Radhanath Swami: Today we are reading from the Srimad Bhagvatam entitled “The Payo Vrata Process of worship” text 25.
Aditi the loving mother of the Devas, is in unbearable distress. Her children who she loves, however old they may bea true mother heart never changes. Whatever the position they may take she sees them suffering miserably. They have been defeated, humiliated, plundered, they lost their position, all their wealth, even their service they are hiding and disguised. One who is not been honored and dishonored is worse than death. Can you imagine the suffering of the Devas one they are dishonored in such a way. They have no other alternative than to run and hide and disguise. So their prestige has been crushed. There physical facilities have been taken away totally. Just like we read in Mahabharat, Shrimad Bhagvatam how when the pandavas were exiled to the forest who suffered the most she was Kunti. Even though she was not in exile she was living in the palace being protected by Bhishma and Vidura. But just thinking of her children bereft of everything such a calamity upon her heart. So in this state Aditi being taught by Kashyap Muni, her husband how the only solution to any real problem is to turn to Krishna. Otherwise as Pralhad Maharaj explains the solution to our problems may solve the immediate need but if they are bereft of God consciousness, generally the solution creates a more complex and difficult problem than the original problem. kashyap muni is instructing his wife we have to turn to Krishna. And we find in the later verses how the Supreme Personality of Godhead Vamandev is going to come in this desperate situation to protect His devotees. And it is interesting if we study the background of most of the great Avtaras, they appear when there devotees are in helpless, desperate conditions. There is not many Avtaras that come when the devotees are having nice happy time. Because usually when that happens they don’t cry out the Lord to save them. If we can go through the ten principal incarnations, there was Matsya Avatar. Wasn’t easy. Their was flood, that flooded the entire world and everything was going to be destroyed. But the lord appeared to satyavrata to save him and not only save him but the save whole world forever by restoring the Vedas which is purpose of life, which is means of salvation to everyone the word of God. Then there was Kurma, the devas were trying to when they were in helpless condition they lost everything the only means that by which they can gain at back was churning the ocean of milk and then the mountain which is meant to be the churning rob was sinking and sinking and sinking and they couldn’t do anything to keep it up they were screaming and crying Krishna, Vishnu save us. And Vishnu appeared as Kurma to save the dev and supported on His back. And when the earth planet was 10.35 in Garbhodak Ocean, quite a helpless situation. If we think its tsunami is bad. Tsunami is just the wave of the ocean comes upon the earth. But this is the situation where entire earth goes to the bottom of the ocean. That’s a pretty dramatic situation. Then the sages and the Rishies and the devas they prayed, they were helpless whoever they were. Even Brahma all he can do is pray to Vishnu who appeared from his nose as Varah Avatar who lifted the earth. And Pralhad was such an helpless condition being prosecuted by his father and not only that but Hiranyakashyapu was terrorizing the whole world. The sages and the rishis and the devotees they were all praying and He appeared as Narsimha Dev. Parsuram when the kshatriyas were exploiting the innocent the lord appeared. And Ravana we should offer our salutation to Ravana. Because by his misdeeds lord Ramchandra appeared and performed his beautiful pastimes to deliver the all humanity forever. And Krishna- kamsa, jarasandha all of these asuras they were conquering all directions. The devas were helpless, the devotees were helpless and like little pralahad who has been harassed so horribly by hiranyakashipu vasudev and devaki. They had to tolerate same, six of their children brutally murdered right infront of their eyes as they spend years and years in chains in prison house. But that environment in which Svayam Bhagvan Sri Krishna appeared within this world. And of course seeing that the Vedas would been exploited by so called Brahmansfor their own egoistic reasons, and innocent animals being slaughtered due to deviant interpretation of vedic sacrifices Vishnu appeared as Buddha was an emergency. And we don’t have to o in to the so many details about Kalki. Very difficult situation. And when Advaita Acharya and all other vaishnavas saw the apex of Kaliyuga mounting grater and grater they cried out and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared. Now this is a very, very consistent message. Of course everyone likes a nice peaceful and congenial environment to chant Hare Krishna and to be with the blissful devotees and to be happy. Prabhupad says to chant Hare Krishna and be happy. But chanting Hare Krishna means we find our happiness in Krishna not in the external circumstances. And if external circumstances are very nice that’s very nice. If we taking shelter of Krishna with a grateful heart. But the tendency in this world is something has to shake us up for us to really, really take shelter. And essentially bhakti is about taking shelter. So Kashyap muni here in this verse is instructing aditi how to bring Supreme Personality of Godhead in to this world. Krishna is our only shelter and he is giving her some Tapasya to perform. Two weeks a fortnight of only drinking milk. Tapsya is required to show our sincerity, to take away our mind away from all distractions of material enjoyment and also to really fixed our mind on our purpose. But this verse concludes that Kashyap Muni is saying one should worship the lotus eyes Supreme Personality of Godhead with all devotion. One can only approach Krishna through our devotion whatever deity worship, whatever mantras we chant, whatever food we eat, whatever austerities we perform, whatever charity we give it is utterly meaningless to Krishna if it is not offered with devotion.
There is a beautiful story in Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhus Lila, that exhibits this principle. Everyday lord Chaitanya would perform Naam Sankirtan in the house of Srivas and sometimes for a year he did it all night all night with his devotees. But He was very strict. Later on He was very lenient as per the giving the Holy name and inducing everyone to chant whatever their position. Like in the house of Srivas it was a very intimate experience. Because there the Lord was revealing His divine ecstacies completely freely but He could only do that among those devotees who had no trace of any material desires. Those people who loved Him and served Him with pure devotion His intimate associates and He would not allow anyone inside. The doors were locked, the windows were shut and they performed Naam Kirtan. There was a Brahman who was a very austere brahmachari. Every day he would come to Srivas Thakur repeatedly he would request him ‘o Thakur I beg you I have one desire in my life that only you can fulfill. Allow me to see the grate Nimai Pandit dance even just onetime allow me o see it’. He was yarning he was longing. But srivas thakus would tell him it is not possible because you are not one of the people that is selected by the lord and His most intimate associates. You can chant you can dance anywhere but coming in this house…. Because of people who are not qualified want to see the lord and His devotees manifesting the ecstactic symptoms they would not understand it. Sometimes a class of people called a sahjiyas they imitate this ecstactic symptoms through practice in order to gain fame, recognition and followers….
In order to gain fame, recognition and followers, to show to the world how much they love the God? Devotees doesn’t want to show how much they love the god. They want to love God and help the whole world to love God. So Lord Chaitanya didn’t want followers and also they just wouldn’t understand. Generally great personalities will not reveal these ecstatic symptoms unless the audience could really understand. Similarly, generally great personalities do not discuss very very high spiritual topics exhaustively unless audience that is spiritually elevated enough to actually be able to not only to understand but to experience it. So Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, that was his rule. Srivas explained it but still that brahman was so determined . He was very honest and morale, extremely peaceful person and very austere person. He was lifelong brahmchari with no intention of anything else. Finally Srivas seeing his really good qualities, he said “ Alright, because you are so pure in heart, strict celibate and only drink milk, eat fruits and really want to see it. I will bring you inside. But I have to put in secret place where you hide sothat no one except me knows you are there. So the brahmchari came early and Srivas gave him nice hiding place where no one could see him. But he could see him. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came with His devotees. Mahaprabhu said “ Hari Bol”. And devotees began to chant naam sankirtan, very sweet, mridangas were playing, kartals were clinging. How the devotees were singing intense emotion and devotion. Then Lord Chaitanya danced.
The most charming, intoxicating, enchanting experience that any one could possibly be gifted with is vision of Sri Chaitanya dancing. As he was dancing, Nityanand Prabhu and Gadadhar Pandit was dancing in ecstacy. And Advaita Acharya ,he was hither and tither, going here and there dancing, dancing, dancing as he was flooding with ecstatic joy and all the devotees in Srivas Angan were drowning in ocean of transcendental bliss as the holy names was all over could be heard. Understand the nature of this kirtans, it was not about how could you dance, how could you play mridanga or how nicely you could sing. It was about absorbing in Krishna who is non different than His name. That’s all. No false ego. Everyone did their best. Simply give pleasure to Krishna, to give pleasure to each other, sankirtan full, complete, together. The mridangas, in these prem sankirtan of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the only focus was on chanting the holyname. That’s all. Total absorption of every syllable of the name. Then ecstatic love in every syllable of the name, these devotees were tasting Krishna and Radharani. They were experiencing Vrindavan, the lilas of the lord, the form of the lord, qualities of the lord were all being manifested in the name. And playing of the mridangas, playing of the kartals, they had horns that they were blowing and whatever instruments. It was the holyname playing them. It was the power, the energy of the holyname. They just absorbed in the name. Mridangas, they were just like puppets of the holyname playing. They were not dancing according to some classical lessons they had learned previously. ( Laughter Hahaha..) They were simply immersed in the name. and in their ecstasy of being immersed in the name, their body just danced. They just, let it go. So in this way, this is naam kirtan and it’s perfection. This is we should strive for. Kirtans about totally engrossing oneself exclusively in the sound of holyname. Japa, Kirtan, bhajan that’s it. Everything else is just away of doing that.
Trinad api Sunichena, Taror eva sahishnuna, amanina maan dena , kirtaniya sada harih.
Before this night kirtan began, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This was only His instruction how to do it. Very instructive to everyone. Why we are wasting, doing kirtan in the day and why we are wasting all night sleeping. Time is so valuable. We should do kirtan all nights,every night for the next one year. That means no sleep.
The devotees, they don’t start, you know, arguing with him ( Laughter – hahahaha… ) They knew the power of His holyname. They knew the power of His mercy. Then Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu instructed them how to do it.
Trinad api sunichena…..
One should be humbler than blade of grass, more tolerant than tree, ready to offer all respects to others and expect none in return. In this way, one can constantly chant the holyname
Hare Krishna Hare krishna krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare.
Throughout the house of Srivas Thakur, all that could be heard was sweet sounds of the holyname and the very person who is non different than His holyname. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was dancing in ecstacy as they were chanting the holyname. This is very isoteric experience to contemplate that Lord Chaitanya as He was in the role of devotee , showing how to be a devotee by being absorbed in the holyname. But all those devotees they were understood that He is Krishna Himself. So although Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the mood of Radha, tasting the the holyname in ecstacy and trying to show people how to do it in the role of the devotee. For the devotees, they were chanting the holynames and they were seeing the holynames Himself personified dancing in ecstacy to their chanting.
Now to intensify your attention, the benediction of hearing this glory with faith, devotion and rapt attention is we can be reunited with Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and see His beautiful Kirtan. ( Hari Bol…)
So the kirtan was going on and everyone was resides themselves, immersed in supreme happiness. Actually greatest happiness is to see Lord Chaitanya happy. They were chanting and dancing so nicely for Lord Chaitanya’s pleasure and seeing Him happy was their ultimate happiness and knowing that Lord Chaitanya is non different than His name. Radharani and Krishna are non different than their names. When we perform kirtan, we should be thinking in the same way, is our consciousness individually and collectively, is it is in such a way that pleasing the Lord. Pleasing the Lord is our happiness.
Suddenly Lord Chaitanya stopped the kirtan. Very abruptly, he became very sober. He said “ Today I am not feeling my usual ecstatic love. Something is wrong. Is there someone in this house who is not supposed to be here?”
Srivas was very much afraid. How he could be afraid? Why he would be afraid?
Bhajahu re mana, srinand nandan, abhay charanaar vinda re..
Govind Das, the poet has prayed : Just worship the lotus feet of Nandnandan and you will become fearless. This entire material existence is specially characterized by fear, fear of loss, fear of death. As soon as eternally soul, the atma identifies with the temporary body, inevitably there will be fear. But one who takes the shelter of Krishna is fearless. We were discussing last night : The gopas of Brijbhumi, they saw aghasura who was the personification of envy and cruelity. He was so angry. His sister putana and his brother bakasura were both killed by this Little Gopa name : Krishna. And Aghasura was revenge, serious revenge. Not only did he make the determined vow to kill Krishna but he wanted to kill all Krishna’s friends. Knowing that killed all cowherd boys, their parents will die.
By killing all the calves, all the cows will die in separation from their children.
Aghasur wanted to eliminate the entire race of Vrajbasij. What is called these days “ Genacide”. He didn’t want , just like Hitler didn’t want another jew to ever live in this world, killed them all over and killed them half of the Europe. Aghasura made Hitler look like nursery school demon. Here aghasur was PhD demon ( Laugher hahahaha…) He could expand himself to eight miles long. ……
He could expand himself to be what eight miles long and opened his mouth vengeful will to kill everyone. Can you imagine demon like that standing before you? I have seen devotees, a little snake this big just slithers in front of you in the road, you are shocked, what to speak of a little snake with diamond shaped head which means he is poisonous looks at you and opens his mouth, tell me what will you do? Hopefully you will chant Hare Krishna because that might be your last chance and you are adults but these are just little children, Gopas, and they saw Aghasura and somehow one of them started running away others were saying no no this is a beautiful scenary its an ornament for us to play on Vraja Bhumi and an boy said that no no he is demon he is alive, he is a living snake, we could feel the heat and the horrible smell of his intestines his mouth was reaching to clouds and big eyes and the boys said oh he is a demon he had come to kill us, Krishna will save us and they all started laughing and all of them together without any exception they danced right into Aghasura’s mouth, they were clapping and singing and looking at Krishna, as they were doing it. Krishna will save us so what if he is a big demon? They were not bewildered but Krishna became bewildered. My friends are running right into this demons mouth. He is going to kill them, kill all of us and then Krishna began to think. He had to kill him in a very special way because all his friends and calves are inside the demon’s mouth so He has to kill Aghasura without harming everyone inside of him. So Aghasura was waiting for Gopal and then Gopal entered in and he closed his mouth and when he closed his mouth it was so dark and so poisonous and so horrible that all the children were unconscious and some Acharyas say that they were dead. Now Krishna never revealed super excellent opulences when He killed any of the asuras because He didn’t want to interfere with the Vrajbasis love for Him as an ordinary child. Whenever He killed a demon it was in such a way that they would justify that it was due to our worshipping of Vishnu and the Vishnu saved Him. Putana grew very big but Gopal didn’t grow big, he remained can you imagine when Putana ran out of the house and she grew 12 miles long and Gopal stayed the same size and He was clinging on to her breast. Can you imagine the size of her breast was if she was 12 miles long and Gopal was very small in relation to and with His little tiny lotus feet He is kicking her and sucking but it was intolerable. He didn’t grow, for all the demons He kept the same appearance but now nobody is watching, the children were dead and Nanda and Yasoda nobody could watch because He was inside the mouth so He revealed an opulence, He grew bigger, bigger and bigger until He blocked the air of Aghasura. Now Aghasura was actually because the boys were so jubilant and running into his mouth and playing and joking he actually felt an attraction for them in his heart he actually felt affection for them and because he died in that state his atma burst from the top of his head and remained in the sky with his mouth opened in the sky and Krishna glanced and brought them back to consciousness and they were are all happily danced out of Aghasura’s mouth, Krishna was last and when Krishna came out the soul of Aghasura entered into Krishna’s body and he actually attained the spiritual world as an eternal associate of Lord in Vaikuntha. Why? Because that last moment he actually had affection and appreciation for Krishna’s friends. But the idea of the story is how devotees are fearless because they have taken the shelter of Krishna now here is Srivas Thakur one of the greatest sages that have ever lived, an intimate associate of Lord Chaitanya, he has totally taken shelter of Krishna. He is kirtaniya sada hari, he is chanting the Holy names constantly so why is Srivas afraid? Lord Chaitanya stopped His kirtan, is there anyone who is not supposed to be here in this house? Srivas was afraid because a devotee’s fear is that we displease Krishna. He wasn’t afraid for anything himself. He wasn’t afraid of death. He wasn’t afraid of losing everything because he understands he is the eternal soul but in Bhakti there is a fear of displeasing Krishna. Yasodha Mayi was always afraid but her fear was for Krishna’s pleasure, will he step on a thorn or is he herding the cows or one of the cows move their head and hit Him with his horn or may be the sun will be too bright and Krishna’s body is soft and delicate, if I just touch it, it turns color what to speak of the hot sun all day long and all the rocks and stones and the pathways. This kind of fear is billions and trillions of times higher platform than being fearless. Brahmavadis and Mayavadis may be fearless because they think “aham brahmasmi”, I am the spirit and nothing can harm me. Devotees are also that but beyond that because of the intimate love for Krishna. In order to increase that love, Krishna appears to be in trouble. When He was in the coils of Kaliya, Nanda Maharaj was beside Himself and poor yasoda mayi she couldn’t bear it they were all ready to jump in the poisonous water which were smoking with venomous vapours. They were ready to jump in to fight with Kaliya even though they knew that they would die. They couldn’t bear it. But Balaram stopped them. Balaram said why you are afraid of this insignificant little water snake? Krishna is my brother there is nothing to fear, He will take care of him. Of course Balaram is ananta sesa so kaliya wasn’t so much. Yasoda Mayi fell unconscious like a cow that had lost her calf and all the gopis were all in the same distress but gathered around her in a circle and were chanting the glories, names of Gopal trying to bring her back to life. So this is the fear that is born out of ecstatic love, selfless love. So this is the kind of fear that Srivas was thinking. I have displeased my Lord. When the Lord said, “Is there anyone inside the house who is not suppose to be here?”, you can’t tell a lie to the Absolute Truth and get away with it. We do it all the time but you cannot get away with it. Srivas said, My Lord there are no atheists in the house. There are no sense enjoyers or sinners in this house but there is one Brahmin, very pure, very peaceful, very learned, he is a brahmacari, he follows perfect celibacy and he is so austere that his whole life he is only eating milk and fruits. He really wanted to see your dancing so I brought him in the house and hid him in the secret place. When Lord Chaitanya heard that He became transcendentally enraged and He cried out, “Right now, at this moment get him out of this house, how is he going to see My dancing? What is his qualification? What sadhana did he perform to qualify himself? Do you think that by drinking milk one can attain Me? Then Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu raised His arm and stretched out one finger to make the point, it is not by drinking milk or performing any other type of austerity that one can attain Me. What qualification does he have? Even if one is candala, an illiterate outcaste from sinful background, if that candala takes shelter of Me, he or she will claim Me and I will accept them. But even if a person is a Sannyasi, completely rejecting and freed from all wordly attachments with strict sadhana, if that person doesn’t surrender to Me with devotion, if that person from his heart doesn’t take shelter of Me, I will not favour him. What austerities did Gajendra perform, he was an elephant or Hanuman, a monkey or the Gopis, simple milk maids. It is not by austerity, it is only by surrender saranagati, it is only by sincerely from the heart taking shelter of Me that one can achieve Me. Then the Lord cried out, get this milk drinker out of here before he pollutes everything otherwise I will destroy everything. Now the brahmacari Brahmin hearing Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in this angry mood speaking about him he was trembling with fear and he stood up from his hiding place right in front of everyone and everyone was staring at him and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was, with red eyes,
staring at him and he started walking outside trembling. But as he was walking he was thinking in his heart of hearts that I did see the Lord dance and the Lord is so kind, He knows everything, He knows exactly what I need and He chastised me because He understood the ego of My heart from my tapasyas and everything else and my high birth. He gave me just what I needed, He was so kind to purify me that He chastised Me. But still for a few minutes He allowed me to see His dance even though I am so unqualified. Now the Lord is seated in everyone’s heart. He knows our every thougt, He knows our every desire and He understood the heart of this brahmacari,
tat te ‘nukampäà su-samékñamäëo
bhuïjäna evätma-kåtaà vipäkam
håd-väg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jéveta yo mukti-pade sa däya-bhäk
My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.[SB 10.14.8]
Lord Brahma explains in the 10th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, who is qualified to attain Krishna. It is the natural inherited right of a person who even being chastised by the Lord directly or indirectly, passes through even unbearable obstacles and tribulations with folded palms and with a grateful heart thanking Krishna, I deserve worst but You are so kind that person alone who turns to Krishna with a grateful heart even in difficult situations will Krishna show His true favour to.
So Lord Chaitanya called the Brahmin back and the Brahmin came and the Lord placed His Lotus feet on the head of the Brahmin. Why? Because He was so pleased that that Brahmin was grateful even when he was chastised because he had that kind of faith in the goodness and love of the Lord and then the Lord said to him, It’s not by any kind of austerities or tapasya, even demons perform great tapasyas, Ravana, Hiranyakashipu but because they have not taken shelter of Me I slay them, I don’t give them Myself. It’s only by devotion.
bhaktyä tv ananyayä çakya aham evaà-vidho ‘rjuna jïätuà drañöuà ca tattvena praveñöuà ca parantapa [BG 11.54].
Only by undivided devotion can I be understood as I am standing before you and then Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu accepted that brahmacari as one of His own loving intimate associates and seeing the mercy that the Lord showed upon him all the devotees offered their dandavat pranamas and loudly chanted the Holy names and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu resumed His dancing. In this purport Srila Prabhupada is explaining how the science and tradition of deity worship, the arca murti is such a sublime and effective way of reviving our love for Krishna by rendering personal service and Srila Prabhupada writes one should install the deity of Vishnu or Krishna and worship Him nicely by dressing Him, decorating Him with flower garlands and offering Him all kinds of fruits, flowers and cooked food nicely prepared with ghee, sugar and grains and one should offer incense and so on with ringing a bell. This is worship of Lord. So this is the process that Kasyapa Muni has given Aditi to worship.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had some very loving devotees in the village of Sri Khanda. There were three devotees who were specially dear to the Lord there. All were in the same family, it was Mukunda Sarkar, his son Raghunandan and Mukunda’s younger brother was Narahari Sarkar. Now I would like to end the class just by speaking a little story which illustrates the purport to this verse and this verse.
Mukunda was a householder, he had a wife, house and children. Once in Jagannath Puri, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw Mukunda, Narahari and Raghunandan and He asked Mukunda, Are you the father of Raghunandan and Raghunandan is your son or Is Raghunandan your father and are you his son? Now that’s a very strange question to ask a father towards his son and then Lord Chaitanya said, Please dispel My doubt.Mukunda replied with great enthusiasm, Raghunandan is my father and I am his son because he has taught me and my whole family what real devotion to Krishna is. This is for certain. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was very happy, He said, Yes, you have given the correct answer. One who gives us the devotion to Krishna should be considered our superior in whatever relative relations we may have. Then Lord Chaitanya began to explain the glories of Mukunda. As I said, he was such a good physician that he was the main doctor for the King of Bengal, the Nawab Hussain Shah and all the local rulers.
One day the King called for Mukunda to help him with some physical ailment and the king was sitting on a high raised platform and Mukunda was describing to him and someone came with a peacock feather in order to fan the king from the shade of the sun. As soon as Mukunda saw the peacock feather he thought of Krishna and went into such ecstasy just seeing a peacock feather. The remembrance of Krishna entered into his heart conquered his entire mind and he fell unconscious and ecstasy and fell right of the high platform on to the ground directly. The king was so really disturbed. He thought his doctor was dead. How could anyone fall such a distance and not died. So the king got off from his throne and ran down and took Mukunda in his arms and said, “Are you alright? Are you hurt? Are you in a pain?” Mukunda said, “No, not so much pain”. He said it very indifferently. The king said, why did you fall of sudden? I have never seen anything like this. All of sudden just fell down. Now Mukunda could have said, “Well, I saw the peacock feather and I went into ecstasy of love for Krishna”. But true devotees never boast about their ecstatic love for Krishna. They always present themselves as very fallen.
So he said to the king, “Actually I have a disease that something like epilepsy and I went into a feet and fell down”. Because of the association with great devotee like Mukunda, even a mogul king could understand that actually he was in ecstatic love for Krishna by seeing the peacock feather. Lord Caitanya said about His devotees, even though he appears to be very householder with the family and children performing his occupation. To an ordinary person, he seems like a very ordinary man during the same things everyone else to us. But in his heart everything he does an offering of love to Krishna is constantly remembering and always chanting Krishna’s holy name. Lord Caitany, He said “Mukunda, I give you the instruction to sincerely earn both material and spiritual wealth and remain a householder, remain in your occupation, remain with your family but always be absorbed in earning spiritual and material wealth through bhakti”. Then he turned to Narahari Sarakar, his younger brother and He should remain here Puri with Me and remain with devotees and help to spread the preaching. Raghunandana the son, he said, “You should worship the deity in the temple”.
In this way Lord Caitanya taught that even though these three different types of services are so all together different, they are actually one and the same. Because the lord is Bhavagrahi. He sees the spirit of devotion, whether one is pujari in the temple, one is brahmachari living in the ashram and preaching or a grihastha living at a home with an occupation. It is not that one is better than other. Where there is devotion there is equal. “gåhe thäko, vane thäko, sadä ‘hari’ bole’ òäko, sukhe duùkhe bhulo nä’ko, vadane hari-näm koro re”. This Mahaprahu’s message. Whether you are a grihastha like Mukunda, whether you are a sannyäsé living in the forest if you take the name of Krishna with devotion we will be free from all the happiness and all the distress of this material existence. Because we will “param drstva nivartate” experience the higher taste of Krishna.
There is a beautiful story of Raghunandana. When he was just a small boy, he was hardly five years old. His father has just given him the sacred brahminical thread and teaching him about how to worship their family deity, whose name was Gopinath. Now one day Mukunda, he was called perhaps by the king for some work, so he had to leave. Now everyday very restrictly with great devotion Mukud would offer the Raja bhoga offering, that his wife would cook and then he would perform the arati. But on this day he had to leave. So he told Raghunandana, “Your mother will cook and you should offer the bhoga to Gopinath”. Now Raghunandana really do not know how to do it. He did not know all the yantra, mantra, and tantras and mudras and pujas. He was just the little boy. But his father had faith in his devotion and that’s what Krishna wants.
The mother made a beautiful thali with sabjis and sweets, rice with ghee and gave it to Raghunanadana and said, “Now my son, offer this to Gopinath”. So Raghunath sated on the altar and he did not know the mantras the tantras or yantras or the pujas. So he just looked at the Gopinath and said, “Eat and eat”. So Gopinath ate. How does the deity eat? We learn from the Brahma Sahmita that all the Lord’s limbs can perform the functions of the other limbs. So just by glancing at the food He tasting the love and devotion that was put into that food. When He tastes your bhava, your love, then that food becomes spiritually surcharged with His grace and His Mahaprasada. So little Raghunandana, again he said, “Eat and eat”. But the food was still there and he began to cry. So the little boy on the altar weeping with tears saying “My lord, my father is going to punish me because he told me to feed You and you are not eating what I am taking. So he is not going to happy with me. I am so fallen. I am so unqualified that you won’t accept my offering”.
Then Krishna just seeing the innocent devotion of this child Gopinath the murti spoke. He said, “I already ate”. Raghunath said, “I do not see that You ate. Everything is on the plate”. He said, “I glanced and then I accept it your love and devotion”. Raghuanth said, “I do not know all these high philosophy about glance. The food is here. Please eat”. Again he started crying. So Gopinath came down from His position sat in front of the plate and ate every morsel. This was taking a long time. Raghunandana’s mother was outside the door thinking that what my son is doing in there so long. Then he came out and she came to take the Mahaprasad. But she saw the plate was empty.
Now, you mothers are laughing. But if your five year old son came off the altar with an empty plate, what would you think? She was thinking just like that. She said, “Where all those Prasad”? Raghunandan said, “Gopinath ate it”. She said, “Did you eat it”? Gopinath does not eat like that, you must have eaten. So he started cry, no I did not eat. Gopinath eat it. So Mukunda after hard days work comes home and says to his wife, “Please give me some Prasad”. She said that there is no prasad. What is this, there is no Prasad. She told him the story. That Raghunandana went into the altar and he was in there for really long time and then he came out and said, “Gopinath ate everything”. So he asked to his son and his son told him that everything that happened. He said, “First He did not eat but then I cried and He came down and eat”.
So Mukunda understood that his son was special. He said, “Make another offering to Gopinath because I have to go out again”. So he gave him a ladu and said offer this ladu to Gopinath because I have to go. So he went out the door and left and as soon as Raghunandana turned around Mukunda turned around secretly and from a hiding place he was watching on the altar. What was happening? Little Raghunandan, went on the altar took the ladu and put it right in Gopinath’s hand. His father is watching. This is not what he taught him. He taught him seva puja according to the archana parahati. Then little Raghunandan said, “Gopinath, eat eat this ladu. It is very good. Eat this ladu”. Gopinath did not want to see His little devotee cry anymore. He just put His hand to his mouth and took a big bite out of the ladu. Mukunda Sarakar was watching this and then he made a sound of astonishment. When Raghunandana heard it and he saw his father and then Gopinath saw the father and He put the ladu and moved His hand away. To this day, if you go to Srikhanda, the Gopinath temple, half of ladu is still there giving darshan to testify that the supreme personality of godhead accepts whatever is offered with love and devotion.
Then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu turned to Sarbavauma Bhatacarya and his brother Vidyavacaspati. He said that the supreme Lord has incarnated in two forms in this age. He has come as wood and He has come as water. Here Srila Prabhupada explains that everything is emanating from Krishna.
“ahaà sarvasya prabhavo
mattaù sarvaà pravartate
iti matvä bhajante mäà
budhä bhäva-samanvitäù”
I am the source of all material worlds and spiritual world. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in my loving devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts, now this is Krishna’s definition of wisdom.
We hear about wise men and everybody had different ideas of what it means to be wised. But Krishna says, this is wisdom, to understand that He is the source of everything and everything is emanating from Him. Therefore to worship Him with all our hearts with love and devotion. That means this material energy is Krishna’s energy. Krishna is present in His energy. Krishna is present in and between every atom.
The impersonal philosopher they called this material existence is illusion and their idea of tyaga or renunciation is to give up all of these things. A karmi people the materialist they want to enjoy Krishna’s energy. The impersonalist, they want to reject Krishna’s energy. But a devotee sees that everything is for Krishna’s pleasure. Even all the temporary phenomena of this material existence including these bodies. This body is a temple of the lord. The lord is seated within this body. So “präpaïcikatayä buddhyä hari-sambandhi-vastunaù” Rupa Goswami explains incomplete renunciation is to renounce something thinking it is material. But complete renunciation means to use everything in the service of Thakurji, Sri Krishna.
Krishna, since everything is none different than Him although He remains the source of everything like the sun, is the source of the sunlight which pervades everything. Krishna by His own free will could make Himself present to His devotee anywhere and in anything even material elements. So Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained that Lord Jagannath in Puri is Krishna. Full fledged Krishna with all of his six opulences performing His divine lila’s in a way that we can see Him, fixed our mind on Him, and render service to Him in the form of Lord Jagannath. He said, “Krishna has personally appeared in the form of water as mother Ganges. She is absolutely none different from Krishna. She has come to purify our sins and for those who approaching with her with proper purpose Ganga has come to bestow unalloyed loving devotional service to the supreme Lord. Then He told Sarbavauma Bhattacarya, your life’s mission should be to serve Lord Jagannath, Krishan in the from of wood and your brother Vidyavacaspati, your mission in life should be to go back to Navadvipa and worship and serve mother Ganga.
We read in this today’s verse “In the bright fortnight of the month of Phälguna [February and March], for twelve days ending with Dvädaçé, one should observe the vow of subsisting only on milk and should worship the lotus-eyed Supreme Personality of Godhead with all devotion”.
Krishna seeks the devotion in the heart of His devotees. Krishna would wakeup early in the morning with His friends to the gopi’s houses to steal their butter. He was not just mischief. Because the gopis would churn that butter every stage when they would milk their cows and they feed their cows grass, at every stage when they are making their butter was with pure love, hopping that Krishna would come to taste it. Then Krishna reciprocates. He was going house to house stealing the butter because He was hungry for the butter, hungry for love.
Virat rupa, we saw what His mouths were doing. It was devouring all the greatest kshetriyas on earth. But that was the different situation. That same absolute truth in His original form the source of all avatars, Avatari is roaming from place to place searching for the love of His devotees. The Lord descends into this world to search for the lost souls and gives us by His instructions, by His grace, the means to revive that love because Krishna is hungry for our love. That is nothing to satisfy Krishna except bhakti. There is nothing that can satisfy the heart of any living entity except bhakti. Because it is the only reality that connects us to the ultimate objects of our love Krishna.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to this world searching everywhere for everyone. We were discussing last night was the appearance day of Ballavacarya. Sripad Ballavacarya, this great avatar, he travels throughout the length and breadth of India. He just wore unstitched clothing, one set. There are 84 vaithaks or place where he sat and spoke the message of pure bhakti to the world. He was searching and searching for the lost souls to bring them back to Krishna.
Our beloved Gurudeva Srila Prabhupada, how he searched for the lost souls to awaken that love and bring them back home back to Krishna on Krishna’s be half. He travelled around the world 12 times on behalf of Krishna. “yadä yadä hi dharmasya glänir bhavati bhärata” Krishna comes to this world again and again, hungry for our love knowing that until we offer Him our love there is only suffering. There could be no satisfaction. In this age the lord has given such a dispensation just be humble, just develop genuine and sincere attitude to serve others without selfishness and to serve god and be compassionate to others and with that spirit I’ll awaken that love within your heart when you cry out with all sincerity My holy names. “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.
Thank you very much.
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