Sri Advaita Saptami

Srila Gurudeva is very strong and strictly follows the line coming from his Param Gurudeva, Prabhupāda Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s time, never breaking it. He would tell us that it is necessary to follow all these vratas. What will happen then? Then you will become strong and serious. They (God’s incarnations) are not giving a curse. But people, who not following, they are distancing themselves from the family of God. It is necessary to respect Mahāviṣṇu and any of God’s incarnations. It is necessary to observe their appearance days with a vrata.

So Mahāviṣṇu, who is Sadāśiva, appeared today. Today is Māgha Saptamī, or Makara Saptamī. Kṛṣṇa’s son, Sāmba, had some leprosy. Kṛṣṇa asked the ṛṣis, maharṣis, and brāhmaṇas how this disease could be cured.

They told Him, “On Māgha Saptamī, Makara Saptamī, which is also known as Ratha Saptamī, you should take your son from Jagannātha Purī to nearby Koṇārka, to the Sun temple. There is a lake there called Candrabhāgā, which is like it is in the middle of the ocean. That lake has a connection to the churning of the ocean, when two moons arose. One of the moons also had leprosy.”

Varuṇadeva said, “Oh, my son has leprosy.” What did he do? He performed a lot of austerity, tapasya. Then on Ratha Saptamī day, Lord Viṣṇu came from Vaikuṇṭha. Varuṇadeva washed His feet, performed His abhiṣeka, and with that caraṇāmṛta, he bathed the moon, and his leprosy was gone.

So the ṛṣis and maharṣis told Kṛṣṇa, “You should go there from Dvārakā and have your son bathe at midnight on this saptamī—Makara Saptamī, Makarī Saptamī, Ratha Saptamī—then his leprosy will go away.” Therefore, even now, we are going tonight. Oh, crores of people are coming. There is a big line. Now the government is arranging it. A general ticket is 50 rupees. After that, there are 500, 5,000, and 50,000 rupee tickets, just for going and bathing there.

So many people are booking. There are such big lines and areas. This Candrabhāgā is a very auspicious place. The water there is very nectarean, very sweet and tasteful. It is in the middle of the ocean, and ocean water comes there, but that water becomes sweet. It is never salty there. Anytime you go, even when waves from the ocean come or when water comes from the mohana [river mouth], it never becomes salty.

So this is one story told about Makarī Saptamī. Also, in Vaikuṇṭhapuram, those who follow the Māgha-vrata in the month of Māgha—Ācārya Rāmānuja, and before him Ācārya Yāmunācārya, and before him Śrīnātha Muni, and in that Śrī-sampradāya, the many Divya Ālvārs and Divya Sūris—all of them came. And they follow this Vaikuṇṭhīya-vrata, meaning all the Vaikuṇṭhīya rules and regulations.

So, they follow this Māgha-vrata. And in the Śrī-sampradāya, there is one rule: if you perform vrata, tapa, and japa, but you do not perform atithi-sevā, then everything you do is useless. Your yajña will not bear fruit. You may perform vrata and tapa for Śrī Hari, but if you cannot serve the bhaktas, His followers, then it is useless. No fruit will come. Hari will not be pleased.

So when they all start this Māgha-vrata, they offer poṅgal to Śrī Hari every day. Today, they offer Thai Poṅgal. Rice is cooked with guḍa [jaggery]; no milk or anything else is needed. They add some spices, offer it in big pots, and then give it to everyone. And today is special; this is called Thai Poṅgal. Also today, for the first time, Raṅganātha eats dosā, vaḍā, and chutney. Every day He eats so much rice, but today He eats many special items.

One thing they make is a very thin rice chila, or dosā. They extract coconut water and coconut oil, and after that, they mix it with rice powder and make it thin like paper. So today, Śrī Hari comes from Vaikuṇṭha, arriving in a nice chariot. And with this chariot, they start a Ratha-yātrā. Ācārya Rāmānuja established 108 temples in Viṣṇu Vaikuṇṭhapuram.

How is this possible? How long was his life? And these were not small building temples. Each temple is on many acres of land. Also, they are very big temples with gopurams, and he arranged for brāhmaṇas, sevakas, kīrtana, Veda-stuti—and every temple has an elephant. The elephant brings water and performs abhiṣeka. Cows come, and every day they are milked, and this milk is used for abhiṣeka. Bābā, how nice is this sevā-paripāṭī!

So today, on this Ratha Saptamī day, Ācārya Rāmānuja is arranging this in his 108 temples. His last temple is Tirupati. Now, at the time of the partition between Tamil and Telugu areas, they were asked, “Will you take one temple, Tirupati, or the other 107?” The Telugu people from Andhra said, “We will take the one temple, Tirupati.” And 107 temples went to the Tamil side, in Viṣṇu Vaikuṇṭhapuram. Big, big temples, like Śrīraṅgam. What kind of temple is that!

Now, Lord Śrī Hari is coming today. Everyone desires His darśana, so they all come out to the street. Everything is decorated nicely. They come with nice presentations, perform ārati, and offer gifts. This is the custom they follow.

Later, we see what happened in this Kali-yuga. Lord Śiva is in Kedāranātha. He is Sadāśiva in Vaikuṇṭha-loka. Śiva Ṭhākura is His incarnation, His expansion. Rudra is His incarnation. So Sadāśiva and Viṣṇu are non-different. Viṣṇu Himself is Sadāśiva. Also, on the other side, the incarnations of this Sadāśiva are Śiva and Rudra.

So Śiva Ṭhākura is in Kedāranātha, and he is always doing nāma-saṅkīrtanam and speaking nice harikathā. All the demigods come there, and all the ṛṣis, brahma-ṛṣis, and tapasīs come. Everybody hears harikathā, and they join the kīrtana and everything.

Then Śiva Ṭhākura became unhappy. “I have been doing kīrtana for a long time, I have been doing sādhana for a long time, but I am not getting this pure prema-bhakti. My heart is dry. My duty is always to deal with tamo-guṇī people and engage in destruction, saṁhāra. Sometimes I am told to preach Māyāvāda—śāstra prachanna bauddham uchyate. ‘You preach Māyāvāda.’ Oh, all my service is just giving hard instructions and orders. Very hard.”

“Not only preaching Māyāvāda, but also controlling the tamo-guṇī jīvas. Sometimes drinking poison. Anything that nobody else will do is ordered for me. What can I do?” Then he thought, “When will I be pleased and happy? And when will I also get this prema-bhakti and the direct sevā of Lord Śrī Hari?”

Then he discussed this with Bhṛgu, Marīci, Brahmā, his ādi-guru, and Nārada, with everyone. After discussing with them all, he decided, “Okay, I will go to Bhauma Vraja Vṛndāvana. There it will be possible for me to serve.” Then he left Kedāranātha and came to Vṛndāvana. Where? First, to Gokula. He came there and stood at the door of Nanda Bhavana, shouting, “Alakh nirañjan, alakh nirañjan.” Then everyone asked, “Oh, where have you come from, Yogī?” “From Kedāranātha.” “So what do you need?” “I have only come for the darśana of Nanda’s son.”

Yaśodā Mātā said, “I will never give darśana.” And he stood there playing his ḍamaru and only chanting, “Alakh nirañjan.” Then Kṛṣṇa began to cry more and more. Yaśodā Mātā tried to pacify Him, but He would not stop. Then everyone said, “Okay, give him darśana, and then he will be happy and pleased.” She covered Kṛṣṇa with a black cloth, put black spots on Him, then took Him out, gave darśana, and came back. Then Śiva Ṭhākura danced, very happy. He said, “I will stay at Brahmāṇḍa Ghāṭa forever. I am not going back. Sometimes I will come for darśana. Also, if you have any problems, you can come to me, and I will give you the solution for everything.”

After that, he was given the name Cintāharaṇa Mahādeva there. From there he came to Mathurā. There he is Bhūteśvara, Raṅgeśvara, Pipaleśvara, and Gokarṇeśvara. He is the guard of Mathurā. Okay. But he was still not happy. He went to Kāmyavana. There he performed tapasya. Then people addressed him as Kāmeśvara Mahādeva. He fulfills all our desires, but he came there with his own desire: for the darśana of Kṛṣṇa-līlā.

He went to the hills of Kedāranātha, to the top of Kedāranātha. From that high place, he watched all of Kṛṣṇa’s līlās. Then he was very happy. But after some time, he came near Nanda Bhavana, to Nandīśvara hill. He came completely inside of Kṛṣṇa’s house, and said, “I will be with Kṛṣṇa at all times.” But he was still not happy. Why? Because everyone was worshiping him. Everyone was offering puṣpāñjali. He had no adhikāra for service, for sevā. You are worshipable, but not a worshiper. All are worshiping you.

After that, he left everything and came to Vṛndāvana. Then he took shelter near Yogamāyā, Paurṇamāsī. Then he changed his whole uniform, and he was given the name Gopīśvara. Then he was happy. He said, “I will stay as the gatekeeper at Vaṁśīvaṭa.” But he could not enter Vṛndāvana. Oh, you can give anyone entrance; they can come with your permission, but there is no permission for you. A big problem. Then he became very sad. He was not happy.

“Oh, I came to this Vṛndāvana, but I still have no adhikāra for sevā. What kind of life is this? I am present at all times, and everyone is serving me, worshiping me, and pacifying me. But I want to serve. Kṛṣṇa has so many sakhās, so many who have parental love, and they are all serving. There are many servants, but I am not allowed to do any sevā. I can only look from a distance. All are respecting me, but this is not a relationship. Far away, far away, from a distance—this is not a good relationship. How can an intimate relationship come about? It comes through service, sweetness, happiness, and satisfaction—through loveful service.”

Then Śiva Ṭhākura was unhappy. Now Kṛṣṇa’s līlā disappeared. Kṛṣṇa went to Mathurā, then to Dvārakā. He also followed, going everywhere that Kṛṣṇa’s līlā was going on. But he could not understand what to do. Afterwards, in Kali-yuga, he came to Śāntipura-dhāma. The name is Śāntipura. Śānti. They say, “Oṁ śānti, Oṁ śānti, Oṁ śānti. Śānti reva.” Bābā, how many things the Veda-mantras say. He said, “Okay, where is this place? I am going there.”

So he appeared there as the son of Kubera Paṇḍita and Nābadevī. He had lotus eyes, was long and tall, and had a very fair face. Very nice. Everyone was attracted. Then what happened? He was given the name Kamalākṣa. Now, one day the king asked his priest, his purohita and guru, “Gurudeva, I have heard that you have a son, and that he is divyāti divya. He is very attractive, speaks very little, and whatever he says is truthful, the absolute truth. Please give me his darśana.”

Then Kubera Paṇḍita said, “Okay, I will bring him.” Kubera Paṇḍita brought his son Kamalākṣa with him. Now, there were many scholars and paṇḍitas in the king’s assembly, in the king’s palace. All the paṇḍitas looked on, surprised. What a beautiful son! He was so young, but he spoke very sweetly and attractively, in a way that touched the heart. How he changed everyone. Oh.

Now, the king asked many, many questions. He gave all the answers very sweetly. For a long time, the king had been asking his other brāhmaṇas, all his priests, but they could not satisfy him. The king felt very nice satisfaction. He said, “Okay, sometime please bring your son to give me some advice and instruction.” Then Kubera Paṇḍita would bring him, and the king was very happy and pleased. He worshiped him, respected him, and gave him the same siṁhāsana. The other paṇḍitas then became jealous.

This is the nature of a brāhmaṇa. A brāhmaṇa is in sattva-guṇa, but not nirguṇa. This is a big problem. They all began to debate now. The king respected everyone, but he respected this Kamalākṣa more than the others. Now, they could not find any faults in him. Everyone was satisfied, but their hearts burned. He was so young, yet he had conquered the king’s heart. Now he was topmost of everyone. This caused jealousy.

Now what did they do? Then one day, all the paṇḍitas held a meeting. How could they show the king that this Kamalākṣa did not respect them? “You are worshiping and respecting him, but this is not good. We are all senior and elder. He was just born. To disobey seniority is a big offense, a big sin. It is not good.”

Then they watched and watched and watched. When Kamalākṣa would come to the gate, the king would go to welcome him, with all his ministers and all the brāhmaṇas. They would go to welcome him, offering flowers and puṣpāñjali with Veda-mantras, and then he would come. This created more fire, more burning now, more jealousy. Then one day, they all complained to the king, “Mahārāja, your guru’s son is proper and right in every way. But when he enters your palace, at the gate there is a mandira, a temple of the Mātā, of Devī. But he never offers praṇāma, shows no respect, and he walks straight past the front of this temple. Is this not disobedience? How can you tolerate this? Can you not see this?”

Then the king requested his own guru, Kubera Paṇḍita, “Oh, Gurujī, now all the paṇḍitas have some argument and complaint. Kamalākṣa comes with you, but he never respects this Devī. He doesn’t offer praṇāma; he just comes straight in, without even folding his hands or glorifying her. We all go to welcome him, but he does not show proper respect.”

The Paṇḍita said, “Okay, I will tell him.” The next time he came, all the paṇḍitas said, “Mahārāja, look! What pride! He is not showing respect.” Then the king requested, “Please, you offer praṇāma.” He said, “It is not possible. She cannot accept my praṇāma.” Then they started laughing and joking. “Ha ha, hi hi! He will offer praṇāma to Devī Mātā, and Devī will not accept it?” Then he said, “Yes.” “Okay. How will she not accept? Everyone is looking. Offer praṇāma.”

Then Kamalākṣa, in front of everybody, folded his hands and went to offer praṇāma. But before the praṇāma was possible, the deity of Devī exploded, bursting apart. All the pieces went flying into the sky. And where did they go? All the paṇḍitas were injured in their eyes, heads, noses, mouths, faces, and bodies. And with that sound, the king became senseless. Everyone fell flat.

A little later, when their senses returned, they heard a voice from the sky. “He is my husband. He is my pati. Then how can he offer praṇāma to me? This is not good. Whatever he says is right and proper. Do not try to instruct him in any duplicitous or wrong way.”

From that day on, all the paṇḍitas and everyone else became silent. And they all respected him. And the deity of that Devī disappeared. It was no longer there. The king asked what should be done about installing a new deity. Kubera Paṇḍita asked Kamalākṣa, and He said, “She is very shy; she will not come in front of me.”

Why did this Śiva Ṭhākura come to Śāntipura? This is the question. It is said that at the time of Gaura-līlā, Mahāprabhu came to teach something. What? First, Śiva Ṭhākura told Pārvatī Devī:

ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ
viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param
tasmāt parataraṁ devi
tadīyānāṁ samarcanam
— Padma Purana, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.31

“Devī, the worship of Viṣṇu is the highest and topmost of all worship. But the service of His tadīya, His followers, His near and dear ones, or His madīya, is most important. Teaching them, helping them, and always protecting them—this is the service of a Viṣṇu-sevaka.”

So before Mahāprabhu came, everyone in this world was worshiping Lord Śrī Hari. He has many incarnations: Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, Nṛsiṁha, Vāmana, Kalki, many incarnations. But no one was ever taught that the worship of the tadīya is highest. So Mahāprabhu came to teach this worship of the tadīyānām. Otherwise, the Lord will never directly accept anyone’s service. Why? Because they are unqualified and untrained. They act independently, according to their own choice. They have not learned anything.

So Śiva Ṭhākura said, “I will also go. Then I will also learn.” Otherwise, God does not teach. God’s near and dear ones can possibly teach. Then Mahāprabhu came and explained the svarūpa-śakti, hlādinī-śakti, kriyā-śakti, the parā-śakti, aparā-śakti, cit-śakti, jīva-śakti, and jaḍa-śakti. Śakti has many divisions. They are not all one.

The bahiraṅgā-śakti, Māyā, and the antaraṅgā-śakti, Yogamāyā, and the svarūpa-śakti are not equal. The expansions and incarnations are Vaikuṇṭhīya. But the bahiraṅgā-śakti is not an expansion or incarnation. This is the jaḍa-śakti, prakṛti. Kṛṣṇa says in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā:

apareyam itas tv anyāṁ
prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat
— Bhagavad-gītā 7.5

There is one parā-śakti and one aparā-śakti.

bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ
khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me
bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā
— Bhagavad-gītā 7.4

So Kṛṣṇa explained everything. But now Śiva Ṭhākura was saying, “I am going.” How does Mahāprabhu teach? Ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣām, viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param. The śāstras everywhere explain this Viṣṇu-ārādhana. But tadīyānāṁ samarcanam, or mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā, or ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān nāvamanyeta karhicit. So Mahāprabhu took the responsibility, “I will teach.” Meaning: they will surrender and take shelter, take their training, and after becoming qualified and bona fide, they will get the adhikāra for real service. God will accept them.

Then Śiva Ṭhākura came for the first time, and he explained the Vedas, Vedānta, Purāṇas, Upaniṣads, everything. Many, many followers—brāhmaṇas and others in the king’s assembly—all respected and listened to him. But he could not change anybody. This is a big problem. A piece of stone inside water will never change. It cannot change while in the water. What happens then? It becomes slippery.

But if you put cotton or something soft inside water, it will sink and soak in the water. So this is the nature of a brāhmaṇa: “I am the highest, I am great, I am topmost. I have all knowledge, I know everything.” Therefore, it is very rare for them to try to learn something. If they learn something, they become proud: “I know everything.” Oh, this is not enough.

The ādi-guru, Brahmā, says:

athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-
prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi
jānāti tattvaṁ bhagavan-mahimno
na cānya eko ’pi ciraṁ vicinvan
— Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.29

In many places it is also said:

nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo
na medhayā na bahunā śrutena
yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas
tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanūṁ svām
— Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23

This ayam ātmā… If anybody says, “I know God, I know the Lord,” they don’t know anything. This is only speculation. So now Śiva Ṭhākura came to see how Mahāprabhu teaches, how He gives shelter. He spoke harikathā and many other things, but no one changed.

Then Mādhavendra Purīpāda came. When Mādhavendra Purī came, he discussed with him. Mādhavendra Purī said, “In this Kali-yuga, it is not anyone’s fault. In Kali-yuga, Kali Mahārāja gives a bribe to everybody. He freely gives dyūtaṁ pānaṁ striyaṁ sūnā, yatrādharmaś catur-vidhaḥ. He distributes these four things for free. ”

It is like when Western countries came to India; they distributed four things for free. Take four things free. They also gave a fifth thing for free: tato rāja vairaṁ ca pañcamam (enmity between rulers). So Kali Mahārāja gives all of this.

But Mādhavendra Purī said, “Kali-yuga has one thing that is the best, most important, and very powerful. This is the gift for Kali-yuga. Dhanya Kali-yuga! What is this gift?”

kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann
asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ
kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya
mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet
— Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 12.3.51

“In Kali-yuga, the one thing is only Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana, Kali runs away. Kali is defeated there.” Then Advaita Ācārya said, “Yes, very good.” “But if you start Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana, will people change?” He said, “No.” They do not follow nāma-kīrtana. They all run away from nāma-kīrtana. But for dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa, the Purāṇas, and other kinds of kathā, they all come. For nāma-kīrtana, they all run away. Then he said, “What to do?” They have no taste or desire for this nāma-kīrtana, for kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet.

Śukadeva Gosvāmī says:

etan nirvidyamānānām
icchatām akuto-bhayam
yogināṁ nṛpa nirṇītaṁ
harer nāmānukīrtanam
— Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.11

Kali-yuga kevala nāma ādhārā, sumiri sumiri nara utarahiṁ pārā. But they are not doing nāma-kīrtana; they are doing other things. Very hard tapasya and everything else is possible, but not nāma-kīrtana. And he was saying, “Oh, now what am I to do? Gurudeva is telling me that this nāma-kīrtana is everything, but nobody is following.” Then he thought, “Okay, you should worship the Śālagrāma.”

tulasī-dala-mātreṇa
jalasya culukena vā
vikrīṇīte svam ātmānaṁ
bhaktebhyo bhakta-vatsalaḥ
— Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.67

“By worshiping the Śālagrāma with a Tulasī leaf and Gaṅgā water, God will be happy. The Lord will hear your request.” You worship and call, but there is no answer. Then He thought, “Okay, I will destroy everybody. I have the power.” Then next, He met Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Haridāsa Ṭhākura also started nāma-kīrtana, and then the Muslims and Hindus were all against him. They put him in jail. After that, he was beaten in twenty-two marketplaces, ready to be killed. He was not doing anything wrong, only chanting Harināma.

Advaita Ācārya started Harināma, and nobody liked it, nobody accepted it. What to do? Then they waited for Mahāprabhu. When Mahāprabhu came, He said, “You have not taken shelter, so how can you help others? Without śakti, how can there be bhakti? First, take shelter of the svarūpa-śakti. Then, if you give any advice, that śakti will work. Everybody will change; everybody will be helped. If you try independently, nobody will change, and nobody will accept it. There is no śakti there.”

Then Kavirāja Gosvāmī wrote:

kali-kālera dharma — kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana
kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana

In Kali-yuga, the yuga-dharma is nāma-kīrtana. Nārada Muni, the Nava-yogendra Saṁvāda, Karabhājana Ṛṣi—they all gave this answer one by one. When asked about the dharma for Kali-yuga, they gave this answer. So in Kali-yuga, nāma-saṅkīrtana is the yuga-dharma. But without this śakti, it is not possible for you to distribute it, or for anyone else to accept or follow it. It is not possible.

Then Mahāprabhu taught, “kṛṣṇa-śakti svarūpa-śakti parākṛta rādhikā para-devatā. This Kṛṣṇa-śakti is Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Rādhā-upāsanā, tadīya-upāsanā. This is necessary.”

anayārādhito nūnaṁ
bhagavān harir īśvaraḥ
yan no vihāya govindaḥ
prīto yām anayad rahaḥ
— Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.30.28

[Certainly that this particular gopī performed the most perfect worship of the all-powerful Lord Govinda. Her devotion pleased Him so greatly that He left the rest of us behind to take Her alone to a secluded place.]

Now Mahāprabhu was teaching everyone this śakti-upāsanā. The Vaiṣṇavas are all śāktas, real śāktas. They are followers of śakti. The svarūpa-śakti, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. They are Her followers. By following Her, She is continually chanting. One time, a very special ācārya asked Mahāprabhu, “Why do you chant the name of Kṛṣṇa, who is your beloved lover or husband? Nobody chants their husband’s name. Nobody likes to say it openly.” He said, “My husband gives the order.” Mahāprabhu said, “You chant My name. You have a relationship and love with Me, so continue remembering. Therefore, all are practicing and following.”

Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī asked, “Why are you dancing and chanting this Harināma?” Mahāprabhu said:

guru more mūrkha dekhi’ karilā śāsana
mūrkha tumi, tomāra nāhi vedānta-adhikāra
‘kṛṣṇa-nāma’ japa sadā,—ei mantra-sāra
— Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.71-72

japite japite mantra karilā pāgala
— Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.81

He said, “My Guru Mahārāja gave me an order. What? ‘You are not qualified to read and memorize the Vedas and Vedānta, and after that to make a relationship with God or meet with God and go near God. This is impossible. You should chant His holy name; then it is very easy.’ Then, as I was chanting, I saw that this Nāma came in front of me. And He caught me, pulled me, made me dance, and also made me like a madman and crazy. I forgot everything.”

Then Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī said, “Oh, you look like Nārāyaṇa. But you are doing this nauṭaṅkī, this drama. This is not the rule for a sannyāsī.” But after Mahāprabhu started kīrtana, Prakāśānanda, with his 60,000 disciples, also started to dance, and he forgot everything. Then he experienced romāñca, kampa, pulaka, aśru, sveda, and vaivarṇya.

At first, he had told his disciples, “Don’t go meet with this Bengali jādukāra. He has this mystic power. Don’t meet with him. Magic, magic, he has black magic. If you go look at him, you will also be changed.” Now he himself was also changed.

Then Mahāprabhu taught, kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana. Without śakti, Brahma is nirvikāra, nirguṇa, nirviśeṣa. With śakti, He is śaktimān. If the śaktimān has no śakti, no power, then He is nirguṇa, nirākāra, nirviśeṣa. Then how can He be helpful? How can He help? This nirākāra, nirviśeṣa is followed by everybody: Christians, Muslims, Māyāvādīs, Brahmavādīs—all follow this nirākāra, nirviśeṣa. But who follows the saviśeṣa, saguṇa? The saśaktik?

So this śakti-upāsanā, Mahāprabhu was saying. Now, Mahāprabhu gave the order,

śuno śuno nityānanda, śuno haridāsa,
āmāra ājñāya sarvatra koroho prakāśa
ghare ghare jāo, māṅgo ei bhikṣā,
bolo ‘kṛṣṇa’, bhajo kṛṣṇa, koro kṛṣṇa-śikṣā
ihā boi āra nā bolibe bolāibā
dina-avasāne āsi’ āmāre kahibā

— Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 13.8-9

Hey, Haridāsa! Before, when Haridāsa was chanting, the Muslims caught him—the kazi, the paji, the ujir, the najir—they were all against him. The badshah, the padshah, they all put him in jail and beat him, as if to kill him. But when that was not possible, they said, “You are a jindā pīr.” Okay. But he was not allowed to preach; it was not possible to do anything. Now Mahāprabhu gave the order, “By My order, go from house to house and give everyone the order, the request, to chant Harināma.”

Before, Nityānanda Prabhu was also alone; he could not do anything. Advaita Prabhu, Haridāsa Ṭhākura—nobody could do anything. Now Advaita Prabhu, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, Nityānanda—everybody followed everything by Mahāprabhu’s order. Mahāprabhu was teaching them.

So Śiva Ṭhākura said, “This svarūpa-śakti upāsanā, ārādhanā.” Then he started chanting what?

munīndra-vṛnda-vandite tri-loka-śoka-hāriṇi
prasanna-vaktra-paṅkaje nikuñja-bhū-vilāsini
vrajendra-bhānu-nandini vrajendra-sūnu-saṅgate
kadā kariṣyasīha māṁ kṛpā-kaṭākṣa-bhājanam
— Śrī Rādhā-kṛpā-kaṭākṣa-stava-rāja 1

He chanted this continually then, 108 times. And he never forgot. And then he preached everywhere. To anybody he would say, “Hey, chant Harināma,” and start Harināma. Why? Because of his relationship with the śakti. Then the desire for bhakti comes easily. Without śakti, how can one follow bhakti? Without strength, without energy, without power, then how?

So this Advaita Prabhu, Śiva Ṭhākura, Sadāśiva Himself, came in this Kali-yuga. The Advaita-tattva is explained in one chapter of Caitanya-caritāmṛta by Kavirāja Gosvāmī. Mahāprabhu Himself glorified Advaita Prabhu. All the ācāryas did.

So, tomorrow we will hear more. He came to Vṛndāvana, and there he met Madana Gopāla. He took this Madana Gopāla and went to Śāntipura. There he served Madana Gopāla. And while he was serving there, Haridāsa Ṭhākura came, Mādhavendra Purī came, Īśvara Purī, and many other big, big ācāryas, sādhus, and santas.

Now his father departed, leaving his body. Then came the śrāddha ceremony. Many brāhmaṇa scholars all came, even without an invitation. Now, the rule is that the highest and most scholarly brāhmaṇa is worshiped first, and the śrāddha-pātra, the first bhoga, is given to this brāhmaṇa. And this brāhmaṇa performs the yajña. He is the priest.

Advaita Prabhu told all the brāhmaṇas, “Okay, you have come, you may sit. Who is great and a scholar?” It was like at the time of the Rājasūya-yajña, when Bhīṣma Pitāmaha asked, “Who is worshipable? Whom should we worship first?” Then Nakula, Sahadeva, Bhīṣma Pitāmaha, everybody said, “Oh, Kṛṣṇa is worshipable.” They worshiped Kṛṣṇa. And then Śiśupāla became very angry. Oh, he and his followers were shouting and abusing, not once or twice, but hundreds and hundreds of times.

So, similarly, at the śrāddha ceremony for Advaita Ācārya’s father—who was his guru, a king, and respected—all the many brāhmaṇas came. He had one condition: “You are a brāhmaṇa. Then, when the yajña for Yajña Śrī Hari starts, Śrī Hari should give darśana and accept our respectful śrāddha-pātra—our offering. If Yajña Śrī Hari does not come, then how will I understand that you are a brāhmaṇa? Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. If you have no relationship with Brahma, then how?”

Now this problem arose. All the brāhmaṇas now went back. One by one, back, back, back. No one was at the front anymore. Haridāsa Ṭhākura came, this Brahma Haridāsa. Advaita Prabhu said, “Is it possible for you to call and invite Yajña Śrī Hari?” He said, “Prabhu, I am a follower of your footsteps. As you give the order and permission, everything is possible.” He said, “Okay. For these brāhmaṇas, at the time of the fire ceremony, the yajña, fire is not given. The fire appears automatically with the mantra. By the power of the mantra, the divya-śakti, Lord Śrī Hari will also come and accept everything.”

Then Haridāsa Ṭhākura performed four parikramās of the yajña-maṇḍapa, offered praṇāma, and chanted the mantra. Yajña Śrī Hari appeared and was given the śrāddha-pātra. He looked, gave His blessings, and accepted it. The father accepted it and was gone. Then Advaita Prabhu gave that prasāda to Haridāsa Ṭhākura first. Oh, these brāhmaṇas then started a hunger strike. They ran and left. They said, “We will not take anything. You are feeding a Muslim; how can we all eat his remnants? We will not eat.” Then they left, but they came back after and said, “You have all disobeyed. First you invited us, and after neglecting and hating us. Now, give us an answer.”

Then Advaita Prabhu said, “Is your body a brāhmaṇa? Is your soul a brāhmaṇa? Is your mind a brāhmaṇa? The soul is part and parcel of Brahma. Īśvaraḥ aṁśa jīva avināśī. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ. So all souls are part of Brahma. This is a brāhmaṇa. The body is made of the five elements; getting this body from anywhere does not make one a brāhmaṇa.

Hanumān is a monkey, an animal. Jaṭāyu is an eagle. But they are God’s loveful persons. Vibhīṣaṇa is a rākṣasa. Sugrīva, Aṅgada, and others from any species—anyone who came and was related with God, they are very near and dear, close; they are brāhmaṇas. And if the body is a brāhmaṇa, then why is it burned? A brāhmaṇa is never burned.”

Many things happened. After, they said, “Okay, you call Yajña Śrī Hari next time. He came once, why did He come? Why not before? Because Haridāsa Ṭhākura has the power.” So anyone, yei bhaje sei baḍa, abhakta—hīna, chāra; ‘kṛṣṇa’-bhajane nāhi jāti-kulādi-vicāra. And, aho bata śvapaco ’to garīyān. Then he started quoting one by one the ślokas from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Sat-karma-nipuṇo vipro. He started one by one. Then they all became silent and took prasādam, showed respect, and left.

So Advaita Prabhu, his Gurudeva Mādhavendra Purī, and all the brāhmaṇas, everybody—they no longer called him Kamalākṣa. They said, “Advaita Ācārya.” How is he an ācārya? Advaita, no dvaita. You are distant from God, independent. But now he is bringing you and giving you a relationship with God. And sweetly, not by force, not by cheating, by hook or by crook. By love, he is giving you a meeting with Him. Then he is Advaita. No dvaita.

So tomorrow we will follow this program. In the morning, after coming from Rādhā-kuṇḍa, there will be a yajña. After the yajña, there will be harikathā, and then the abhiṣeka of Advaita Prabhu. After the abhiṣeka, there will be kīrtana and bhoga-rāga. Then, for the followers of the vrata, there will be phalāhāra. No grains. Anyone who eats grains is going down. But on all Ekādaśī preparations, and on the appearance day of Viṣṇu, any appearance day of Lord Viṣṇu, there is fasting. So then, anukalpa, or phalāhāra, anything. So this will be here, and we will take something, but also tomorrow the harikathā will continue. Gaura premānande! Hari Haribol

Spoken by Pujyapada Premananda Prabhu
04.02.2025