English
10 February 2024
Balaji temple at Pune
Speaker: HG Keshav prabhu
HG Padmamali prabhu: Today's japa talk will be given by HG Keshav prabhu. There was a nice drama on Balaji by Pune devotees for Guru Maharaj yesterday. Prabhuji has travelled with Maharaj to Ayodhya and so he will speak on his realizations.
HG Keshav prabhu: I have been travelling with Guru Maharaj. HG Padmamali prabhu has served for 7 years in various circumstances, from diet to traveling to laundry everything. Even after entering Grihastha ashram, he is still serving. He has requested me to speak about Ayodhya. We took bath in River Sarayu, even when it was very cold. When others were taking bath in the cold, everyone was shivering. So Guru Maharaj said, we all feel the same cold as we are all body but the soul doesn't feel cold.
matra-sparsas tu kaunteya
sitosna-sukha-duhkha-dah
agamapayino 'nityas
tams titiksasva bharata (BG 2.14)
Translation: O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
This was from 20-24 January. We saw the beautiful decorations, millions of rupees were spent only on flowers. Elephants and peacocks were included in the decoration theme. Guru Maharaj was amongst the special invites for Ram Mandir. He said when Ram will rule, then Gauranga will rule too, today here and every where. And so we are making a Ram mandir in Pandharpur as well. It was a very nice darshan. His Vigraha is very nice. We have a Balaji temple at Iskcon Pune.
We got this land by the mercy of Balaji. There was a devotee who would worship this deity. And he was worried what will happen to the seva after I leave? So he contacted Iskcon devotees and gave us the deities and his two acre land also. We couldn't build a temple in that area, so we sold the land and bought 4 acres in NVC area where we have constructed this beautiful temple.
Sapta Giri is where Balaji resides. Like Govardhan, this hill is also transcendental. Once the wind God, seeing this hill in the spiritual world wanted to bring this to earth. But Ananta Sesa didn't wanted to let it go. And so there was a tug of war. Wind God was loosing the war then Narada muni started praising Ananta Sesa. And so he loosened his grip. And so the Wind God won and brought it here on earth.
These all pastimes are depicted in this play which has 320 actors. One time lord Shiva and Parvati were enjoying there in the form of monkey. And so Hanuman was born. The highlight of the play is, Hanuman jumping off the 20 feet high hill. There was once a Muslim ruler Hyder Ali who wanted to destroy this hill. Govinda appeared here and told him, this is the place of Lord Varaha.
tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-sringam
dalita-hiranyakasipu-tanu-bhringam
kesava dhrita-narahari-rupa jaya jagadisa hare
Sri Dasavatara-stotra (from Gita-govinda 4)
Translation: 0 Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of half-man, half-lion! All glories to You! Just as one can easily crush a wasp between one’s fingernails, so in the same way the body of the wasplike demon Hiranyakasipu has been ripped apart by the wonderful pointed nails on Your beautiful lotus hands.
So you go away. But Hyder Ali still attacked despite of the warning. Lots of wild boars appeared and attacked all the soldiers and scared them away. Another pastime is shown that, one time there was a competition who is the greatest of all - Brahma, Vishnu or Mahesh.
And so Brighu Muni was selected to test them. So Brighu Muni went to Brahma but Brahma did not pay obeisances or respect to Brighu Muni. Brighu Muni became angry. He said, I'm your father and yet you don't respect me. So Brighu Muni left as Brahma failed the test. He went to Lord Shiva and when Lord Shiva came to lovingly embrace him, Brighu Muni said don't touch me you are smeared in ash and all bones and snakes.
Lord Shiva became very angry at that. So he lost too. When Brighu Muni went to Vaikuntha, he saw Lord Vishnu and straight away kicked him on the chest. The Lord immediately took his foot and started massaging saying, my chest is so hard it must have hurt your soft delicate foot. So Lord Vishnu won by humility. Seeing this Goddess Laxmi became very angry and said that you Brahmanas, this is the way you treat your worshipable Lord?
I curse you all that I shall never be with any Brahmanas. Hence Brahmanas are always poor. And Brighu Muni also countered and cursed Laxmi that you shall not be able to stay at one place. Hence money is always fluctuating. After seeing this exchange Laxmi was very sad and so she left to do penance at Kolhapur where she appeared as Vedavati.
Here you can see some glimpses of the drama. So when Vedavati was doing penance, Ravan came and lusting after her, touched her. She cursed Ravan that this lust of yours will destroy you. So when Ravan had kidnapped Mother Sita it was not the original Sita, but Vedavati who takes her place and goes to Lanka.
Vedavati later appears on this hill and the Lord appeared as Balaji and married her. So all these pastimes are depicted in this play. Vedavati appeared as the daughter of Akashraj and Padmavati. And Lord Vishnu appeared as the son of Govinda raj. Govinda raj saves Padmavati from a mad elephant. And she falls in love with him and they are married.
Please come and watch this live drama. Proceeds go to the new temple building. Guru Maharaj really liked it and praised it as the best play he has ever seen, even in comparison to the western plays. You can see on the screen, Nandu the bull who left his body in Pandharpur.
tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror api sahiṣṇunā
amāninā mānadena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (Shikshashtakam 3)
Translation: One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.
He served the padayatra for 10 years. There is his samadhi. Please pray for Nandu.
Hare Krsna!
