English
28th July 2019
JAPA-TALK / "LOKANATH LOKER JIVANA.."
Today from 480 places devotees are chanting with us. Today is ekadashi, so I was expecting bigger number. Ekadashi is a day which we call 'upwas' right? It is popularly known as 'upwas'. It's a day of fasting & feasting also. Fasting from maya & feasting on Krishna. Or feast on 'Hàrinaam'. It's a Shravan utsava, by chanting of 'Hare Krishna' on this day. We also have mentioned in the past that other meaning of 'upwas' is - 'up' means near & 'was' means to reside more close, closer & closer to Krishna. So, ekadashi day is a day of getting closer to the Lord. So how to get closer to the Lord? By getting away from maya, by fasting from maya, minimising or limiting the bodily demands. There should be fasting from grains & eating should be minimum, just to survive. So that they have more & more time for chanting & spiritual activities on this day.
Last ekadashi we were in Pandharpur. Many of you were also there. Some of you were there, raise hands who were there? - Some hands are going up. Two weeks have already passed. I have, we all are fifteen days older. I am seventy plus fifteen days. Some of you may be forty-five plus fifteen days older. So, we are becoming older day by day. Time is passing. 'Time & tide waits for none.' So, as I have mentioned earlier also ekadashi is also day of doing the review of our performance of sadhana & seva in previous fifteen days. I am also thinking, 'time is passing, we have to catch up with Krishna’ Stay with Krishna. When we do our seva & sadhana attentively & with devotion, then we can stay near Krishna.
To stay near Krishna is the real aim of our life. Our politicians they also have done review of their performances & they are proudly declaring Oh! We did this! We did that! etc. But they are saying only about good they did, & are not talking about the bad part. But we should take a stock of our situation. What good things we did & what were the setbacks or bad or substandard things we did & we should think of some resolutions to improve. In other words, take the stock of strong points & weak points of our previous performance & strong points will come but weak points are a challenge. So, take it as a challenge & try to work on it. Wherever we were weak, try to become stronger, that is what we have to work on. You can do it either yourself or sit with your counsellor, or leader or your spiritual master, (anyway it will be too much for me to handle), or your spiritual superiors, discuss with them.
dadāti pratigṛhṇāti
guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati
bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva
ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam ( NOI verse 4)
We could also see how did we perform in relationship with other Vaishnavas, other devotees. How much you exhibited 'priti laxanam'
On this ekadashi day, I want to remember & share the glories of Lokanath Goswami. Few days ago, his disappearance day was celebrated but somehow, I did not know, that it was his disappearance day. News did not reach me so I did not remember or talk about him that day, so now I want to do, something I didn't do. Improving my fault & want to speak about Lokanath Goswami, who is so very dear to me. Srila Prabhupada named me after Lokanath Goswami. So, I would like to say few things about Lokanath Goswami.
His glories are unlimited & our time is limited & not that I have realized all the glories of Lokanath Goswami, but I will say few things.
Vaishnaver kriya mudra ike na buzay
'Mudra' or 'havbhav' of vaisnava is very difficult to understand or realize. I don't even consider myself qualified to understand glories of Lokanath Goswami. The fact is - 'To know vaisanava or acharya is as difficult as understanding Krishna Himself.' or the day you understand or become 'acharya-realized' or 'spiritual master- realized', as we always talk of 'God realization' , so like that there is something called as 'acharya- realization' or Guru-realization. Ideal vaisnavas who are really realizing them, when we will really realize them then that time we will also be realizing Lord.
Lokanath loker jivana.. ...
Lokanath Goswami's one & only disciple Narottam das Thakur has glorified his Guru as Lokanath Goswami as 'Lokanath loker jivana' my Guru is jivan of all the loka or people. I had opportunity to visit birthplace of Lokanath Goswami several years ago when I visited Bangladesh. I also had opportunity to meet the descendants of Lokanath Goswami. That is where he was born. He was just a young man when he left his hometown, left his family to meet Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Mayapur. 'Your home is where your heart is.' Where he was born he didn't consider that as his home, because his heart was not in that home, but his heart was in Mayapur. His heart was at the lotus feet of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, so that became his home, & Mayapur dhama was also like his home as his heart was there & he went back to home, went to Mayapur.
When he arrived, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was getting ready to take sanyasa & ready to leave his home. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he thought, this young person will not be able to understand & tolerate my acceptance of sanyasa. So, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked him to leave & go to Vrindavan. You better leave & not be around when I take sanyasa. So, he was dispatched & sent to Vrindavan. Then Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also had mentioned, that you go to Vrindavan & after sanyasa I will be coming to Vrindavan & I will meet you there. We will be together in Vrindavan. Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's plans were changed by Shachi Mata as she didn't want Mahaprabhu to go to Vrindavan, but instead told him to be in Jagannath Puri.
So, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu did go to Jagannath Puri. He also started travelling all over India specially in South India. Lokanath Goswami received the news that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has taken sanyasa & is travelling to South India. He wanted to meet Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, so he left for South India to find Mahaprabhu & be with Him. When he reached South India, he took long time to find Chaitanya Mahaprabhu & he never found Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Instead of that he received the news Chaitanya Mahaprabhu while traveling & travelling doing his madhya-lila of travelling has reached Vrindavan. So, then Lokanath Goswami ran to Vrindavan to meet Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. But by the time he reached Vrindavan, guess what??
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was already on his way back to Jagannath Puri.
So,Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was in his way to Jagannath Puri. He was in Varanasi Prayagraj . So Lokanath Goswami was then planning to meet Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Varanasi but Mahaprabhu found out the plans of Lokanath Goswami. He instructed Lokanath Goswami - 'No! No! Don't come. You stay. You don't leave Vrindavan! You stay in Vrindavan.' so with that instruction Lokanath Goswami lost all the hopes of meeting Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Then he just he stayed on & on in Vrindavan only. So that Instruction was the breath 'the Instruction of not leaving Vrindavan'. He became one of the celebrated Goswami's. He was on the same status as six Goswamis’, he could have easily be listed as seventh Goswami, although It is not listed like that but he could be easier listed like that.
His contribution to reveal the glories of Vrindavan & past times of Krishna & Krishna consciousness is outstanding. He is specially known for the would do his naam bhajan while hanging his deity of Radha-Vinod at his chest & he would chant & dance all around Vrindavan. Now his Deity of Radha-Vinod is in Jaipur. It's a small deity. As Rupa Goswami's Radha -Govinda Deva & Jiva Goswami's Radha- Damodar is in Jaipur. Radha Gokulananad temple in Vrindavan is established by Lokanath Goswami & credit of that goes to him. So we will stop here..
Lokanath Goswami ki jai!
Srila Prabhupada ki jai!
Sri Sri Radha - Rasbihari ki jai!!!
Hare Krsna