May, 1996
UK
Srila Gurudeva: Caitanya Mahāprabhu told Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, “You are not trying to manage your wealth, so how will you maintain your family? How can you maintain your own life? You should do something to earn for a living.” Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura then clapped his hands three times.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “I don’t understand what you mean by clapping your hands.”
Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura said, “If there is no mahā-prasādam, I will bear for one day. I will then wait on second day, and I will fast if there is no mahā-prasādam on that day also. We all will fast. We will wait for the third day. And if the fourth day comes and we are still fasting, then River Gaṅgā is here. We will jump in. Why? Because a bad name may come and the world may see You with faulty eyes. The world will think, ‘Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya Mahāprabhu cannot give anything to their devotees.’ People will then consider the “ananyāś cintayanto mām” śloka to be false. They will not believe in this statement of Kṛṣṇa, ‘I carry what the devotees lack and preserve what they have.’”
Kṛṣṇa will always preserve what a devotee collects to maintain his life. If a devotee is in need of something, then Kṛṣṇa takes all that is needed on His head and gives to the devotee. And Kṛṣṇa will protect what the devotee has. Kṛṣṇa will give and protect. One bhakta was reading the Gītā, and explaining the verses. He cut that line—yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham.
The devotee thought, “Kṛṣṇa cannot do this. Instead, He can order anyone else to carry. Hanumān will carry; Garuḍa will carry; all will carry out His order. Why should He carry Himself?” So, he cut that line out. Especially for the reason that for several years he was chanting, remembering, and meditating on Kṛṣṇa; but yet, he was so poor, that he had to go out to beg daily. So he cut that line, and went to beg. He thought, “If I beg, I can get something.” But, when he went out that day, he could not have anything. The sun had set by the time he decided to return.
In the meantime, a boy of twelve, whose complexion was blackish like the new rain clouds, and who was wearing a Pītāmbara arrived at this devotee’s doorstep. He had two big baskets on His shoulders. Taking deep breaths, He came and knocked on the door of this devotee’s house. The devotee’s name was Arjuna Miśra. The wife of Arjuna Miśra, was there, but he had not yet returned for he was on his way home. He knocked on the door.
The wife asked, “Who are You?”
In a very sweet voice the boy said, “I am the disciple of our Gurudeva, Arjuna Miśra.” She opened the door, and let Him inside. She saw that the boy was sweating so much; He was so tired.
She asked the boy, “From where are You coming?”
“I am coming from my Gurudeva. My Gurudeva ordered me to take this load on My head. He told Me, ‘Take this and go at once. Go to my home and give all this to my wife.’ But I told him that I could not bear the load. Meanwhile, it became late. Although he ordered me to carry the load immediately, I was one or two minutes late. So he has scratched My back with his nails. You can see for yourself.” Arjuna Miśra’s wife saw that this boy’s back was bloody. She became furious at her husband and also felt so sorry for the boy. She thought, “How beautiful and soft this boy is. By nature, He is soft and sweet; but my husband is so cruel hearted that he has caused much pain to this boy. Let him come. I will give him a good lesson.” In the meantime, she told the boy, “Oh You should sit here. I’m cooking just now, and will offer the bhoga to Nārāyaṇa, and I will give the remnants, then You should go.”
“O mother, you should cook. I will just sit here.” In the meantime, the brāhmaṇa returned, and he knocked on the door. She was so furious and hot-tempered on seeing her husband. She told her husband, “Oh brāhmaṇa, why did you give that heavy load on that boy? You have no pity and no control over yourself. You are so cruel-hearted.”
Surprised, the brāhmaṇa said, “Who is this boy?”
“Your disciple. He has come to me.”
“I have no disciple at all. I have not sent anything by anyone. I have just come.”
“Come and see. You have scratched the boy on His back and His back is so bloody.”
“Oh, I want to see this boy.”
“Come on, come on.”
And when they entered the room they saw that no boy was there. They searched everywhere. Then the brāhmaṇa began to weep. He told his wife, “Please bring the Gītā.” When the Gītā was brought to Arjuna Miśra, he saw that the line he had cut had become the same again. The statement of Kṛṣṇa was untouched. Then he began to roll down on the earth, and weep.
“O Kṛṣṇa! O Kṛṣṇa! I have committed much offense by doubting You. I doubted Your statement and cut the line. And to correct me, You have come. You have carried all these things and brought them here personally.” This is the example shown to the whole world—Kṛṣṇa Himself carries what His devotees lack. Then he took the dust of his wife and said “Oh you are so fortunate that Kṛṣṇa came to you. And you saw Him and gave water to Him. He also accepted what you had to offer to Him. But I am so fallen that I could not see Him.” Both, then began to cry and weep.
So why should we fear? Why should we think, “What will happen tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow? Everyone may leave me. Everyone may become against me and try to kill me.” A person cannot kill another person if there is no wish of Kṛṣṇa. If Kṛṣṇa wants to protect and save a person, then no one can harm the person. And if Kṛṣṇa does not like to save anyone, then no one can protect that person. Hiraṇyakaśipu, Kaṁsa, and Rāvaṇa could not
protect themselves. Neither could anyone save them. So, you should have very firm belief. You should have nothing to care and nothing to fear. Thus, we should proceed and develop our Krsna consciousness.
Gaura Premanande! Hari Haribol!
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is weeping as he sings this bhajana. He says, “I’m helpless. All worldly desires are entering my heart and conquering me. I cannot remove them. I want to forgive myself. But I cannot. I want to chant, ‘Gaura, Gaura. O Śacīnandana Gaurahari.’ But I cannot. My heart doesn’t melt and tears don’t come.”
If tears appear but the heart doesn’t melt, then this is like zero. When one chants, “O Gaurangadeva! O Gaurāṅga,” the heart should melt and tears should come. But the heart doesn’t melt and tears don’t come. So, how will this happen without the mercy of Nityānanda Prabhu? It cannot be. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura prays, “O Nitāi, O Nityānanda Prabhu, You should come in my heart. Please bless me that You will come in my heart and sweep all these offenses and anarthas away. I don’t want to taste worldly things anymore. So, please come and have so much mercy upon me. I know that You have performed a miracle on Jagāi and Mādhāi; but I am much more fallen than Jagāi and Mādhāi. I will see how merciful You are. How will You bestow Your mercy on me? How will I also like, Jagāi and Mādhāi become a very good devotee? I want to see how magnanimous You are in distributing Your mercy. If I don’t have Your mercy, I will tell everyone, ‘He cannot save me.’ Then the entire world will know and they will then give up chanting harināma and stop all their services. So you should think about this, whether You should bestow Your mercy upon this fallen jīva or not. I am only depending on You. I am helpless, but I only know You.”
Nitāi then at once came. He told Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, “I am giving My full mercy, but I am telling you to be under the shelter of Rūpa-Sanātana and Rūpa-Raghunātha. I have given My entire mercy to them. I have given the key of Vṛndāvana to them. If you will take the shelter of Rūpa Gosvāmī and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, they will then open the door and you will enter Vṛndāvana. Then you will realize what Vṛndāvana is and who Vrnda-devī is?” Who are known as the Divine Couple? Without the mercy of Rūpa-Raghunātha, you cannot understand.
rūpa-raghunātha pade hoibe ākuti
kabe hāma bujhabo se yugala pīriti
Hearing this prayer of Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura’s, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī’s heart melted. They thought, “Our entire mercy should be given to him.” What has Rūpa Gosvāmī heard from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Prayāga where the Yamunā and Gaṅgā meet? What did Mahāprabhu say there? He also instructed Rūpa Gosvāmī at Jagannātha Purī. Rūpa Gosvāmī then taught Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī all the instructions and teachings he had received from Mahāprabhu. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī had also served Svarūpa Dāmodara in Jagannātha Purī. Caitanya Mahāprabhu had given Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī in the hands of Svarūpa Dāmodara. Svarūpa Dāmodara was a bosom friend of Mahāprabhu. Also, he is Śrī Lalitā-devī. Svarūpa Dāmodara also narrated the dialog between Mahāprabhu and Rāya Rāmānanda Prabhu called the Rāya Rāmānanda Saṁvāda to Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had also given many teachings to Svarūpa Dāmodara. So, he had remembered all these teachings and kept them in his heart. He would narrate all these teachings to Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.
When Caitanya Mahāprabhu went away from this world; then soon after, Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, and Rāya Rāmānanda Prabhu also left this world. They went with Caitanya Mahāprabhu to Goloka Vṛndāvana - Śvetadvīpa, Navadvīpa-dhāma. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī became restless after their departure. Day and night, he would bitterly weep. He thought that he should go to Vṛndāvana and give up his life, by drowning in the Yamunā. He travelled for more than a thousand miles and quickly reached Vṛndāvana. When he came to Vṛndāvana he saw there was no water in Yamunā; she was feeling more separation for Kṛṣṇa. So, there was no water there to drown in. Then, he met Rūpa, and Sanātana. Svarūpa Dāmodara, Rāya Rāmānanda, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu also, ordered him and said, “Go to Vṛndāvana and see Rūpa-Sanātana. And you should try to be in their association. So you should go and take shelter of Rūpa Gosvāmī especially. Perform your services under Rūpa Gosvāmī’s order and always be with him. Try to learn more than what we have given you; more than what Svarūpa Dāmodara has given to you. You will have more and more realizations.” Svarūpa Dāmodara is Lalitā, so he gave what Lalitā would give. But, he cannot give like Rūpa-mañjarī. One must be under the guidance of Rūpa Mañjarī to perform services to the Divine Couple in the kuñjas, groves.
Hence, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was told, “So, you will have everything from the association of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.” When Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī met Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī, they embraced him and consoled him. Sanātana Gosvāmī told Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, “If by drowning in the Yamunā and giving up one’s life, one can have divine love; then, I would be the first person to jump in the Yamunā and give up my life. By giving up our lives, we cannot attain anything. Also, we know that you want to go to Govardhana Hill and climb up there and jump down and give up your life. But this will not do. Only the practice of sādhana-bhajana will do. Prayers will do. Always remembering will do. So don’t try to do it. Be with me.” Thus, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī began to live with Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmī.
Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī received many instructions from his Gurudeva, Svarūpa Dāmodara. Before, he was initiated by Yadunandana Ācārya in Bengal. Also, he had the association of Haridāsa Ṭhākura. dāsa Gosvāmī would chant like Haridāsa Ṭhākura; he would chant three lakh of harināma daily. And then he came to Rūpa Gosvāmī and learned so many things. He kept all his realizations in his mind and heart, and revealed them to Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, who also met Jīva Gosvāmī. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī told Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī what he had heard from Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, Mahāprabhu, Sanātana Gosvāmī, and especially from Rūpa Gosvāmī. He gave everything to Kṛṣṇa dāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, who then wrote everything in Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
Like his distinguished associates, Jīva Gosvāmī was also a brilliant personality. At that time, he wrote the Sat Sandarbhas. The Sat Sandarbhas are most prominent. Everything has been given in these books. So, Kṛṣṇa dāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī also quoted from the Sat Sardarbhas while compiling Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura always stayed with Jīva Gosvāmī and just like Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, he considered Jīva Gosvāmī as his śikṣā-guru. And Jīva Gosvāmī taught everything to Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. Narottama Ṭhākura has written such wonderful poems. He has written Prārthanā and Prema-bhakti-candrika. He is in the line of our disciplic order. He was a very learned and a realized personality. He was also very rasika. He knew how to play the mṛdaṅga so sweetly. His mṛdaṅga playing was so sweet that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, Vakreśvara Paṇḍita, and all of Mahāprabhu’s associates came in front of Narottama Ṭhākura and danced and did kīrtana. After a few minutes, they disappeared. Everyone then began to cry out, “O Gauracandra, Oh Nityānanda, where are You?” Then, as if by magic, They re-appeared.
So, we should try to follow and realize all these things. Actually, the divine love of the Divine Couple is our object. Nothing else is our aim or object. Only this love is the aim or object to be gotten. And this is our real dharma, nothing else. Everything is temporary and irrelevant. Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, and other religions are only dividing nations. Everyone should try to develop this divine love, which can be practiced in sādhana-bhakti. When sādhana-bhakti is developed, then it will come as bhāva-bhakti. If more developed, then bhāva-bhakti will come in the form of prema-bhakti. But, prema-bhakti cannot be attained in this human body. Prema-bhakti will only be attained in prakaṭa-vraja or where gaura-līlā is going on. After that, he or she will go to Vṛndāvana, and they will have to come from the wombs of the gopīs. Without this process, we cannot achieve prema-bhakti. If you want to be a sakhā, you have to come from the womb of any gopī; if you want to be a father or mother like Nanda-Yaśodā, then you will have to come from a gopī’s womb; if you want to be like the gopīs, and be Kṛṣṇa’s beloved, then you will also have to come from the womb of any gopī. Then, you can have prema to the divine couple. But yet, you will have to do something. Be under the control of the gopīs in the association of the nitya-siddha gopīs there. Those, who want to become the friend, or parent of Kṛṣṇa, should be under the guidance of the nitya-siddha friends, and nitya-siddha parents. We cannot have prema by any other way. Kṛṣṇa may mercifully give you prema, but you will not able to contain prema in this body. The body will die. We have read in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta that when Caitanya Mahāprabhu was in Purī, he would jump into the sea, and float on the surface for one, two, or three days. The waves would carry Him back and forth. He would become like a tortoise, having a round figure. This worldly body cannot tolerate or bear prema. Caitanya Mahāprabhu would always weep and weep; this body cannot tolerate. So, this prema cannot be achieved in this human body. In this human body, you can reach up to the stage of bhāva only.
We should try to know what sādhana bhakti is. We are doing something, but it is not sādhana bhakti. It is only ābhāsa or a semblance. At dawn, the sun appears, but his rays cannot be seen. The darkness slowly disappears as the sun rises. The sun cannot be fully seen, only his rays can be seen; this is called ābhāsa, or a semblance. What we are presently doing is not bhakti. But it has some fruit, so much fruit. This shall make a platform. A real platform will be made, and after that sādhana-bhakti will be done. What is divine love? A person may curiously think, “What is divine love? Who is Kṛṣṇa? Who is Śrī Rādhā? What is sādhana-bhakti? How should we adopt all these principles? Who is a spiritual guru? What are the difficulties and problems, which obstruct śuddha-bhakti like a wall?” Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura has said that śuddha-bhakti means rāgānuga-bhakti—having some great greed. A devotee will have the thick greed to serve Kṛṣṇa like His friends, or bosom friends like Subala and Śrīdhāma. Or, a devotee may want to serve in vātsalya-rasa, as Nanda-Yaśodā did. Or, the devotee may want to serve in mādhurya-bhāva like the gopīs. Caitanya-caritāmṛta is a collection of all these realizations and instructions. By reading the books of Rūpa Gosvāmī and our Guru-varga, and by coming in the contact of real devotees, bona fide devotees; we can have this greed. Greed is bound to come, but in their process. Until then we should wait while continuing to engage in vaidhī-bhakti. There is no other way. So we should try to follow vaidhī-bhakti. Without vaidhī-bhakti, we cannot have sādhu-saṅga. Hence, Rūpa Gosvāmī, and our disciplic order have advised us to first follow vaidhī-bhakti. One will have saṁskāras, or some impressions from past lives, if he has associated with any rasika or tattva-vit Vaiṣṇava and has read some portions of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Caitanya-caritāmṛta. In his present birth, we may say, “Oh, he is a very little boy. He has no saṁskāra.” But this is quite false. Prahlāda Mahārāja, Bharata Mahārāja...
Devotee: Dhruva Mahārāja.
Śrīla Gurudeva: No, not Dhruva. Prahlāda Mahārāja had past impressions. There was a brāhmaṇa boy who was so learned and beautiful. In his young age, he was married to a very bona fide chaste girl. She was also learned; both of them used to serve their fathers and mothers. As in varṇāśrama-dharma we serve Viṣṇu, he used to worship Viṣṇu also. But not in a bona fide process. Like Indians, or here also I have seen. Without following any proper process, they give some flowers and fruits to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Gaura-Nitāi, Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā, and to Kṛṣṇa or anyone. They offer without knowing anything; without knowing who He is and what to do. But they worship because they like. They have so many devotees; they continue offering in this way because of practice and lack of guidance. So, he was following in that process. He had no guru at all; nothing. But he continued his worship while also serving his parents.
One day, he went to collect some wood for a fire sacrifice for his father. Unluckily, he came across a pair of very low class, bogus persons, who were taking so much wine. They were kissing, embracing, and doing bad things. Coming across this sight, he could not check his mind. He returned home, but his mind and heart were left behind. He wanted to go there again and taste this debauchery. He saw and he wanted to control his mind and he did not want to go. One should not give up one’s father, mother, wife, and children whimsically. This should not be done; it is like any bad thing. But he could not control himself. So, he went there with so much wealth, money. Then he went to meet that lady with an uncontrolled mind. He took some money from his father, and went there with a wine bottle, and met that girl alone. He gave all the money and wine to her and returned to his house. He returned with more money and gave it all up. He did this a few times, until there was not a single farthing left in his house. He gave everything to that lady. He left his father, mother and wife, and he went to meet the lady. And, he finally kept that lady as his wife. Eight children were born to them.
One day, that prostitute told him to bring money. He replied, “I have no money. I have given my heart and everything to you. I have given up my father, mother, wife and children and given everything to you.”
She replied, “I don’t know anything; get out from here. I don’t want to know if you have given heart or anything; I want money.”
And she kicked him out. He went out weeping and weeping. This happened during the night. He did not eat or sleep until the morning. In the morning, he decided to give up his life. So, on that day he didn’t take anything, not even water. Weeping and weeping, he went on his way. He went to a forest. When he went there, the weather was winter and it was cloudy. It was also raining so much. Lions were roaring, elephants were trumpeting, and he was fearful. He entered into a broken mandira, temple. And he was continuously crying, not sleeping for a moment.
As for the lady, she understood her mistake. She thought, “I have done wrong. He has given everything to me, and I have kicked him out. So, I must go to him and apologize and bring that person again.” So, she went searching for him, and came in the same way as her husband. It was night, so she entered into that temple. Not seeing each other, both were weeping. It was so dark, and there was heavy rain. When morning came, they saw each other and exclaimed, “You are here!” That lady ran towards his feet and fell flat on his feet and said, “Oh, excuse me. Excuse me.”
He excused her, but both were turned. That day, on which they fasted and didn’t sleep for the entire night – was the day of Nṛsiṁha Caturdaśī. Do you know this day? On this day, Vaiṣṇavas don’t take anything and they don’t sleep in the night. So, they fasted and stayed awake for the entire night. In his next life, this person became Prahlāda Mahārāja and his wife became the queen of Prahlāda Mahārāja. This has been written in the epics. So, Prahlāda Mahārāja had so much saṁskāra that he came in the womb of his mother Kayādhu and by his good fortune, he heard from Nārada Gosvāmī for 60,000 years. We see that Śukadeva Gosvāmī was in his mother’s womb for 16 years, or 12 years. But he had the fortune to hear from Nārada Gosvāmī and Vyāsadeva. He is a very sincere devotee. He is a rasika and tattva-vit guru of so many people. When Prahlāda Mahārāja was in his mother’s womb, Nārada told him the Vedas, Upaniṣads, and all the śāstras. So, from his very boyhood, he was a bona fide Vaiṣṇava.
But, his father, Hiraṇyakaśipu thought, “This boy does not know anything. I know more. My guru’s sons—Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka know what is best.”
So, we should honor a Vaiṣṇava even if he is of lesser age. If he has saṁskāra, he should be honored. We should not think, “Oh, he is the grand disciple of Svāmījī. He is not a senior Vaiṣṇava.” We should watch and try to realize if he is an advanced devotee. Thus, we will know how much love he has for yugala-kiśora and Kṛṣṇa’s associates. It depends on his bhajana.
jei bhaje sei baḍa abhakta hīna chāra
kṛṣṇa-bhajane nāhi jāti-kulādi-vicāra
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 4.67
You should realize this. Jei bhaje—those who have mamatā, or a sense of possessiveness towards Kṛṣṇa and think, “Kṛṣṇa is mine,” are exalted. “Kṛṣṇa is mine,” and “I am of Kṛṣṇa,” are two separate feelings of loving devotion. The realization that “Kṛṣṇa is mine,” is most superior. If this mineness doesn’t come in our hearts, then our bhajana is low class. Guru gives these realizations. Only a bona fide guru can give a relation between Kṛṣṇa and the devotees. No other person can. If someone, who is not doing bhajana himself, and has not realized anything, is engaged in preaching; then he cannot give anything to anyone. He may engage in preaching here and there, but his vigorous preaching is mere karma. Can you understand? If you are not practicing and have no mamatā to Kṛṣṇa, or the relation that, “Kṛṣṇa is mine. Kṛṣṇa is my son; Kṛṣṇa is my friend; Kṛṣṇa is my bosom friend; Kṛṣṇa is my beloved,” then if there is no relation like this, his preaching will not be so effective. A devotee maybe preaching here and there, but if he does not know what bhakti is, what bhakti-yoga is, what karma is, what karma-yoga is, what jñāna and jñāna-yoga are; if he does not know what sādhana-bhakti, bhāva-bhakti, and prema-bhakti are, what the symptoms of bhakti are, then this means that he is not advancing in his devotion. He never tries to realize all these conclusions. He will only teach what he has learnt from books, like a parrot. But, he himself does not practice anything at all. He only delivers lecturers here and there, and takes respect, money, and everything from his disciples. He is only a karmī and a cheater. He cheats not only others; he cheats himself to a greater degree as well. So, we should practice what we preach. First, attain Kṛṣṇa. Pray to Rūpa Gosvāmī for his mercy and realize something. Then, practice like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. If you want more, then follow the footsteps of Rūpa and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.
saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau
nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau cātyanta-dīnau ca yau
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-padāravinda-bhajanānandena mattālikau
vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau
Ṣaḍ-gosvāmyāṣṇakam 6
This kīrtana was very dear to Svāmījī. He would tearfully sing this kīrtana for hours and hours. These are the characteristics of the Gosvāmīs. Sāṅkhya-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ. Firstly, we should try to go to Vṛndāvana. Except Vṛndāvana, the Divine Couple cannot be attained anywhere else. But if you are not able to go by this human body, then regardless of wherever you are living, you should go to Vṛndāvana by your heart and mind. Rūpa Gosvāmī has given this concession because he is so merciful. He has given this concession that if you cannot go to Vṛndāvana by your body, then you live there by your mind. This will do. To physically live in Vṛndāvana, and to remember the things of this material world, is not factual residence in Vṛndāvana. Despite living in Vṛndāvana, they are living somewhere else. But those, who live in any place or country like England, America, Africa, or South America, and think, “I am in Vṛndāvana. Oh! the Yamunā flows so crookedly. The bees hum and go to the fine lotus flowers. The cuckoos sing and say, “Cu-hu, cu-hu,” are really residing in Vṛndāvana. This harmony will gradually come.
There are all kinds of flowers in Vṛndāvana. Big Kadamba and Tamāla trees are also there. The Kadamba and Tamāla trees are in pairs, like Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Sevā-kuñja is also present in Vṛndāvana. A devotee should think, “I am in Sevā-kuñja, on the bank of the Yamunā. Oh! how sweet this is. I am in Vṛndāvana. I see the Kṛṣṇa engaged in pastimes with His friends, father and mother, and the gopīs.”
Thus, chant, “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.” The Gosvāmīs would chant and sing like this. Sāṅkhya-pūrvaka, being in Vṛndāvana, they would chant a number of rounds. Sometimes, they wouldn’t count, but they would always chant a certain number of rounds. They would not chant less than one lakh.
[Audio break]
You may chant, “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa...” but you may do so while roaming on a London street, while looking for a very fine suit in a shop. You chant, “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa...” like this. You think, “Let me count as I am in this shop.” You are in a very good shop of sārīs, and looking for garments. You go here and there, while trying to choose. As you choose the garments, you see that you are counting and finishing your malas. Although you are not chanting, you are finishing your rounds. You see that in a minute, you have finished one round. You realize that in some time, you have chanted one lakh of harināma. But chaste nāma, bona fide name is not there. This is not even ābhāsa, it is like offense. Nāma-aparādha. For instance, you may be serving Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa both by fanning Them. But, if someone will call you and say, “Cooking is ready. Everything is ready. Come on, come on.” You then give up the service of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and begin to take mahā-prasādam; then what is this? It is not the service of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
I remember one history of Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura and his Gurudeva, Lokanātha dāsa Gosvāmī. Narottama Ṭhākura had just taken harināma and initiation from his Gurudeva. Narottama Ṭhākura and his Gurudeva were chanting nāma in different cottages. They were chanting nāma in a part of Vṛndāvana. It was the summer season; so, it was a very hot day. one farmer, who was so thirsty, approached Lokanātha dāsa Gosvāmī and said, “I am so thirsty. Give your rope and bucket so that I may take some water and quench my thirst. Or you can give me some water.” Lokanātha dāsa Gosvāmī was so absorbed in harināma that he could not hear the farmer’s request. He only chanted, “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare,”
The farmer then came to Narottama Ṭhākura and said, “O choṭe-bābājī, little Bābā. I am so thirsty. Please give me water.” On hearing the farmer’s request, Narottama Ṭhākura gave up chanting and gave water to that person. He took the water, and left satisfied.
Lokanātha Gosvāmī called Narottama Ṭhākura and said, “Come on, you should go at once to your home; at once.”
“Why Gurudeva?”
“You should not ask why. You should return. First, you should do all these things. You know that Kṛṣṇa’s name and Kṛṣṇa Himself—both are One. Kṛṣṇa’s name and Kṛṣṇa Himself are not different. They are the same. You are chanting harināma and serving Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Hare means Rādhikā, and Rāma means Rādhā-ramaṇa Rāma. So, you are serving the Divine Couple, while chanting, “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.” But you are not realizing this. So, you have given up the service of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa to give water. You thought, ‘Giving water is more superior to the service of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.’ So, you should go and help these persons first. Then you should come.”
Really, Narottama Ṭhākura was not like this. But to teach us, he played such a role. Therefore, we should chant harināma like Lokanātha Gosvāmī. Therefore, we should always see that we have completed our fixed number of rounds. sāṅkhya-pūrvaka-nāma gāna-natabhiḥ. Our Six Gosvāmīs—Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī, and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī were always chanting nāma. They would not chant less than one lakh of harināma. And, each nāma they chanted was a bona fide name of Kṛṣṇa. They would offer 1008 daṇḍavat-praṇāmas. They would offer sāṣṭāṅga-daṇḍavat-praṇāma, prostrated obeisance daily. We become tired when we offer praṇāma only one time. We are tired by doing so. Or you can do like this. [Laughter] This is sufficient. Not paṅcāṅga, five limbs. And if there are three prakoṣṭa, or three compartments, then we only offer praṇāma one time; it is very hard to offer praṇāma three times. But, the Gosvāmīs offer thousands of praṇāmas. They would offer praṇāma to each place of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. They would offer praṇāma to every Vaiṣṇava coming in the disciplic line.
sabhāra caraṇa vandõ koriyā praṇati
A bona fide Vaiṣṇava prays, “O Caitanya Mahāprabhu, I am bowing down to all the devotees of the past, present, and future. I bow down to those who will become devotees in lakhs and lakhs of years and to those who will become devotees in the coming years; in the future. I bow down.” So, one must be humble and pray like this. You should not think, “This Vaiṣṇava is my enemy. I am in another party whereas he is in my anti-party. His Gurudeva and my Gurudeva are different. Though we are serving Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we are in different lines.” You should not think like this. Rūpa-Sanātana, and the Gosvāmīs would offer many daṇḍavat-praṇāmas. They would only take some canā—some dry chick peas. Sometimes, they wouldn’t take this also. To maintain themselves, they would only take dry peas, one or two times a day. they would sometimes completely fast. They would sleep very little, and for some days, they wouldn’t sleep at all. They would only weep and chant. They would weep in the mood, “O Kṛṣṇa, where are You? O Rādhe, where are You? O Rādhe, O Lalite, O Visake, when will I meet you all? When will I serve you all?”
So, Śrīla Svāmījī used to sing this kīrtana, while praying to the Gosvāmīs to be merciful to him. These are the real practices. This is sādhana, and if you are not knowing all these practices, then how can you do sādhana? By following proper sādhana, bhāva will come, and then prema will come. By following this process, divine love will come, and you will be a bona fide Vaiṣṇava or devotee.
Gaura Premānande! Hari Haribol!
We should have taste as Narottama Ṭhākura has stated in this prayer. You should know what to hear and how to hear. You will also have to know from whom to hear. If we don’t know our goal, and if we have no knowledge on how the goal can be achieved, then really, the sādhana we are doing is fruitless. So, Rūpa Gosvāmī has clearly stated this in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Any devotee is qualified to read it and to hear. If any bona fide Vaiṣṇava is there, then it is so good. And if the association is not there, then read and select some question, which you can ask when good association will come. He also said that Rūpa Gosvāmī has written two books, according to the instructions of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu is the first book, and Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi is the second book. Both books are combined in one book. But those who are not qualified should only read Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. They should read this book from beginning to end. Everything has been given in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. But, mādhurya-bhāva has not been given so clearly. It has been given in sūtra form, in a condensed form, like codes. So, advanced devotees can see Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi. As for others, they should follow these things. Vaidhī-bhakti has not been stressed in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu and in the other books of our Gosvāmīs. Rāmānuja, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇusvāmī, and Nimbarkācārya were practicing vaidhī-bhakti and they have given this bhakti in their books. All the books are about vaidhī-bhakti.
But Rūpa Gosvāmī and his followers have explained that vaidhī-bhakti is a platform for rāgānuga-bhakti. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, it has been stated that the beginners will have to follow vaidhī-bhakti. But yet, they have made all these statements in such a way that by following Caitanya-caritāmṛta’s opinion, one will very soon – have a mood to enter into rāgānuga-bhakti. Our goal is rāgānuga. Vaidhī-bhakti is not the only sādhana. Any ācārya of our line has not said that you should always be in vaidhī-bhakti. For example, Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked Rāya Rāmānanda Prabhu, “ki rūpa nāma tathā svarūpa.” We are chanting harināma, but what is the process? Actually that prema will come by chanting in the proper process. Then when we will chant harināma, the following symptoms will come:
nayanaṁ galad-aśru-dhārayā
vadanaṁ gadgada-ruddhayā girā
pulakair nicitaṁ vapuḥ kadā
tava nāma-grahaṇe bhaviṣyati
Śrī Śikṣāṣṭakam
This is bhāva-bhakti. So, if sādhana is not done to achieve this bhāva-bhakti, then how will nitya-siddha-bhāva come?
kṛti-sādhyā bhavet sādhya-bhāvā sā sādhanābhidhā
nitya-siddhasya bhāvasya prākaṭyaṁ hṛdi sādhyatā
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.2
How will nitya-siddha-bhāva come if a devotee doesn’t engage in sādhana-bhakti to achieve bhava-bhakti? Nitya-siddhasya bhāvasya prākaṭyaṁ hṛdi sādhyatā . Where can nitya-siddha-bhava be found? We can narrate a story from Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu was in Vārāṇasī, Kāśī. Sanātana Gosvāmī gave up everything, and came to Vārāṇasī. He left his prime ministerial post, empty-handed. He took his servant Īśāna along with him when he went to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Īśāna was of a service mood, so he said, “Please take me along with you.” When Sanātana Gosvāmī and Īśāna were in the jungle, some dacoits came to know that they had some gold coins with them. They wanted to murder both and take that money. Sanātana Gosvāmī was so intelligent; he was previously a prime minister.
After noticing the service mood of the dacoits who pretended to be ordinary people, he thought, “Why are these people serving without any intention of gaining something. There must be some underlying reason.”
So, he asked Īśāna, “Do you have something?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“I have seven gold coins with me.”
“Give them to me.”
Sanātana Gosvāmī took those seven gold coins and gave it to the leader of the dacoits. On receiving the gold coins, the leader began to laugh. He told Sanātana Gosvāmī, “Oh you are so intelligent. We were going to murder you both for these coins. But Kṛṣṇa arranged for us to not murder you both; you gave the coins yourself. We know that he has eight coins. He has kept one for himself. But no harm, Now, there is no problem. We will help you to go on your way.” The dacoits helped and Sanātana Gosvāmī and Īśāna came out of that jungle.
When they crossed the jungle, Sanātana Gosvāmī asked Īśāna, “Do you have something more with you?”
“Yes. I have one gold coin.”
“Oh why have you kept this poisonous snake with you?”
“I kept this coin for your service.”
“Take this coin and return to your home. You cannot go with me. Being in your association, I cannot do sādhana and bhajana. We will be murdered for this coin.” After some time, Sanatana Gosvāmī came to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And then, he asked questions, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu answered. Mahāprabhu then narrated the following story:
There was a boy who was so poor. But actually, he was not poor. But outwardly, he was poor. He was begging here and there. Once, a friend of his father who was an expert astrologer came and said, “O boy, you are not poor. I see that you have become a beggar.”
The boy sorrowfully replied, “I have nothing to eat. I have nothing to wear. I stay in this very old, dilapidated house.”
The astrologer said, “No, no. I know your father from the beginning. I am an expert astrologer. According to your astrological chart, your father has kept much wealth for you. The wealth is stored in a certain place of a room he used to stay in. So, you should dig that certain place and uncover your wealth.”
The boy began to dig in the west side of the room. The astrologer said, “No. Don’t dig here. If you do so, a poisonous snake will come and bite you at once.”
The boy then began to dig in the south. The astrologer again warned the boy and said, “Oh, don’t do so. There are yantras and ghosts here. They will do so much harm to you. You can die also.”
The boy then began to dig in the western direction of the room. The astrologer again said, “Don’t dig there. There are so many poisonous insects; they will come in swarms of millions and bite you. You will immediately die.”
Frustrated, the boy said, “Then what should I do?”
“Oh come on, come on.” The astrologer then led the boy to the eastern direction of the room and told him to dig there. “You only need to dig a little,” the astrologer told the boy. Then as the boy dug a little, he unearthed a jug full of golden coins. He became so happy. Therefore, through this story, we are told that Kṛṣṇa is our father. The friend of the father, who was the astrologer, is Śrī Guru. Guru is the friend of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is Himself the guru. So, in the form of a guru, Kṛṣṇa descends to rescue us. He sees how poor we are. There is no happiness in this world. Nothing of lasting joy can be found in this world. But, Kṛṣṇa has kept the topmost quality in our svarūpa, our constitutional nature. What is that? It is Divine Love. It is not to be taken from anywhere else. It is in our svarūpa. Guru comes, tells, and teaches us.
He tells us where to dig and how to dig. He tells us, “Oh don’t go towards yoga, kāma, karma, jñāna, māyāvādīs, and other dangerous paths. If you will dig in the direction of māyāvādīs or advaitavāda, then a very poisonous serpent will come and bite you at once. And you will be dead. Then you will have no sense at all, like a stone, your body will be dead. So, any form of hallucination, or merging in brahma is like that. So, we should never go towards advaitavāda, or māyāvāda. If you go in the direction of karma, then you will be bound by the chain of birth and death forever. Don’t go in that direction. If you dig in the south, then a yantra or a ghost will come and catch hold of you. You will then die, having collected no fruits of devotion.
Hence, bhakti-yoga is found in the eastern direction.”
Guru tells the disciple, “I am giving the seed of bhakti-yoga.”
What is he giving? He gives that, by which our svarūpa will manifest. In our svarūpa, bhakti is there.
nitya-siddhasya bhāvasya prākaṭyaṁ hṛdi sādhyatā
Try to understand this.
By an instance, you can understand something. The sea is full of water. In the sea, there are many oyster shells. During the summer, the water evaporates and rain-bearing clouds are formed. During a special constellation called the svāti-nakṣatra, the rain causes pearls to be produced from the oyster shells. Can anyone say from where these pearls came? Did they come from the rain or from the oyster shells?
Devotee: The pearl was in a bīja form, seed form in the shell.
Śrīla Gurudeva: You should tell. Use your intelligence.
Devotee 2: I don’t have any.
Śrīla Gurudeva: You will have to. Practice. Develop your intelligence also. Where is that pearl?
Devotee: It was already in the shell, but it required the rain to nourish it, to bring it out.
Śrīla Gurudeva: Yes. During the svāti-nakṣatra constellation, the same water in the same season produces different substances from different recipients. When this rain water falls on a serpent’s hood, then a jewel is formed. When this rain water enters an elephant’s ear, then gaja-mukta, a pearl is produced. Similarly, this rain produces camphor from a banana tree. So many things are produced. Goracanā, a special pigment, is produced from the hooves of the cows. Many, many things are produced from the rain drops. So, the potency is present in the very self. Rain helps manifest that latent potency.
Another example can be said. We have so many trees—mango, neem, tamarind, babul tree, or any tree. When the seeds of four, five, or six types of trees are planted in the same soil and nourished with Gaṅgā water, then in due course of time, different trees are produced. Although all the seeds have been planted on the bank of the Gaṅgā, with the same air, sun, and gardener nourishing them; even so, from a mango seed, a mango tree bearing sweet mango fruits will emerge. From a neem seed, a neem tree having bitter fruits will emerge. From the babul seed, a babul tree having thorny fruits will emerge. Therefore, from different seeds, different trees will be produced. So, does the potency lie in the water or in the seed? There is something. What is that thing? The potency of the trees are in the seeds. But, some rain, water, and sun rays are needed to help the seed become a tree.
So, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura states that in our svarūpa—our siddha-deha, our relation with Kṛṣṇa, our qualities, our very beautiful body, and all spiritual characteristics are present in a latent position. But when a guru comes, he engages us in śravaṇa and kīrtana. By this, he tells us how to serve Kṛṣṇa. The mood, “I want to serve Kṛṣṇa,” will manifest. This seed of devotion is given by Gurudeva and the seed is nourished by the water of śravaṇa-kīrtana. He nourishes all the devotees with the same water. But one becomes of dāsya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa, or mādhurya-rasa. So, the potency is in the seed. Our svarūpa, our eternal form will manifest by following the method given by Gurudeva.
nitya-siddhasya bhāvasya prākaṭyaṁ hṛdi sādhyatā
By his hari-kathā, the potency can be developed. The sādhaka develops by following this process and then bhakti comes. So, we should try to know these established conclusions and follow. At first, we will have to follow externally; and that is vaidhī-bhakti. If he has past impressions, then he will quickly develop. But if he does not have past impressions his previous births, then it will take some time to develop. But if both are there, then he will advance in devotion very quickly. He will understand what guru is saying. After that, he will gradually come to the stage of rāgānuga; but this is very rare. Artificially, we should not try to imitate certain devotional practices. The potency will come by itself. We should not try to sprout anything artificially. A sprout of devotion will naturally sprout. But if we dig and break that seed, then the tree will never come from the seed. So, we should try to follow these processes.
I wanted to tell so many things, but time is now over. I will gradually try to give this in a very simple manner and not in a philosophical manner; so that you can understand. I don’t know so much high class of philosophy. I have no equivalent words in English. In Hindi or Bangla, I could have told something, some good philosophy; but I have no philosophy.
Don’t try to take mahā-prasādam. Always try to serve mahā-prasādam. Don’t try to chant harināma. Try to serve harināma. Always sing the holy names of Kṛṣṇa; like, Govinda…Dāmodara…Mādhaveti; like this. Always be engaged in this manner. Whatever you do in any activity, do for the benefit of Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa will be benefited, our souls will also be benefited; otherwise not. Therefore, whatever you do, do for the benefit of Kṛṣṇa, and your soul will automatically be nourished. If you sleep, sleep for Kṛṣṇa. If you are taking anything, try to take it for Kṛṣṇa. If you are going to school, go for the benefit of Kṛṣṇa. How can this be done? Very easily, it can be done.
You should think, “I will sleep so that in morning I will rise in time and serve Kṛṣṇa. If I am not going to school, I cannot serve Kṛṣṇa. So I should go for the service of Kṛṣṇa.” You should not have a friend for worldly enjoyment. You should have a friend to help you serve Kṛṣṇa. You should want to have a child to serve Kṛṣṇa. You should want to have wealth to only serve Kṛṣṇa. Then in is not vandana. It is not that we should only read.
yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra loko
’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ
tad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya
mukta-saṅgaḥsamācara
Bhagavad-gītā 3.9
No, try to go deep and realize what potency and moods are there. So, all the ślokas have many deep meanings. We should try to realize all these meanings. Then you will see that you are so happy and Kṛṣṇa is also so happy. So, I request you all to not only remember, and distribute books here and there. Also, something, or some juice, some realizations can be taken from these books. And if you are not taking that ‘juice,’ but are only distributing books; then this can never be fruitful. You should try to understand all the meanings. You should try to know how you can please Kṛṣṇa by all your actions — by breathing, by seeing, and by everything. You should try. And we should try to understand on how we can apply all these principles in our lives. Guru gives all these realizations actually; śikṣā-guru also gives all these realizations.
Gaura Premānande! Hari Haribol!