Vaiṣṇavi dīkṣā is necessary. One is mantramayī upāsanāmayī mantra dīkṣā—that is the worship of God and His incarnations. This Vaiṣṇavi-diksa is necessary for svarūpa-siddhi. Yogamāyā told the vraja-devīs, “I have siddhi in this mantra, therefore I am giving it to you.”
Too much hard labour or austerity is not necessary to chant this mantra. By chanting this mantra, a lot of śakti will come in your heart, the mantra devatā will be pleased, and your heart will be even more happy. Why? If I can’t do anything for the happiness of God, how can I be pleased myself? The devī told the gopīs to chant this mantra. One doesn’t count how much to chant, this mantra is not limited. You can chant it incessantly. All the kumarīs heard this mantra from devī with deep eagerness.
Bhagavatī Paurṇamāsī said, “Without this dīkṣā, it is not possible to get the service of and relation with Lord Hari.” Therefore this mantra is sādhana sampatti, the wealth of spiritual practice. This dīkṣā is necessary, and is called Vaiṣṇavi-diksa.
The gopīs chanted this mantra—
kātyāyani mahā-māye mahā-yoginy adhīśvari nanda-gopa-sutaṁ devi patiṁ me kuru te namaḥ
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.22.4
“O Mahāmāyā, you take care of everyone in this world, you have good relation with all. We request and pray to you, please help us. Don’t make us the followers of your mundane property. Don’t give us greed for anything mundane. You have many things in this world. But how can one offer everything for God? If anything comes to me easily, then I think this is my property. I took birth alone, I brought nothing with me, and I will go alone, without taking anything. I came in this world, and with your arrangement, many presentations and gifts come. First, my mother takes me in her lap, I take her breast milk and love; then father, brothers, and sisters—all relatives come and offer cloth, ornaments, fruit, gifts, room, and many other presentations. Then when one is a little young, many friends come and talk and meet with me, sharing my time. A little later when I become a youth, my parents have tension, “Where should I give my child in marriage?” “Kātyāyanī Mahāmāye, your business and tradition will always run on. But please don’t cheat us. Don’t give anything that I will make relation with, and lose my time and life. If you give anything, may I be able to offer that in the service of God. This is my request.” Otherwise if anything comes, and I accept that, that has māyā’s qualities. It has strong power to catch, like an electric line. If you catch it, you will be stuck and electrocuted. All people are cheated by this māyā. “Mohinī māyā, please give us liberation. Not only for me. May my parents and family not look at me or disturb me. May they not say, “You are mine, I am worried about you and will offer you to another.” And they pray, “Like many animals and dogs are greedy for food, like when girls come into young age, many boys are greedy, and think, how can I anyhow attract, cheat and enjoy them.” The gopis prayed, “Please protect us from this. May we offer our property to only God, and give no other any share. If one shares, then this body is contaminated. We are orphans, not strong. Please protect us, and let no other attack and try to enjoy. If you offer, many demigods will come, many men will come. Anyhow, by force, trick and cheat, they will take us. Also, my parents are ready to give me.” Like a family has goats and chickens, the family takes care of them nicely, giving a lot of food, and the animals eat and eat; and when they are healthy, twenty kilos or fifty kilos, then the family calls all relatives and have a music festival, dum, dum, dum, dum, and then they cut the animal with a sword, cook and distribute it. Similarly, a daughter or son—when they are a little young, then the family arranges a festival and invite all their relatives and have a great musical party and give food, sweets and juice. Why? Today I am offering my daughter or son. Where? To the slaughterhouse to destroy their life. The family agrees to this arrangement. The government gives certificate, “I agree also, you are certified.” The gopīs said, “Please, Māyā-devī, don’t cheat us; this property will be reserved for God, Lord Kṛṣṇa. Not any other. Hey Mahāmāye, we request you, please don’t give us nice svarūpa, face, chest and body. May our faces not shine brightly, attracting others. Hide us. May we be black, dirty, ugly-pugly, with no nice hair, eyes or body. Then people will not watch us or look at us with greedy eyes.” They prayed, “How can I chant this mantra, how can I be continuously near Kṛṣṇa? This is Kṛṣṇa’s property.” Therefore they didn’t go to school, gurukula, or any other way. They only stayed in gardens, forest and family, continuously serving. Their Guru gave this mantra; they now practiced this. Their Gurudeva said, “Serve for one month. Chant this for one month. After one month your desire will be fulfilled. You will have no problem.” After one month, Kṛṣṇa came, and their desire was fulfilled. But if I forget the mantra, and leave it, then any other can again come to catch me. This mantra is siddha mantra; if it came once from Guru, then devotees and disciples cannot forget this. This will automatically run on. Chant this guru-mantra. “O Kātyāyanī Mahāmāye, be pleased with us, don’t send anyone to disturb us, and illusion all with your Mohinī māyā so that they don’t look at us. We have another request, you are the shadow of Yogamāyā, Mahā-yoginī, please make us mahā-yoginīs. This means that we will be engaged, connected and related to your adhīśvarī—the head of your department, the head authority. Make our relation with svarūpa-śakti. This is our request. Please make us mahā-yoginī. We will not be bhoginī, we don’t pray for other things. Why do we pray to your adhisvari? Nandagopa-suta, Nanda-nandana will be our beloved, our lover. I am praying, will he accept or not, will he recommend or not? No. Nandagopa-suta devī. There is one devī near Nanda-nandana. That devī is the highest, superior and his near and dearest. She will give permission by your request. Why? You are Guru. Guru has power, svarūpa-śakti. If Bhagavatī-devī requests, then svarūpa-śakti Śrīmatī Rādhārānī will accept and give permission for Nandagopasutam devī patim me kuru te nama. He will be our pati, meaning, pālana-kartā, our maintainer. Like it is prayed—dhana mora nityānanda, pati mora gauracandra, prāṇa mora yugala-kiśora
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura
Nityānanda Prabhu is my wealth, my Guru, and Gauracandra is pati, pālana-kartā, He is our maintainer, caretaker and authority. Prāṇa mora yugala-kiśora, my life and soul, everything is Yugala-kiśora. The Vraja-devīs now pray to devī with a humble mood. They don’t know the prayer, but devī gave the mantra, and then how to pray, and all instruction was given by inspiration. Not directly. Why? Everyone is not equal. All have different mood and service tendency. Every morning they made the deity of devī and brought many things from their house. What did they arrange? Some fruits, flowers, sweets, cloth, ornaments and they offered it to devī everyday. Devī directly accepted everything. Then after devī mantra, they worshiped her and did her ārati. After giving puṣpāñjali and ārati, they sat and chanted this mantra. While chanting the mantra, they forgot their material body. Earlier, they continuously chanted Gopāla mantra. Now they got Vaiṣṇavi dīkṣā, which is this mantra. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śukadeva Gosvāmī did not give any direct dīkṣā to Parīkṣit Mahārāja. First he told the mantra given to Dhruva by Nārada Ṛṣi, “Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.” Sometimes he said, “Kṛṣṇāya vāsudevāya haraye paramātmane praṇata-kleśa-nāśāya govindāya namo namaḥ.” He told many mantras—Prahlāda Mahārāja mantra and many other mantras by which devotees met with God or attained His service. Now Śukadeva Gosvāmī gave this Vaiṣṇavi dīkṣā. How can you enter Vṛndāvana? Without the permission and mercy of Vṛndā-devī it is not possible. Therefore Yogamāyā came directly and gave this Vaiṣṇavi dīkṣā-mantra. After chanting this mantra, what result came? They became very happy and proud. They had no more attachment with their family—they were no longer disturbed. They did not cry or weep. They joked with each other, “Kṛṣṇa will accept you definitely, you chanted siddha mantra. Kṛṣṇa is coming now. Decorate your body, dress nicely, wear ornaments; there will be a nice musical party, the sakhās will play and dance. One joked with another. And in this way the month passed by. On the last day, Kṛṣṇa came with Dāma, Vasudama, Sudāma and Kiṅkiṇi. These are written in Gopāla-campū. They came and took the gopīs’ cloth. Before, the gopīs never left their cloth. Today, why did they? They left the cloth, and the cloth was flowing here and there in the wind. The sakhās brought the cloth to Kṛṣṇa and they stocked them all on the branches of the banyan tree. That time it was still dark, but now the sakhās saw that many girls were bathing in the Yamunā, like blossoming lotuses, blue, red, white, golden, rose colour and many other beautiful lotus-like multi-coloured girls. The sun was slowly rising, and its golden rays lit up the faces of thousands and millions of the gopīs bathing in the water. The water was cold, but they were playing happily. Sādhaka does bhajana and chants mantra, then after sometime, great power will come inside them. Then if they are uncontrolled and misuse the power, then they will lose everything. Protection is necessary. Like if a poor man gets a lot of wealth by any business. Before he had no bodyguard or gatekeeper, but now these helpers are necessary. When he was poor, he could move anywhere without harm. But now he is Chief Minister, and bodyguard is necessary. Before the gopīs chanted only Gopāla mantra; they had no Vaiṣṇavi dīkṣā. Now after Vaiṣṇavi dīkṣā, all power, energy, taste and strength came. Now, their happiness and gladness came like a flood, as if direct injection of energy came into them. Why? They had direct connection. Gurudeva gave us siddha mantra; if anyone devotee chants, then this power will come. If it is misused, then there is problem. Before they could not cross anything, but now they were very happy, pleased and satisfied; they forgot it was winter and the water was cold in the Yamunā. They left their cloth and swam there and showered there, playing in the water. Kṛṣṇa thought, “A tutor and teacher is necessary. Without a guide, they will go the wrong way and problem will come. Softness and sweetness is very good. Like a tree trunk. People don’t make a hole in the trunk and cut and eat. But when fruit comes and they are juicy and sweet, then all are greedy to take the fruits. The mantra śakti came as fruits and now Kṛṣṇa came and brought four sakhās to protect. The gopīs saw the sun was rising. They remembered that Bhagavatī Paurṇamāsī had said that Kṛṣṇa would give darśana by the power of the mantra. They had desire to meet with Kṛṣṇa. Then they thought, “Kṛṣṇa will definitely come.” They thought to go and quickly get dressed, and decorate themselves with nice cloth. Kṛṣṇa would come and they would worship him. Then they looked to the bank and saw no cloth. It was in a big forest. It was all forest and garden. They looked to the bank and saw there was no cloth. The sakhās laughed loudly from the tree. The gopīs said, “Who came here? For one month no one came!” Then they had some doubt, “Definitely Kṛṣṇa came.” “If Kṛṣṇa came alone, no problem.” But they thought, “Who is laughing?” They looked here and there and saw the sakhās laughing on top of the tree. They looked more closely and saw Kṛṣṇa there. Then their happiness left and they became very sad. Kṛṣṇa said, “We came to serve. Someone left their cloth, they did not save it. When anyone comes back, we will return it. Otherwise a thief may come and steal it. If the wind blows strongly, the cloth will go in the water and get wet. Who left the cloth? We don’t know. Maybe it was demigods or others. Therefore we folded and kept this cloth and will give it back. This is our duty, responsibility and service.” The gopīs said, “Kṛṣṇa, this is not good for you. Why did you take our cloth, did your Guru Mahārāja teach you this?” Kṛṣṇa said, “Did your Guru Mahārāja teach you to leave all cloth on the bank and swim in the water naked? You have disobeyed the great and respected Yamunā, and the demgods, the sun and moon. Did your teacher tell you to do this?” They teased each other like this. Now the gopīs swam into the deeper water, and said, “We are suffering. It is very cold; give us back our cloth.” Kṛṣṇa said, “I don’t know whose is whose. Come and take your dresses for yourselves.” Kṛṣṇa now thought, “As long as they have attachment to their body and nature they cannot come near me. If they come near me, they will also be influenced by the body. And if they have crossed attachment to the body, anger fire, and all desires fires, if they leave everything, then they can come nearby Me. Like one has no relation with a dead body. I have a body, but I don’t think this is dead. I think, this is mine; I will be strong; I have strong attachment. All affection is inside. Therefore this one works. This is inert, physical, and mortal; not immortal. Like when an electric wire is connected to a bulb, fridge or any electric appliance, they work, but when the power goes, the physical instruments don’t work. Similarly, I have affection and attachment to this body, then the body works. But if this attachment is cut off, the body will not work. After sādhana, sādhakas will cut off all connection and attachment to the body. They will use it like God’s gift. Like a gong, when you play it, sound comes, but if the hand doesn’t play it, then no sound comes. If you have too much attachment, it is workable. But if the soul doesn’t touch or look, then the body is dead. I have this, but time to time I can use it without attachment. I have the gong. At ārati I use it, then put it down after ārati with no more attachment. I blow the śāṅkha, conch, then put it down. Similarly, this body should be used time to time for God’s service—this is okay, but have no attachment. Sometimes one cleans a brass pot, gold pot or silver pot. One washes and fills it with water and then drinks it. Similarly, clean and wash this body and use it for God’s service, then have no attachment. Do not misuse your body and senses in material enjoyment. If one has attachment with the body, how can one come to God? Kṛṣṇa called, “Do you want to meet with me.” “Yes. But there is some condition. Covered by cloth and dressed by ornaments, then we will come.” “No, no more anything. Come directly near me. If you like, then come. Why is there any condition?” But they did not agree to come. Kṛṣṇa said, “Yes, why not coming? If you won’t come, then stay in the water. You will be a water animal, a fish, snake or crocodile—stay there. And if you come to me, come clean, with no more attachment.” This is the difference between sādhana and siddhi. Madhvācārya showed two fingers, śuddhādvaita. This is your desire or God’s desire. This is the fight. Which way to go? Kṛṣṇa said, “Forget and leave your desire. Come, I am calling you. You called me and I came; now you should come to me.” Then they answered, “Why are you calling us to come naked? Why are you wearing anything? Why didn’t you come here naked?” Kṛṣṇa said, “Dress is for everyone, but you left your dress. You left it, you disobeyed the demigods. I did not leave my dress. You have this strong attachment; now leave it and come. Before, you left it, now come.” Now this fight began. What did they say? We will hear tomorrow. Hari-katha spoken by Sripada Premananda Prabhu; rendition by Rasik Mohan Das This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.