officer Prabhupāda would frequently visit Bombay. I also wrote one book, “Bombay is my office.” Because Prabhupāda used to say, “Bombay is my office, Mayapur is my place of pilgrimage and Vrindavan is my home.” I mentioned in my book that from 1971-77, Prabhupāda arrived in Bombay more than 80 times. Like a person spends more time in the office. We, as a brahmacari in Bombay temple, were the luckiest as we would get his association because Prabhupāda would come again and again to Bombay and stay there. Sometimes he would stay for a week and sometimes for 100 days.
sādhu-saṅga’, ‘sādhu-saṅga’ — sarva-śāstre kaya
lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya
Translation
“The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment’s association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success. (CC Madhya 22.54)
Theme: Initiation in Vrindavan
We reached Vrindāvana in 1972 Kartik month for the first time. Srila Prabhupāda used to stay at Damodar temple as Iskcon had not been established at that time. He would stay at Damodar temple before leaving for abroad before 1965. Then we had darshan of Radha Damodar and went to Prabhupāda’s quarter and sat there. I was astonished seeing Prabhupāda’s simplicity and humility as he was living in that quarter. I remembered six Goswamis living conditions. When we were sitting with Prabhupāda, I thought we would have confidential talks about Radha and Krsna, but he talked about Bombay Hare Krsna land and Radha Rasabihari of Bombay temple. He wanted to hear the reports from us.
sri-radhika-madhavayor aparamadhurya-
lila guna-rupa-namnam
prati-kshanasvadana-lolupasya
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam
Translation
The spiritual master is always eager to hear and chant about the unlimited conjugal pastimes of Sri Sri Radhika and Madhava, and about Their qualities, names, and forms. The spiritual master aspires to relish these at every moment. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master. (Text 5, Sri Guruvashtakam)
I was sitting in front of Prabhupāda in his quarter and he started sometimes staring at me. Then I thought to myself if I haven't worn my clothes or buttoned properly or my tilak is not in place. I was confused as to why I was getting Prabhupāda’s attention. Then Prabhupāda said, “Stop it.” As I was shaking my legs violently. It has become my habit. (Text 5, Guruvashtakam)
Spiritual master instructs us in two ways, vidhi (do this) and nishedh (don’t do it). This covers all his instructions. Hence, Prabhupāda instruction for me started from nishedh as he said, “Stop it.” With this, no intoxication, no meat eating, no gambling and no illicit sex is also a nishedh. For a month, we stayed with Prabhupāda in Vrindavan. Prabhupāda used to stay at Radha Damodar temple and we, his disciples, used to stay at Keshi Ghat in the palace of Bharatpur’s King. Prabhupāda used to dwell in a small place but accommodated us in a palace. On the day of Bahulashtami in Kartik month in Vrindavan near Rupa Goswami’s samadhi and bhajan kutir in Radha Damodar temple, Prabhupāda chanted on my beads. Then he asked me to move forward and asked four regulative principles from me. I told him and then he gave me my beads and asked me to chant 16 rounds daily. Then he gave me my initiated name, “Lokanath.” He asked me to daily chant (vidhi),
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna
Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
With this, I became Prabhupāda’s property. I also wrote one book named conversation with Srila Prabhupāda. You all can read that.
All glories to Srila Prabhupāda!
All glories to Vrindāvana Dham!
All glories to Krsna Balaram!
Nitai Gaura Premanande Hari Hari Bol!
Hare Krishna!
