English
17th May 2019
Today's participants are 575 by now, we have assigned Padmamali Prabhu to keep track of the participants. And at the end of the month the scores will be announced. I am expecting and praying that you are improving the quality of your chanting after joining this conference in association of devotees and I am witness, I am also present. So some devotees are replying ‘Yes Guru Maharaj definitely’ So, sometimes you also write that your japa is improving in my association. You should also tell if you are facing any problem in chanting. Some devotees in Ukraine must be getting up very early so your sleep may not be completed. You can write your realizations or questions, appreciations we can’t do that fully or whole heartedly here so we have our official website. We will try to respond to your questions.
So japa talk is to inspire you for quality chanting and attentive chanting. We give some tips, guidelines, some inspirational statements for improving your chanting. So talking of the mood during chanting also I would like to share the mood of Akrura while he was on the way to Vrindavan to meet Sri Krsna. Srila Prabhupada strongly recommends us to cultivate that kind of mood for those who are going to Vrindavan. So you might be thinking I only go once to Vrindavan during kartik time or Govardhan puja time or Mayapur Vrindavan festival. But that's not true while chanting we are on our journey or we are on our way to Vrindavan. We aspire to meet Krsna, see Krsna, meet Krsna, associate with Krsna, be a apart of His pastimes. So we are thinking of meeting Krsna, where we will find Krsna? In Vrindavan, we will find Krsna in Vrindavan, He does not put a step out of Vrindavan. Our goal is to meet Him, feel Him so that’s the journey; we are on the way to Vrindavan while we are chanting.
vrindavanam parityajya padam ekam na gacchati
So your goal while chanting is to meet Krsna. So,
ratham asthayaprayayau nanda-gokulam[SB 10.38.1]
Bhagavatam is describing journey of Akrura to Vrindavan or of Vrindavan. His journey is described as prayayau, Sukdeva Goswami does not say yayau means to go but he says prayayau, prakrista rupena yayau. Making his journey wholesome and what made his journey wholesome? The way he was thinking and contemplating and aspiring to meet to Krsna. All those thoughts made that journey a wholesome journey or prayayau journey.
In fact there were kind of two journeys his body was moving forward in the chariot and his soul, his thoughts were seated on the chariot of his mind this journey is called manoratha. Mind does thinking feeling willing so that mind is also seated on a chariot and is travelling moving forward in the direction of Vrindavan. So there are two journeys simultaneously happening of body and mind. Both the journeys are happening seating in the chariot, seating in the chariot of mind. He is thinking its great fortune of mine that I am able to go Vrindavan. What did I do? Is that due to the austerities i did I am able to go to Vrindavan today and will be able to see Krsna.
But as he thinks I have not performed any austerities, I have not done any charities, I have not performed any yajnas still He is allowing me to go to Vrindavan and see Him today. It must be just causeless mercy of Lord that I am able to go to Vrindavan. He was thinking this aspiration or desire of wanting to take His darsana or meet Krsna he had always maintained in his heart for long time. May be because of that I am able to go.
Kamsa, as the kind of person he was, he had been harassing so many Yadavas. So all the devotees and Kings of Mathura as result they had gone to this country that country. They had deserted but in midst of that Akrura tolerated all the inconvenience or harassment of Kamsa and he stayed on in Mathura the only reason being Mathura is next to Vrindavan, sometime I will be able to have darsana of my Lord. So he had maintained this desire that I will meet Krsna and see Krsna. So he never left Mathura, while others had done so. On the way to Vrindavan he was thankful to Kamsa because he is the one who was sending Akrura to Vrindavan; of course he had different reason why he is sending Akrura. But Akrura’s own purpose of meeting Krsna was also getting fulfilled. So he was thanking Kamsa.
Akrura is also thinking he is thinking and thinking that I hope and pray that Krsna will not misunderstand me that I have been sent, dispatched by Kansa. But then Akrura thinking, no no Krsna is in everybody’s heart, He knows what is on my mind. I preferred this path, Kamsa has his reasons but I have different reason, for different reason I am going to Vrindavan.
Krsna will not misunderstand; He will certainly understand my feelings of going to Vrindavan. Kamsa has his own purpose and I have my own purpose and for sure Krsna will definitely take recognition of this and He will not misunderstand me.
Akrura, his mind is fixed on Krsna or on meeting Krsna, darsana of Sri Krsna. He has whole strategy. As I arrive in Nandagokul, first person I want to see in Gokul is Krsna and Balarama. I don't want to see anybody. First person he wants to see is Krsna. That is why he doesn’t want to arrive in the middle of the day while Krsna is in the forest. He wants to arrive in Nandagokul around the time of Krsna’s returning from forest, like sandhyakal or godhuli bela that’s the time he wants to arrive,just little after Krsna’s arrival from forest. So he is making all this strategic planning. So as soon he reaches there, Krsna is there and he would see Him.
Akrura is also thinking, so this is his mood and contemplating. He is thinking, oh Krsna is known as Uttamsloka He is glorified by uttamslokas. Beautiful, wonderful slokas He is glorified. I won't be able to do that so I am not qualified or eligible to meet Him. I won’t be able to see him because I won’t be able to praise Him with best of the shloka, best of the statements or verses.
One name of Krsna is Uttamsloka, He is also called Uttamsloka but then he remembers He is also known as Achyuta, meaning infallible. Krsna never falls in maya or never falls down. Living entities could fall down. But Krsna never falls down or maya never takes over Krsna, He always remains on top of maya, Achyuta.
So when Akrura is thinking that Krsna is addressed as Achyuta he is thinking Lord is very kind and He never falls. Being kind is His nature and under all circumstances He is very kind Achyuta. In that sense he is thinking. Look Putana had come to Him and only thought of coming to Him, she wanted to make Krsna her child. She wanted to feed Him, what she wanted to feed is another thing, the poison. Just a thought of feeding Krsna but Krsna took it in different sense. He exhibited all kindness to her.
kam va dayalum saranam vrajema [SB 3.2.23]
Uddhava was taking like that to Vidura.
And then Krsna made another mother other then Yasodha, mother Putana in the spritual sky. Look at the kindness of the Lord. This is the nature of My lord, He is achyuta. Then he thought there is a hope for me. I can’t do Uttamsloka but He is Achyuta. I am sure He will be kind to me as I am going to meet Him, He will certainly give me darsana.
It’s not that I want to see Him or living entity wants to meet Krsna but Krsna also wants to see, meet living entity, His children, His part and parcel. So we take one step and Krsna takes 1000 steps towards us. While he was traveling to Vrindavan he is thinking of beauty of Krsna. His pitambar,
purnendra sundar mukhat arvind netrat
He is bringing all those beautiful features in his mind and he is contemplating on beauty of Krsna.
drakṣyāmi nūnaṁ su-kapola-nāsikaṁ [SB 10.38.9]
Certainly I will see my Lord, who is sukapola nasikam He has broad forehead and raised nose.
smitāvalokāruṇa-kañja-locanam
His smiling face and beautiful blooming eyes I will see, draksyami nunam. So he is contemplating on the beautiful features of the Lord.
So like that there is lot more about the mood and mission of Akrura. His mission of meeting Krsna. He is very thoughtful, he is thinking of Krsna, he is very anxious to meet Krsna. Prabhupada says one should have mood like Akrura while as one is on the way to Vrindavan. And we are moving towards Vrindavan while chanting. So the mood or bhava or dhyana or meditation is of prime importance on the way back to Vrindavan, on the way back to meet Krsna. OK time for darsana.
Hare Krishna
