6 August 2020
Real Janmastami- Krsna’s appearance in our hearts!
Hare Krishna! We have participants from 833 locations. We have done our chanting. Now we will be having a japa talk. You are welcome to this session. May you all be welcomed one day in Vaikuntha or Goloka Dhama.
paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ
vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām
dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya
sambhavāmi yuge yuge
Translation
To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium. (BG. 4.8)
mām upetya punar janma
duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ
Translation
After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection. (BG. 8.15)
Only to welcome us all back to Godhead from duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam, the Lord appears again and again.
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!
In the katha that we are discussing, Krsna as Devaki Nandana has just appeared.
Gopala Gopala Devaki Nandana Gopala…
tam adbhutaṁ bālakam ambujekṣaṇaṁ
catur-bhujaṁ śaṅkha-gadādy-udāyudham
śrīvatsa-lakṣmaṁ gala-śobhi-kaustubhaṁ
pītāmbaraṁ sāndra-payoda-saubhagam
mahārha-vaidūrya-kirīṭa-kuṇḍala-
tviṣā pariṣvakta-sahasra-kuntalam
uddāma-kāñcy-aṅgada-kaṅkaṇādibhir
virocamānaṁ vasudeva aikṣata
Translation
Vasudeva then saw the newborn child, who had very wonderful lotus like eyes and who bore in His four hands the four weapons śaṅkha, cakra, gadā and padma. On His chest was the mark of Śrīvatsa and on His neck the brilliant Kaustubha gem. Dressed in yellow, His body blackish like a dense cloud, His scattered hair fully grown, and His helmet and earrings sparkling uncommonly with the valuable gem Vaidūrya, the child, decorated with a brilliant belt, armlets, bangles and other ornaments, appeared very wonderful. (ŚB 10.3.9-10)
Vāsudeva was the first one to have His darsana and later Devaki also saw Him. When He was in the womb, He was glorified by the demigods and now He is being glorified by Devaki and Vāsudeva.
vidito ’si bhavān sākṣāt
puruṣaḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ
kevalānubhavānanda-
svarūpaḥ sarva-buddhi-dṛk
Translation
Vāsudeva said: My Lord, You are the Supreme Person, beyond material existence, and You are the Supersoul. Your form can be perceived by transcendental knowledge, by which You can be understood as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I now understand Your position perfectly. (ŚB 10.3.13)
They said, “You are the Supreme Person, beyond material existence, and You are the Supersoul.” These are the prayers of Devaki and Vāsudeva, like that of Maharāni Kunti. The prayers by Vāsudeva and Devaki are an example of parental love mixed with Aiswarya Bhāva. Upon hearing the prayers, the Lord spoke. “You both have done a lot of austerity and penance as you wanted a child like Me. But I am the only one like Me. And I, being pleased, gave you the boon that I will be born of you 3 times. First time as Pṛśnigarbha, second time as Vāmana when you were Aditi and Kaśyapa and this time, the third time as Krsna.”
tṛtīye ’smin bhave ’haṁ vai
tenaiva vapuṣātha vām
jāto bhūyas tayor eva
satyaṁ me vyāhṛtaṁ sati
Translation
O supremely chaste mother, I, the same personality, have now appeared of you both as your son for the third time. Take My words as the truth. (ŚB 10.3.43)
This was the conversation between Krsna, Devaki and Vāsudeva. When Devaki was offering her prayers, she expressed her fear. She said, “Oh Lord! (as the Lord had appeared in the four armed form) please appear in your two armed form.”
upasaṁhara viśvātmann
ado rūpam alaukikam
śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-padma-
śriyā juṣṭaṁ catur-bhujam
Translation
O my Lord, You are the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Your transcendental four-armed form, holding conchshell, disc, club and lotus, is unnatural for this world. Please withdraw this form [and become just like a natural human child so that I may try to hide You somewhere]. (ŚB 10.3.30)
She said, “When Kamsa comes, Your four armed form cannot be hidden.”
bhagavān api viśvātmā
viditvā kaṁsajaṁ bhayam
yadūnāṁ nija-nāthānāṁ
yoga-māyāṁ samādiśat
Translation
To protect the Yadus, His personal devotees, from Kaṁsa’s attack, the Personality of Godhead, Viśvātmā, the Supreme Soul of everyone, ordered Yoga-māyā as follows. (ŚB 10.2.6)
All the Yaduvanśis and Devaki and Vāsudeva were afraid of Kamsa. Devaki also had expressed her fear through her words. The Lord wanted to convey through His four armed form that He wants to enjoy the Visrambha parental love of Nanda and Yasoda. The parental love of Devaki and Vāsudeva is Aiswarya, which is not so nectarian. Then Krsna asked Vāsudeva to take Him to Gokula to Nanda Maharāja’s place. Vāsudeva said, “I cannot as I am bound by handcuffs.” But the Lord still asked him to do so anyway. When Vāsudeva lifted Him, all the handcuffs and chains were broken. This all happened because of Krsna. This is what also happens when we take shelter of Krsna. When we remember Krsna and engage in His services then our material bondages will be broken. We will be liberated. It is not that Corona is the cause of lockdown. We all are locked down in this birth and death cycle since many births and we will be locked down until we are under the influence of three modes of material nature ie. modes of goodness, passion and ignorance.
prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate
Translation
The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature. (BG. 3.27)
Thus as soon as Vāsudeva lifted Krsna, he was liberated from all bondage. The Lord appears to liberate all of us from the material bondage and take us back to His abode. The Lord has appeared for me, for you and for all of us. He appears at different places at different times. We wish that the Lord appears for me. May He appear in my life and in my mind.
sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor
vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane
karau harer mandira-mārjanādiṣu
śrutiṁ cakārācyuta-sat-kathodaye
Translation
Mahārāja Ambarīṣa always engaged his mind in meditating upon the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, his words in describing the glories of the Lord, his hands in cleansing the Lord’s temple, and his ears in hearing the words spoken by Kṛṣṇa or about Kṛṣṇa. (ŚB 9.4.18)
King Kulashekhar always thought of the lotus feet of the Lord in his mind. This means that the Lord had appeared in his mind.
premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti
yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
Translation
I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda, who is always seen by the devotee whose eyes are anointed with the pulp of love. He is seen in His eternal form of Śyāmasundara, situated within the heart of the devotee. (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.38)
Devotees always have the darsana of the Lord in their heart. This darsana or appearance of the Lord in your heart or wherever you go is especially for you as an individual.
ito nṛsiḿhaḥ parato nṛsiḿho
yato yato yāmi tato nṛsiḿhaḥ
bahir nṛsiḿho hṛdaye nṛsiḿho
nṛsiḿham ādiḿ śaraṇaḿ prapadye
Translation
Lord Nrsimha is here and also there. Wherever I go Lord Nrsimha is there. He is in the heart and is outside as well. I surrender to Lord Nrsimha, the origin of all things and the supreme refuge. (Nrsimha Pranama by Vyasadeva, Nrsimha Purana)
When the Lord appears in Mathura or elsewhere then this appearance of the Lord is not particularly for me. He should appear for me.
sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-
sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate
Translation
Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord. (CC Madhya 19.170)
Krsna is called hṛṣīkeśa – the Lord of all the senses. I should engage my senses in His services so that He appears for me and then I will be able to engage my senses in His services to the fullest. This way now Vāsudeva has been freed and he has started walking out of the prison. The prison had multiple gates and all were closed and had gate keepers in attendance. This must be around 12.30 at night, after the conversation and glorification by Devaki and Vāsudeva. Vāsudeva started walking towards Gokula. The watchmen were well equipped, but all in vain. They were all fast asleep instead of being aware. Every creature is under the control of the Lord.
mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ
sūyate sa-carācaram
hetunānena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate
Translation
This material nature, which is one of My energies, is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, producing all moving and nonmoving beings. Under its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again. (BG. 9.10)
Though He appears to be a child, who is helpless and couldn’t even walk on His own and is being carried by His father in a basket, He is the controller of all the creations. He has cleared the path by making all the guards fall asleep. Now Vasudeva has reached the gate which had big locks, but Vāsudeva was not required to do anything. The locks were automatically breaking. Krsna has the master key for all the locks. All the skilled robbers have this skill. I am not encouraging you to develop any such skill. But Krsna is the master, so all the locks were breaking. The doors were opening automatically. There is nothing like automatic. It’s just that we can’t see the doer. It was Krsna who was opening the gates.
When I went to the airport for the first time, I loaded my cart and walked towards the gate, but it was closed although “Entrance” was written. Then I thought I would have to open it. I kept the cart aside and went to open the gate. As soon as I reached closer, it opened. I was surprised. I talked to myself, “Is there some ghost?” It was my first experience. But it’s not automatic. There is something behind it. It’s not new. Even 5000 years ago we had this system, when Krsna had opened the doors. This technology is old and eternal.
The first one Krsna met on his way to Gokula was Lord Balarama. Lord Balarama has appeared in the form of śeśa.
Swāgatam Krsna,! Suswāgatam Krsna!
Balarama is welcoming and greeting Śrī Krsna. Balarama serves Krsna. Krsna and Balarama are the Lord. Krsna is the served Lord ( sevya Bhagwan) and Balarama is the servant Lord ( sevak Bhagwan). Balarama is Krsna’s bed, shoes, couch, crown, etc. This way Balarama is always serving Krsna. Balarama is also the primary Guru. In this way, by always engaging in Krsna’s service, He sets an example for all of us. Balarama, who is Ananta śeśa, is serving in two ways, firstly as an umbrella to protect Krsna from the rain and secondly the gems in His hood are working as a torch to light the way for Vāsudeva at night.
Radha Govinda Maharāja says that in the prison all the guards had been put to sleep and on the streets all the dogs were also put to sleep as they perform the guards’ duties. If the dogs had barked upon seeing Vāsudeva then the people would wake up and think that Vāsudeva has escaped. Kamsa would be informed about this.
Vasudeva moved on and reached Yamuna. As Śukadeva Goswami described, Yamuna is extremely overjoyed and there is a lot of water in the river. Yamuna Mahārani knew that Vasudeva is carrying the Supreme Lord. Vasudeva was wondering how to cross the river and Yamuna was thinking how she could help Vāsudeva? Yamuna is remembering that when Krsna had appeared as Ramacandra, He wanted to cross the Indian ocean to go to Lanka from Ramesvar. He asked the Lord of the ocean to help, but when there was no response, He had taken His bow and arrow in anger and just by its vibration there was a lot of disturbance in the ocean. Then Yamuna thought, “Let that same thing not happen to me. I have to do something.” Yamuna is also Kalindi. She thought further, “I am going to marry Him in the future as His 4th wife and If I don’t help here, Krsna will say that when I wanted to cross you, you didn’t help.” Thinking all this, Yamuna Mahārani gave way to Vāsudeva carrying Krsna by shrinking her waters. Before Vāsudeva started walking in the river, Yamuna touched the feet of Krsna and made a pathway to the other bank.
Deena bandhu Prabhu of Vrindavan says, when Vāsudeva reached the other bank, he was shouting, “Koi Lelo, Koi Lelo… someone please take my child and keep Him.” The place where Vasudeva was saying this, Koi Lelo, that place was named Koile Ghat. While walking towards Gokula, Vāsudeva was immersed in two thoughts. As Vāsudeva was walking slowly, he got worried thinking that if he got late in reaching Gokula then Kamsa would be informed and he might track him and hurt his child even more. Then he started running. While running he thought, “If I run like this then I will reach Gokula sooner and then I will have to leave Krsna there. I will be deprived of His association. Then better I walk slowly so that I can be with Krsna for longer.” This is called ‘Drut- vilambit’ gati. Drut means walking fast and vilambit means walking slow. Thus sometimes he walked slowly and sometimes he ran. Then he finally reached Gokula and then Nanda Bhavan.
The same night Yasoda had delivered a baby girl. Do you remember? Krsna had ordered Yogamaya in Goloka that when He appeared in Mathura, at the same time Yogamaya should take birth in Gokula. Vasudeva reached and placed Krsna next to Yasoda and took the baby girl along with him. Also I had told you the mysterious secret that Yasoda had delivered two children, a boy and a girl. The girl was taken by Vāsudeva and the boy, Devakinandan Krsna becomes one with Yasodanandan Krsna who has come from Mathura.
Nand ke ghar anand bhayo Jai Kanhiaya Lal ki!
The next morning Nanda Maharāja announced and celebrated Nanda utsava, the appearance of Krsna in his house.
We will stop here today. We will continue tomorrow.
Nand ke Lala ki jai! Nanda utsava ki jai! Gokula Dhama ki jai!
Gaura prema nande hari hari bol! Krishna janmashtami mahotsava ki jai!