All Glory to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga

GUIDANCE

Issue #29

A compilation of holy discourses emanating

from the holy lotus mouth of

His Divine Grace

Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru

Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj

published from Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math

at SCSMathInternational.com during October-December 2021

CONTENT

Importance of Vaishnav-Seva

Good Heart Is the Soul of the Temple

Avoiding Pratistha

Preach and Proceed In Your Spiritual Life

Clear Your Path

Nurture Exclusive Desire

Sri Ekachakra Dham: Our Fortune To Be Here

Forging Your Destiny

Extreme Mercy

About Nityananda Prabhu

Sri Ekachakra Temple

Parental Sacrifice

Full Service Sway

Life in Kirtan

Please Give These Alms

Sri Sivananda Sen's Mercy

Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Eccentricity

Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami's Gratitude

Unblemished Nitai

Sri Nityananda's Supreme Mercy

Our Only Wealth and Shelter

Mahaprabhu's Private Order

Nityananda Prabhu's Campaign

Humility and Deep Faith

Save Yourself

Supremely Worshippable Day

Do Not Pass Your Life in Vain

Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness

Meaning of Discipleship

Ask Yourself, 'Am I Practising?'

Become Pure

Who Is Nityananda Prabhu?

How and When?

Scattered Heart

Learn the Truth

What Do You Need?

Golden Time for Golden Purpose

Emerging from Darkness

Leaving Maya's Shelter

Sitting on Two Chairs

Deep Chastity

Accept and Appreciate

Sri Advaita Prabhu's Nityananda Stuti

Sriman Mahaprabhu's Nityananda Stuti

Approaching Nityananda Prabhu

Know Your Place

Amidst 'Dal' and 'Gal'

Increase Your Fortune

Free Yourself From Deceit

Be Truthful, Pious, and Sincere

Chastity In Preaching

Cry, Pray, and Serve

Service: Labour of Love

Service: Adherence and Attachment

Forging Fortune

Concentrate Your Mind on Nityananda Prabhu's Service

Direct Your Mind to Bhagavatam

Keep Yourself On Track

Are You Getting Off?

Gentle Clean Hearts

Do Not Give Up

False Attachments

Come to Give, Come to Take

Beyond Enshrouded Life

Fatal Procrastination

Be Conscious

Resting on Illusory Laurels

The Way Out

A Long Journey

Foul Feast

What Is Good for Me?

Be Serious

Quality Is Not Cheap

Tie Your Mind

Satiating Hunger

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (1)

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (3)

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (2)

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (4)

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (5)

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (6)

Come as a Beggar

Ask Your Heart

Tired of Struggling?

Proper Worship

Watch the Road

Regulated Life

Importance of Vaishnav-Seva

Divine Appearance Day, Sri Vyasa Puja
17 October 2020, evening, part 1

I am very happy to see you all. I know you have been waiting for me...

You are keeping me in your heart, giving me love and affection, and Gurudev has chosen me as his dog to serve him—in that way, I am very satisfied, I am very happy. I know all my godbrothers, all my well-wishers, all my seniors, sisters and brothers, everybody is keeping me in their heart. Actually I do not have any quality or qualification... [His Divine Grace's phone rings.]

So many phone calls have been coming today the whole day starting from early in the morning—everyone is giving me so many good wishes. It gives me so much inspiration and enthusiasm for service. Devotees are giving me power and so much energy.

Gurudev also taught me how important it is to serve devotees. Gurudev himself learnt from his Guru Maharaj—from Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Many godbrothers would come to Srila Sridhar Maharaj to hear Hari-katha from him. Srila A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Prabhupad, Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshav Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj, et al.—they came to hear Hari-katha from Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. At that time, Gurudev was a brahamchari and Srila Sridhar Maharaj's servitor, and he learnt how to serve Vaishnav, serve devotees.

It is very important to serve devotees because without the service to the devotees we cannot proceed in our spiritual life. That is why, it is my happiness that you have accepted me as your servant and are allowing me to serve you all. I am a very fallen soul, I do not have any quality or qualification, but Gurudev taught me, "If you can please and make devotees happy, then you can succeed in your spiritual life."

We do not know, we cannot understand what Vaishanvism is, and we always make mistakes—there is always some kind of asurik pravritti (demoniac works) in our heart. Sometimes, we do not have proper tolerance. I often think how much tolerance Prahlad Maharaj had. He was tortured so much by his father Hiranyakasipu, but we do not get that kind of austerity, yet we think, "Oh, it is too much austerity, too much problem!" and we want to run away. This is not right. When I see Mahabharata and read how much austerity Pancha Pandavs got just because of their kingdom, when I see Srimad Bhagavatam and read how much austerity Prahlad Maharaj got from his father, I think that, compared to them, we have no austerity in our life.

Actually, I was born in a very low family where celebrating birthdays, saying 'happy birthday', etc. was not part of the culture. That is why, I am getting shy on this day. I am thinking I am now becoming a little old—when I look in the mirror and see many hairs that look white, I think that I am slowly, slowly becoming old. My mind is not becoming old; my mind is always young. When I go to put the tilaks and see white hair, I always want to shave because I have so many grey hairs and I do not like to see grey hair. That is why, I always shave. So, I am thinking that now, at this age, all the devotees, all my affectionate brothers and sisters are making me a 'happy birthday'. A 'happy birthday'! [His Divine Grace laughs.]

I have actually never seen birthday celebrations.

When I joined Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Gurudev's godbrothers were making 'Acharya Abhivandan Mahotsav', but I had got some invitations from other Mayapur acharyas where they wrote 'Vyasa Puja and Sri Guru Puja Maha-Mahotsav'. I wondered, "Why are they writing 'Acharya Abhivandan Mahotsav'?" Then, I decided that I would also write 'Vyasa Puja and Guru Puja Maha-Mahotsav'. I made the first Vyasa Puja festival for Gurudev (Guru Puja Maha-Mahotsav) in 1992, and when I showed the invitation letters to Gurudev at that time, he was happy with it. (There was some mistake in the letter, and Gurudev corrected me. I was very happy about it.) I also put many lights, decorations, etc. around the temple, and Gurudev heard that his appearance festival was being arranged very gorgeously. I had invited many of Gurudev's and Srila Guru Maharaj's Indian disciples, many western devotees also came. So many people came to the temple for the festival. I remember it was the evening on the adhivas day. Gurudev walked around the temple, looked at the lights, decorations and saw that all temple looked nice and everything was clean. Gurudev was very happy. After he looked at everything, he went back to his room and I went to join the evening arati. I sang at two aratis, finished the Tulasi parikrama, etc. and then went to pay obeisance to Gurudev. When I came to Gurudev's veranda, Gurudev seemed a little upset. He said to me, "Vinod, why have you spent so much money on this festival? Why have you painted my building with white paint? Why did you not paint it black?!" I was surprised, "Why is Gurudev saying like that?" Later, I heard what had happened. When Gurudev went back to his veranda, one of his godbrothers came to him and complained, "Vinod is spending so much money! Why has he painted your room again?" Gurudev was happy that it had been painted, but because that person was envious, Gurudev chastised me, but actually he showed his support to me in this way. It was 1992. I understood later that Gurudev had chastised me because he was very upset. Gurudev explained it to me later. There was much criticism coming from his godbrothers, there are such people in this world, and it gives me a great pain to see envy.

Such mentality is actually demoniac (asurik pravritti). We can show humility and say that every jiva soul, every living being is a part of the Lord; however, at the same time, there is some envy, some kind of demoniac work going on in our hearts. There are people who are not even man, you can call them demons—you look at the person and cannot see a man's face. Gurudev says also that in this age of Kali, demons will join this Sankirtan Maha-Mandala wearing tilaks, kanthi-malas and Vaishnav dress. Gurudev said that, and I can see that now too. Demons come to join Krishna consciousness—they come wearing kanthi-malas, tilaks, etc. You can say that on the other hand, Krishna lives within every jiva soul (sarva jive Krishna adhisthan), but in some people there is Krishna living on one side and a demon living and working on the other side.

This is a big problem, but this ultimately depends upon one's devotion, upon one's faith. Do you understand what I am saying? One's quality depends upon their faith...

So, considering this situation, Gurudev always taught me how to serve devotees. Gurudev always warned me when I made festivals, "Be careful. You have invited many people, you have invited sannyasis and brahmacharis—you must give them good prasadam, you must give good respect to them." That is what Gurudev always taught me. I learnt everything from Gurudev—I observed how he served Vaishnavs. "Chhadiya vaisnava-seva nistara payechhe keba: Without service to the Vaishnav, you cannot get any relief."

* * *

Good Heart Is the Soul of the Temple

Divine Appearance Day, Sri Vyasa Puja
17 October 2020, evening, part 2

Given the situation, I told last Sunday also that I cannot stop this Guru Puja, but I am requesting not to make a festival. This year, I did not join any big festival because of the pandemic situation, but I have heard so many reports from all over the world and all of Bengal temples also. They have made very big festivals today—three to six hundred people joined the programme. The government rule is that there cannot be more than 100 people gathered. Actually, 50 people is the rule, and if there is any special occasion, not more than 100 people can gather. However, every temple in Bengal made a festival and three to six hundred people came. I heard from Uluberia today that 600 people joined the festival there, and more than 300 joined the programme in Takareshwar. Many people also came to our Kandi temple.

I did not want them to make big festivals, but they did. All right. In some sense, I am very fortunate because Gurudev has chosen me, this dog, for his service. All my godbrothers and godsisters, all my friends and well-wishers all over the world say, "Maharaj, wherever you are staying, that is Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math." It means much to me because I had to leave the head office of Chaitanya Saraswat Math. Actually, where is a temple? 'Math' means where a sadhu lives, where Vaishnavs live. It is written above the nat mandir, "Bhakti Siddhanta Sravan Sadan (a formal place where one comes to hear the teaching of devotion)," but what is going on there? Those who live there only gossip and tell lies all the time. On the other hand, you may have a small temple, a small place, with just five-ten devotees staying there, but these five-ten devotees always chant Gurudev's glories, always chant the songs of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, always preach about Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Such five people are sufficient for us. Quality, or substance, is more important for us. You can have a big, grand temple, a big, grand building, but you will find that so many cockroaches and rats live there. On the other hand, a temple can be small, but there are good, great hearts, good devotees living there.

I can see *** in front me, he is a humble and very shy boy. I am very happy to see him today. He is smiling now; he is getting shy. He is a very sweet boy. This girl, ***, is also very good-hearted. Such kind of souls stay at the temple, lister to Hari-katha, listen to Krishna-katha, listen to the katha glorifying their Guru, and I am very happy about it. It is good—there are twenty of you staying at the temple, and although the place is not so big—it is not a fifty acres' land—it may be just a few hundred square meters' land, but there are good hearts living there; when they serve, when they cook, when they worship, they do it with heart and soul. That is my happiness.

You get thousands of devotees, millions of people joining and chanting, "Gaura Hari bol! Gaura Hari bol!" but if you sieve through this crowd, you will not find even one pure devotee there. Thousands and thousands of people say, "Hari bol! Hari bol!" but you will not get even one pure devotee among them. Yet, there can be just two-five people, but they worship and practise Krishna consciousness properly—they are my happiness.

* * *

Avoiding Pratistha

Divine Appearance Day, Sri Vyasa Puja
17 October 2020, evening, part 3

I am very happy to see you all. I can see all your good faces, I know that you always keep me in your heart, and that is sufficient for me. I also try to keep you in my heart. Gurudev has given so much love and affection to you all, that is why you are always with me. You are now, in your old age, celebrating my birthday... I was born in a very low family where there is no culture to celebrate any birthdays, but now I am enjoying my birthday celebration with you all. I am very fortunate to have you all.

[Addressing a devotee from Green Street Math, London:] Gurudev always remembered Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math's Green Street Temple, and you are all together keeping that temple, you are serving the Mission, and I am very happy about that. The Green Street Temple is our main centre in London—it is our first centre in London (the West Math London was opened later). I am very happy to see you all.

Actually, this is a very fortunate and a very auspicious day for me. I remember that when I made festivals on Gurudev's appearance day, I would spend much money, and Gurudev never objected. On the contrary, Gurudev always told me how to make Vaishnav-seva. Gurudev himself learned from his Srila Guru Maharaj, Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj—when so many godbrothers (Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshav Maharaj, and others) came to see Srila Guru Maharaj to hear his lectures, Gurudev get an opportunity to serve them all. After that, Gurudev taught me how to serve Vaishnavs (how to do Vaishnav-seva), how to serve devotees.

We have no hope without Vaishnav-seva (service to the devotees). "Chhadiya vaisnava-seva nistara payechhe keba: Without service to the Vaishnav, you cannot get any relief." Without service to Vaishnavs, what can rescue us from this kind of illusory environment? Gurudev always said that it is very difficult in this age of Kali to conquer illusory environment (Maya), to conquer kanak, kamini, and pratistha. You can overcome kanak (attachment to money) and kamini (attachment to women), but it is very hard to give up pratistha (attachment to name and fame). On the other hand, it is said, "Vaisnavi pratistha tate kara nistha. Firmly establish yourself as a servant of the Lord."

You know that Srila Madhavendra Puri ran away for fear of pratistha, but name and fame went ahead of him—when he ran away to Puri, pratistha had reached Puri before him. By the time he came to Puri, everybody already knew that Gopinath had stolen kheer for Madhavendra Puri. We must give respect to this kind of pratistha; otherwise, we will go to hell.

Who can ignore pratistha? Even if I go to the jungle, if I go to a hill, Hrishikesh, and come to live in a cave without any food, water, bathroom or anything else, I can give up everything, but I still cannot give up pratistha—I cannot give up the pride that I have left everything. That is why, it is very difficult to avoid pratistha. You must understand this.

Gurudev always said that pratistha is always for Gurudev. You must give everything, including pratistha, to Gurudev. When somebody gives you a garland, you must remember your Guru and keep that garland at his lotus feet. This is very important. If you do not do this, you will not be able to give up pratistha. It is very difficult to avoid it. There is artha, anartha, and pratistha. I wrote about it in the third volume of Guidance 3.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

* * *

Preach and Proceed In Your Spiritual Life

Divine Appearance Day, Sri Vyasa Puja
17 October 2020, evening, part 4

I am very happy to see you all. Gurudev selected me as his dog and as your servant, I am always with you. You are keeping me in your heart, and I am also trying to keep you in my heart because you are all my best friends. I left my family (that is, my father, my mother) thirty years ago, and I have not seen them since then, but I feel that you are all my family. I am very happy with you. This is my big family.

Today, phone calls have been coming start from the early night, 3 o'clock—devotees are calling from all over India and all over the world. I have just finished talking to the devotees at the East and West temples in London, and there is still another class with Colombia and Venezuela due after you all.

Actually, I told last Sunday that I cannot stop your Guru Puja, so I said you could do Guru Puja, but I requested you not to make festivals. Still, I see you have made a big festival—so many devotees have come. I was afraid to go to any of our temple branches in West Bengal or outside Bengal, but I am getting the news that every temple made gatherings and 500, 600, 400, 300 people came. All right, they did what they did; they are not afraid of corona or any pandemic...

A demon called Coronasur came to this world and demolished all financial, economical and other welfare, but Coronasur cannot stop the chanting of Gurudev's and the Lord's glorification, he cannot stop this. Coronasur can stop everything in this world—he can destroy economical, financial or any other material property—but he cannot stop the festival of Guru-varga, of Lord Krishna's appearance, or any Vaishnav's appearance and disappearance festival. I can see that devotees all over the world are making grand festivals, even in Russia. Many hundreds of devotees are making this festival in this world.

Actually, you are giving me so much respect, you are giving me so much honour although I do not have that kind of quality or qualification, but by the mercy of Gurudev you are giving me so much respect, that is too much for me. Gurudev always told me that some pratistha could come, that is why I always keep all pratistha at Gurudev's lotus feet and I have no problem.

Kanak (money) is for Narayan (Laksmi Devi and Narayan), kamini (women) is for Krishna, and pratistha (name and fame) is for Gurudev. At the same time, we always give respect to Srila Madhavendra Puri's pratistha. Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu, Srila Sanatan Goswami Prabhu are very famous, but they did not run behind pratistha. In this world, so many people are running behing pratistha, name and fame—somebody wants to be the prime-minister, somebody wants to be the chief-minister, everybody is fighting for a chair, even in Mahabharata they fought for the kingdom; but great sadhus, such as Srila Madhavendra Puri, Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu, Srila Sanatan Goswami Prabhu, always run away from pratistha. I wrote about it in Guidance 3, you can read it. I wrote that you may everything—you can go to a jungle or a forest to do your bhajan—but you still cannot leave pratistha. "Oh, I have left everything! I am a renunciate (tyagi)!" This is also pratistha, and you can leave everything in this world but you cannot leave this pratistha. So, it is very heavy to ask someone for that. If you leave everything at the lotus feet of Gurudev, it will be good for you, good for everybody. This is what I am trying to tell everybody today.

Run the temple in South Africa with harmony, together. South Africa is a big country, and if there are two-three centres, what is the problem? There is a centre in Durban, in Johannesburg, and another one in Pietermaritzburg. I have heard that there is some disturbance going on in Pietermaritzburg, but we must tolerate everything [not in the sense of supporting wrong behaviour, but in the sense that it is necessary to tolerate and not sow discord]. You must remember what Gurudev said. In this age of Kali, there will be some demons who will wear kanthi-malas, put tilaks and come to mix with us. They will also chant, "Hari bol! Hari bol!" The Lord exists in every jiva soul, in everything (sarva jive Krishna adhisthan), but we can also sometimes see in our devotees that there is also demon inside them. They wear tilaks, kanthi-malas, saffron clothes, but they behave like demons. This depends on the devotee, on the devotee's faith. Do you understand what I am saying? Somebody looks at the Deities and think the Deities are made of stone, bronze, gold, etc., but somebody looks at the Deities and sees the Lord's existence within the Deity. So, what you see and what existence you perceive depends on your eyes. That is why, we must be always careful.

We must preaching properly. We must go door to door preaching Mahaprabhu's message. We must distribute Mahaprabhu's message everywhere. This is our main goal in life. You can have a big temple—for example, there is a big Chaitanya Saraswat Math temple in Nabadwip, but what does a 'Math' mean? We say it is home, but nobody lives in that home—there are only rats and cockroaches living there. There is a big temple there, but there is no sadhu there—only rats and cockroaches live there. So, you have made a temple, and you must understand that a temple is meant for preaching. You may have a small temple, you are just a few devotees there (maybe, fifty devotees), but you can gather together and worship your Guru with heart and soul. Make festivals, give good prasadam, glorify our Guru-varga, sing some bhajans. This is what a temple is meant for. What is the use making big buildings, big houses if devotees do not live there? So, always preach. "Prana achhe yara, sei hetu prachara." You have life, so you must preach Mahaprabhu's movement all over the world. Our Gurudev did that, Srila Guru Maharaj did that, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur did that, and we are following their path, their way. This is our life. I have told you many times—our weapons are not sticks, guns or any other arms; our weapons are mridanga and karatals.

Preaching Mahaprabhu's movement properly in this way, this is the main things. "Prana achhe yara, sei hetu prachara: you have life, you are alive, then you must preach." If you preach in this way, I will be even happier with you, I will be even more grateful to you. I am very happy with you, and I am giving you all the power that I have got from Gurudev because when you engage yourself in the service of your Guru, you will get all power. Start to preach more and more and proceed in your spiritual life.

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
All the assembled devotees ki jay
All the worldwide devotees ki jay
All the South African devotees ki jay
Harinam sankirtan ki jay
Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol

* * *

Clear Your Path

Lord Varahadev's Appearance day, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 1
Translated from Bengali

mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim
yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

"The dumb can speak, the lame can climb a hill—all it takes is mercy from Gurudev."

(Bhavartha Dipika)

First of all, I am offering my full obeisance at the holy lotus feet of Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, begging him for his causeless mercy, after that I am offering my obeisance to all Guru-varga, to all my God-brothers and sisters, to all the listeners, to all the motherly lady devotees, to all devotees, and I am praying to you all for your mercy to this low soul.

[Noise in the nat mandir.]

Who is talking so much? Why are you talking here? Are you sitting in the nat madir telling stories to each other? Lying in bed and telling stories?? There is Hari-katha taking place here, is it a place for chatting?

gramya-katha na sunibe, gramya-varta na kahibe
bhala na khaibe ara bhala na paribe
amani manada hana krsna-nama sada la'be
vraje radha-krsna seva manase karibe

"Do not listen to the mundane talks, do not listen to the mundane news. Do not eat fancy food, do not wear fancy clothes. Do not expect honour to yourself, but offer all respect to others. Always chant the Holy Name of Krsna, and in your mind serve Radha-Krsna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.236-237)

dina yaya michha kaje nisa nidra-base
nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe base

My days are passed in useless work and nights are wasted on sleeping. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting next to me.

('Durlabha manava janma labhiya' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

Do you ever think that you can leave this world at this very moment? That is why it is said,

hare krsna nama japa abhiram
ye kai dina dehe achhe ta prana

"Incessantly chant the Holy Name of 'Hare Krishna' for as long as you have life in this body."

It is necessary to always chant the Holy Name, to chant Krishna-kirtan. You are worrying about your money, food, clothes, gossips at every moment passing your whole life like that.

dinera madhye abala-tabala
kata pachala parite para
tara madhye kintu tumi ekbara
govinda bale, ara katha baliba na

"All day you talk all kinds of nonsense, how much idle talk you engage in! But find time amidst all that to chant the Name of Govinda, do not talk about other things!"

You always gossip, always engage in idle, inauspicious talks (prajalpa). It acts against devotion. There are six obstacles—atyahara, prayascha, prajalpa, niyamagraha, laulancha, jana-sangancha (eating too much, hoarding, talking nonsense, superficial attachment to rules and regulations, greed, associating with nondevotees). They are thorns, or obstacles, on the path of devotion. Atyahara means eating much; prayascha means accumulating much; prajalpa means talking a lot and talking nonsens; niyamagraha means to do what opposes devotion; laulancha means material greed; and jana-sanganch means keeping material association. All these things are written in the calendar.

We sing every day,

chhaya vega dami' chhaya dosa sodhi'
chhaya guna deha' dase
chhaya sat-sanga deha' he amare
basechhi sangera ase

"Subjugate the six urges, rectify the six defects, and bestow the six good qualities upon this servant. Grant me the six kinds of good association. I have sat at your feet, desiring that association."

It is necessary to control the six urges, it is necessary to correct the six defects in yourself, and it is necessary to keep good association. It is necessary to keep enthusiasm for Hari-katha, for the Lord's service. All these things are written very beautifully. If you do not read about it, if you do not follow it, you will not get any result. You were just now singing in a kirtan,

bhakti-anukula matra karyera svikara
bhakti-pratikula bhava—varjanangikara

"[Surrender means] engaging only in the activities that are favourable to devotion and rejecting everything unfavourable to devotion."

sri-krsna-chaitanya prabhu jive daya kari'
svaparsada sviya dhama saha avatari

"Being merciful to the souls, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu descends with His associates and abode."

It is necessary to reject all that is against devotion, that is unfavourable to devotion, in other words, the obstacles, or thorns, on the path of devotion, or deception in the name of devotion. Devotion and anti-devotion cannot go together at the same time—if you drink both milk and liquor, you will not get any benefit.

I heard that people in Basirhat like to say, "We are doing mina-seva [fish service]!" It made me laugh. Instead of worshipping the Lord, they are eating food themselves. What does the Lord eat? We sang in the Dasavatara Stotram just now, "Kesava dhrta-mina-sarira jaya jagadisa hare." It is the first verse of the stotram. It says that the Lord assumes the form of a fish (mina), and people enjoy eating fish... Here also 50% of people eat fish. They think, "I can do anything I want," but doing anything you want does not work here. Do you understand? You must accept what is favourable to devotion and you must reject what is unfavourable to devotion.

You think if you do not eat meat and fish, you will not manage. Where I come from, they say, "Oh, I eat fish and eggs, but I have given up meat!" This is their Krishna consciousness—they wear neckbeads, put tilaks, etc. They do everything, but they eat fish and eggs. But neither Mahaprabhu, nor the scriptures teach this. There is no such siddhanta.

* * *

Nurture Exclusive Desire

Lord Varahadev's Appearance day, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 2
Translated from Bengali

jihvara lalase yei iti-uti dhaya
sisnodara-parayana se krsna nahi paya

"One who is subservient to the tongue and who thus goes here and there, devoted to the genitals and the belly, cannot attain Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 3.6.227)

To stop this constant nagging of the tongue, we always chant before taking prasadam,

mahaprasade govinde nama-brahmani vaisnave
svalpa-punya-vatam rajan visvaso naiva yayate

"O king, one whose fortune is meagre never develops faith in mahaprasad, Govinda, the Holy Name, or the Vaisnavas."

sarira avidya-jala jadendriya tahe kala
jive phele visaya-sagare
ta'ra madhye jihva ati lobhamaya sudurmati
ta'ke jeta kathina samsare

"The body is a net of illusion, and the material senses are the enemies; they throw the soul into the ocean of mundanity. Among the senses, the tongue is the most greedy and wicked. It is very difficult to conquer the tongue in this world."

The material senses are the five karmendriya (instruments—feet, hands, rectum, genitals, mouth) five jnanindriya (senses—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin), there is also mind, intelligence ego. Can you control all these senses? Our eyes always go in a wrong direction; we cannot control our senses, but how is it possible to do it? Why do our scriptures say that we must not eat fish, meat, onion, garlic, masoor dal? Because these things excite senses and make them strong. That is why, scriptures tell that we must take sattvik food (food in the mode of goodness). Our senses always become excited—if they become very strong and we feel too much lust, anger, greed, illusion, etc., we will be removed from Krishna consciousness. Many say, "What is the problem if I eat onion or garlic?" Onion and garlic are very strong—those who ate it before know it. We cannot eat it; otherwise, we will get removed from Krishna consciousness.

That is why Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur explains that accepting what is favourable to devotion and rejecting what is unfavourable to devotion are parts of the six-limb surrender. "Anukulyasya samkalpah, pratikulya vivarjjanam. Accept what is favourable, reject what is unfavourable." (Vaisnava-tantra). Srila Narottam Das Thakur also writes very beautifully,

anya-abhilasa chhadi jnana karma parihari
kaya-mane kariba bhajana

Serve the Lord with body and mind, giving up all other desires and the pursuit of material benefit and knowledge.

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

There is ananya-abhilas (exclusive desire) and there is anya-abhilas (other desires). Ananya-abhilas means, "I do not know anything or anyone except Krishna. My mind, life, speech, etc.—whatever I have, I have submitted everything at Krishna's lotus feet. I do not know anything except the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, I do not understand anything except Krishna, I do not give my mind to anything except Krishna."

Lord Sri Krishna assumes ten forms. There are many people who like to go to Ayodhya—they compare Rama to Krishna and give preference to Rama. There is a group that always chants, "Rama, Rama." However, Lord Rama, as well as Lord Baladev, is only one of the avatars. Rama is the Lord, but He is not complete Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is Vamanadev, Varahadev and many incarnations—They are all Lords, but They are not Supreme Personalities of Godhead. The Lord assumes these forms (Nrisinghadev, Varahadev, Baladev, Mina-sarira, Parasurama, Buddha, et al.) to perform and enjoy His pastimes. The Lord assumes all these forms for a particular purpose in each age—to slay demons, etc. For examples, Lord Rama defeated Ravana. There was this necessity in Treta-yuga, so the Lord assumed the form of Lord Rama to fulfil His purpose. Varahadev assumed the form of a boar to slay Hiranyaksa. Srimad Bhagavatam describes all this in a very beautiful way. In this way, the Lord again and again comes to this world assuming various forms of His incarnation (avatar). Yet, there is an avatar (incarnation) and there is an avatari (source of all incarnations, or avatars). Mahaprabhu is Avatari. We sing in one of the kirtans also, "Avatara sar gaura avatara. Incarnation of Gauranga is the gist of all incarnations."

isvarah paramah krsnah sach-chid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam

"Krishna, who is known as Govinda, is the supreme controller. He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin, for He is the prime cause of all causes."

(Sri Brahma-samhita, 5.1)

He is the cause of all causes. Everything happens by His wish, everything in this world is created by His wish, so many demigods and demigoddesses work according to His desire, nothing can exist or function without Him, and we are told to take shelter at His lotus feet. In this age of Kali, the Lord takes the heart and halo of Srimati Radharani and comes assuming the form of Golden Lord, Sri Gauranga. He does not come alone—He comes with His alter-ego, Lord Nityananda Prabhu...

* * *

Sri Ekachakra Dham: Our Fortune To Be Here

Lord Varahadev's Appearance day, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 3
Translated from Bengali

It is the appearance day of Lord Varahadev today, after that it will be Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day. We have come here by a great fortune. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur wanted to open here a Gaudiya Math, and by the blessing of Srila Gurudev, it has happened. Everybody knows our temple as Gaudiya Math. Nobody knows our temple by its proper name, Chaitanya Saraswata Krishnanusilana Sangha. In fact, there is a Gaudiya Math in Ekachakra. Nityananda Prabhu bestowed His mercy and has given us this place here, this is how we are able to be staying here today. If you only think about the dust of this holy dham, then you will think that you must circumambulate this holy abode walking on your head. The Lord Himself wandered in this land. Nityananda Prabhu is non-different from Mahaprabhu, the Lord Himself.

Nityananda Prabhu is asraya-vigraha (embodiment of shelter), and Gaura Hari is visaya-vigraha (embodiment of the object of worship). Nityananda Prabhu gives shelter, He represents guru-tattva. That is why, we chant, "Guru Nityananda, Gaura Nityananda."

We are present here in this holy abode of Nityananda Prabhu. I come because you are all here. Otherwise, I do not have time—it is rare that I come here one-two times during the year. I do not have time. I have so much work, so much service. Last time I was here cows had calves, and the goshala became too small—I came and expanded the goshala. I gave the orders and after that managed on the phone.

Also, every year during the festival there is a lot of water falling behind the guesthouse—people use water, bathe, etc. and the water falls on the land behind the temple. I have bought that land this year. It can be used for a garden or something. All the lands around are turning into trade places (shops, etc.), but I want some place for a garden. I have planted there some trees—rose apples, jackfruit, mango trees. I bought a banana field also. Gurudev tried to come here many times. I made the nat mandir so big because I thought Gurudev could come here by helicopter and it would land on top.

I first came to this holy dham in 2004. I had heard that there was Nityananda Prabhu's dham, and Gurudev mercifully sent me here in 2004 with some foreign devotees. Gurudev visited Ekachakra in 1989, after Srila Sridhar Maharaj's disappearance...

* * *

Forging Your Destiny

Lord Varahadev's Appearance day, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 4
Translated from Bengali

[Noise in the audience. One of the devotees asks them not to speak so loud.]

Leave them, Prabhu. Not everybody comes to practise Krishna consciousness. Some come to goggle, some come for entertainment. There are different kinds of desires. Everybody does not have the same desires. That is why, we cannot bring everyone to this path. Those who have such fortune, who are destined to come, they come.

You know there is a famous saying in Bengali that people like to sing, "There are many conch bangles and sindur sold at the marketplace, but only those are destined get to wear them." Here too, one must have the fortune. Gurudev told that there is an annual fair in Jamalpur where people sacrifice goats, and so many thousands of goats are given for sacrifice that the slaughters do not even give one minute time—as soon as a goat is brought, they chop off its head. Not all goats are destined to have sindur on their heads [goats' heads are smeared with sindur as part of the ritual]. Gurudev said that they cut thousands of goats at that fair—a goat a second—and smear sindur on all the sacrificial goats' heads. We too are sacrificial goats, but we do not get to have our heads smeared with sindur [we do not get picked out].

Not everybody can understand the glory of a holy dham. It takes a great fortune to know it. People come here to do all these other things: everybody is chanting, "Hari bol! Hari bol!" but who takes it seriously? Who take Krishna consciousness seriously? Who will think, "This is my vrata [vow]! Krishna consciousness is my vow." Who will think, "Without Krishna consciousness this life is useless"? "I have got this human body, but this body is useless if I do not practise Krishna consciousness. The Lord has sent me into this human body, but if I do not practise Krishna consciousness, then it is useless to keep this body—my life is useless."

dina yaya michha kaje nisa nidra-base
nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe base

My days are passed in useless work and nights are wasted on sleeping. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting next to me.

('Durlabha manava janma labhiya' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

We sing every morning,

jivana anitya janaha sara
tahe nana-vidha vipada-bhara
namasraya kari' yatane tumi
thakaha apana kaje

"Understand the essence: life is temporary and filled with all sorts of adversity. Carefully taking shelter of the Name, engage in your work."

(Gitavali, Arunodaya kirtan, 1.3, by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

This life is not eternal. You will face so many dangers in this life, but amidst all these dangers you must take shelter of the Holy Name—engage your own self in the service of the Lord. We are told to take shelter of the Holy Name. The Lord is very merciful. If you have a strong desire and if you try, the Lord must certainly bestow His mercy. It is necessary to have a strong desire, it is necessary to have faith. You must try; otherwise, you will not get any result. Mother Yasoda tied Krishna! Because of her tireless effort, she could bind Him. She kept bringing more and more rope, but it was always two fingers too short. What do these 'two fingers' mean? One finger is desire, and the other finger is mercy. We must make effort to practise Krishna consciousness. You cannot practise Krishna consciousness without making effort. You must keep practising, you must keep trying. This is Krishna consciousness.

There are nine kinds of devotion: sravanam, kirtanam, smaranam, pada-sevanam, archanam, vandanam, dasyam, sakhyam, atma-nivedanam—hearing, chanting, remembering the Lord, serving the Lord's lotus feet, worshipping the Deity of the Lord, offering obeisance, rendering service as a servitor, as a friend, and self-submission. You must practise this every day.

sadhu-sange krsna-nama—ei matra chai
samsara jinite ara kona vastu nai

I desire only to chant the Name of Krishna in the association of the sadhus. There is no other way to conquer samsara.

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.13)

The Lord does not embrace (gets hold of) someone so easily, but if the Lord embraces someone, He does not let them go. Think about it—the Lord is so merciful! You cannot even conceive of it. Krishna has bestowed so much mercy. Sisupal went to kill Krishna, Putana went to kill Krishna, but they all received Krishna's mercy.

Everybody knows it is a crime to kill a man, but it is an even worse crime to kill a baby; and demoness Putana went to kill a three-days-old baby. Being sent by Kamsa, she had smeared poison on her breast, but because she came dressed as a beautiful gopi, seeing her beauty Krishna became charmed. She came to kill Krishna, but Krishna saw her beauty and became charmed—He took her as His mother and drank her breast milk. He showed that He had started to drink her milk, but He knew that it was not a mother, it was just a demoness who came disguised as a mother, so He drank her milk in such a way that Putana started to cry, "Leave me! Leave me!" But Krishna did not leave her. He grabbed her so strongly that she was about to die. In a frenzy, she ran out to a nearby field in Gokula, where, revealing her enormous form, she fell down dead. Because her body was so huge and nobody could move it, they had to cut it into four pieces. How can we know that Krishna bestowed His mercy on her? Think about it. Do you get any good smell when you burn somebody's body? On the contrary, you get very bad smell. However, when they were burning Putana's body, her body emanated the smell of camphor in all four directions. There was so much good smell coming all over Gokula that it could be felt all the way in Vrindavan as well. Everybody wondered, "What has happened? What is this? What is this nice smell?" Then somebody said they were burning Putana. The Lord bestowed His mercy to her...

* * *

Extreme Mercy

Lord Varahadev's Appearance day, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 5
Translated from Bengali

Krishna is so merciful, but Gaura is even more merciful than Him. Krishna performs madhurya-lila (conjugal pastimes of sweetness), and Gaura performs audarya-lila (magnanimous pastimes). He forgot His own self while magnanimously rescuing jiva souls. When Gauranga Mahaprabhu came to Kashi, He lamented, "I have brought Krishna-prema from Gauda-dham anyone and everyone without asking any price, but there is nobody to take this Krishna-prema. I have travelled all over India from South India up until Haridwar. Whom will I give it to?" Do you understand? Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu distributed Krishna-prema without any price! Gaura gave Krishna-prema to the entire world. This is so beautiful. We also chant in one of the kirtans,

ke yabi ke yabi bhai bhava-sindhu para
dhanya kali-yuge re chaitanya-avatara

Brother, who will cross? Who will cross this ocean of material existence? Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appears in this fortunate Kali-yuga!

hari-namera tarikhani sri-guru-kandari
sankirtana-keroyala du'bahu pasari

The Lord's Names are the ferryboat, Sri Guru is the captain, and the arms raised in the sankirtan are the oars.

The Holy Name is a boat, and the captain of this boat is Gurudev. If we can take shelter of Gurudev and practise Krishna consciousness, then we will get genuine benefit. It is necessary to surrender to your Guru.

So many people come, but they do not really take shelter of their Guru.

asraya la-iya bhaje, tare krsna nahi tyaje
ara saba mare akarana

"Krishna never leaves those who take shelter in Him and serve Him—all others die in vain."

It is necessary to take shelter to practise Krishna consciousness. We must surrender to a bona fide Guru, surrender to Nityananda Prabhu, and practise Krishna consciousness in His shelter; otherwise, there is no other way for us (there is no other way to attain real result). Nitai is 'Doyal Thakur'—He is worshippable Lord, mercy incarnate...

* * *

About Nityananda Prabhu

Lord Varahadev's Appearance day, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 6
Translated from Bengali

It is written here very beautifully. I see they are offering the bhog already. I will let you go quickly, it is time to take prasadam—you fasted yesterday. Sri Narahari Thakur writes very beautifully about the stay of Pancha-pandav in Ekachakra, I will read it to you in the evening. And now I want to read you what Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami writes about the mercy of Sri Nityananda Prabhu (Cc, 1.5.156):

sri-chaitanya—sei krsna, nityananda—rama
nityananda purna kare chaitanyera kama

"Lord Caitanya is the same Lord Krishna, and Lord Nityananda is Lord Balarama. Lord Nityananda fulfills all of Lord Caitanya's desires."

Who fulfils the longing and hankering of Sri Chaitanya? Nityananda. Mahaprabhu told Him, "Nityananda, distribute Krishna-prema to this world! Preach the Holy Name of Krishna!" However, Nityananda Prabhu thought, "The people of this world will not understand the Holy Name of Krishna so easily. I would rather preach the Holy Name of Gauranga!"

bhaja gauranga, kaha gauranga, laha gaurangera nama re
ye jana gauranga bhaje, sei amara prana re

"Worship Gauranga! Say Gauranga! Take Gauranga's Name! Those who worship Gauranga are My heart and soul!"

That is why we always chant, "Guru Nityananda, Gaura Nityananda! Nitai Gauranga! Nitai Gaura!"

nityananda-mahima-sindhu ananta, apara
eka kana sparsi matra,—se krpa tanhara

"The ocean of Lord Nityananda's glories is infinite and unfathomable. Only by His mercy can I touch even a drop of it."

Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami says that Nityananda Prabhu's glory is unlimited; if you get a slightest touch of His mercy, you will understand His glory. Nityananda Prabhu freely scattered His mercy to all fallen souls. The Lord came to this world to deliver all fallen souls. He rescued all fallen souls. The Lord came to this world to deliver all fallen souls.

ara eka suna tanra krpara mahima
adhama jivere chadhaila urdhva-sima

Please listen to another glory of His mercy. He made a fallen living entity climb to the highest limit.

veda-guhya katha ei ayogya kahite
tathapi kahiye tanra krpa prakasite

To disclose it is not proper, for it should be kept as confidential as the Vedas, yet I shall speak of it to make His mercy known to all.

ullasa-upari lekhon tomara prasada
nityananda prabhu, mora ksama aparadha

O Lord Nityananda, I write of Your mercy out of great exultation. Please forgive me for my offenses.

["Prabhu, please forgive me if I become too audacious or mad writing about You."]

avadhuta gosanira eka bhrtya prema-dhama
minaketana ramadasa haya tanra nama

Lord Nityananda Prabhu had a servant named Sri Minaketan Ramadas, who was a reservoir of love.

[I told you yesterday about Minaketan Ramadas.]

amara alaye aho-ratra-sankirtana
tahate aila tenho pana nimantrana

At my house there was sankirtana day and night, and therefore he visited there, having been invited.

maha-prema-maya tinho vasila angane
sakala vaisnava tanra vandila charane

Absorbed in emotional love, he sat in my courtyard, and all the Vaisnavas bowed down at his feet.

namaskara karite, ka'ra uparete chade
preme ka're vamsi mare, kahake chapade

In a joyful mood of love of God he sometimes climbed upon the shoulder of someone offering obeisances, and sometimes he struck others with his flute or mildly slapped them.

ye nayana dekhite asru haya mane yara
sei netre avichchhinna vahe asru-dhara

When someone saw the eyes of Minaketan Ramadas, tears would automatically flow from his own eyes, for a constant shower of tears flowed from the eyes of Minaketan Ramadas.

kabhu kona ange dekhi pulaka-kadamba
eka ange jadya tanra, ara ange kampa

Sometimes there were eruptions of ecstasy like kadamba flowers on some parts of his body, and sometimes one limb would be stunned while another would be trembling.

nityananda bali' yabe karena hunkara
taha dekhi' lokera haya maha-chamatkara

Whenever he shouted aloud the name Nityananda, the people around him were filled with great wonder and astonishment.

gunarnava misra name eka vipra arya
sri-murti-nikate tenho kare seva-karya

One respectable brahmana named Sri Gunarnava Misra was serving the Deity.

angane asiya tenho na kaila sambhasa
taha dekhi' kruddha hana bale ramadasa

When Minaketan was seated in the yard, this brahmana did not offer him respect. Seeing this, Sri Ramadas became angry and spoke.

'ei ta' dvitiya suta romaharasana
baladeva dekhi' ye na kaila pratyudgama'

"Here I find the second Romaharsana-suta, who did not stand to show honor when he saw Lord Balarama."

"He behaved like an atheist—he does not have faith in Vaishnavs. That brahman considers himself so big."

eta bali' nache gaya, karaye santosa
krsna-karya kare vipra—na karila rosa

After saying this, he danced and sang to his heart's content, but the brahmana did not become angry, for he was then serving Lord Krishna.

utsavante gela tinho kariya prasada
mora bhrata-sane tanra kichhu haila vada

At the end of the festival Minaketan Ramadas went away, offering his blessings to everyone. At that time he had some controversy with my brother.

chaitanya-prabhute tanra sudrdha visvasa
nityananda-prati tanra visvasa-abhasa

My brother had firm faith in Lord Caitanya but only a dim glimmer of faith in Lord Nityananda.

He has faith in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, but he has no faith in Nityananda Prabhu. I told you yesterday that this is half-hen logic.

iha jani' ramadasera duhkha ha-ila mane
tabe ta' bhratare ami karinu bhartsane

Knowing this, Sri Ramadas felt unhappy in his mind. I then rebuked my brother.

Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami was unhappy and chastised his brother.

dui bhai eka-tanu—samana-prakasa
nityananda na mana, tomara habe sarva-nasa

"These two brothers," I told him, "are like one body; They are identical manifestations. If you do not believe in Lord Nityananda, you will fall down.

"You give honour to Mahaprabhu, but you do not have any respect for Nityananda! You will be ruined!" In other words, this means, "You are giving respect to the Lord, but you do not give respect to the Guru."

ekete visvasa, anye na kara sammana
"ardha-kukkuti-nyaya" tomara pramana

"If you have faith in one but disrespect the other, your logic is like the logic of accepting half a hen.

kimba, donha na manina hao ta' pasanda
eke mani' are na mani,—ei-mata bhanda

"It would be better to be an atheist by slighting both brothers than a hypocrite by believing in one and slighting the other."

"If you give honour to One and do not give honour to the Other, then you are a hypocrite."

kruddha haiya vamsi bhangi' chale ramadasa
tat-kale amara bhratara haila sarva-nasa

Thus Sri Ramadas broke his flute in anger and went away, and at that time my brother fell down.

Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami Prabhu's brother fell down, his whole life was ruined because he had made Vaishnav-aparadh. He did not even write his brother's name—his brother became ruined.

ei ta' kahila tanra sevaka-prabhava
ara eka kahi tanra dayara svabhava

I have thus described the power of the servants of Lord Nityananda. Now I shall describe another characteristic of His mercy.

bhaike bhartsinu muni, lana ei guna
sei ratre prabhu more dila darasana

That night Lord Nityananda appeared to me in a dream because of my good quality in chastising my brother.

naihati-nikate 'jhamatapura' name grama
tanha svapne dekha dila nityananda-rama

In the village of Jhamatapura, which is near Naihati, Lord Nityananda appeared to me in a dream.

dandavat haiya ami padinu payete
nija-pada-padma prabhu dila mora mathe

I fell at His feet, offering my obeisances, and He then placed His own lotus feet upon my head.

'utha', 'utha' bali' more bale bara bara
uthi' tanra rupa dekhi' hainu chamatkara

"Arise! Get up!" He told me again and again. Upon rising, I was greatly astonished to see His beauty.

Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami is describing here the form of Sri Nityananda Prabhu that he saw:

syama-chikkana kanti, prakanda sarira
saksat kandarpa, yaichhe maha-malla-vira

He had a glossy blackish complexion, and His tall, strong, heroic stature made Him seem like Cupid himself.

Nityananda Prabhu was very tall. Gurudev told the size of the Deities that were to be installed here at the temple, and he said that Gaura must be 7'6 (228.6 cm) and Nitai 7'4 (223.5 cm).

suvalita hasta, pada, kamala-nayana
patta-vastra sire, patta-vastra paridhana

He had beautifully formed hands, arms and legs, and eyes like lotus flowers. He wore a silk cloth, with a silk turban on His head.

suvarna-kundala karne, svarnangada-vala
payete nupura baje, kanthe puspa-mala

He wore golden earrings on His ears, and golden armlets and bangles. He wore tinkling anklets on His feet and a garland of flowers around His neck.

chandana-lepita-anga, tilaka suthama
matta-gaja jini' mada-manthara payana

His body was anointed with sandalwood pulp, and He was nicely decorated with tilaka. His movements surpassed those of a maddened elephant.

koti-chandra jini' mukha ujjvala-varana
dadimba-bija-sama danta tambula-charvana

His face was more beautiful than millions upon millions of moons, and His teeth were like pomegranate seeds because of His chewing betel.

preme matta anga dahine-vame dole
'krsna' 'krsna' baliya gambhira bola bale

His body moved to and fro, right and left, for He was absorbed in ecstasy. He chanted "Krishna, Krishna" in a deep voice.

ranga-yasti haste dole yena matta simha
chari-pase vedi achhe charanete bhrnga

His red stick moving in His hand, He seemed like a maddened lion. All around the four sides of His feet were bumblebees.

parisada-gane dekhi' saba gopa-vese
'krsna' 'krsna' kahe sabe saprema avese

His devotees, dressed like cowherd boys, surrounded His feet like so many bees and also chanted "Krishna, Krishna," absorbed in ecstatic love.

singa vamsi bajaya keha, keha nache gaya
sevaka yogaya tambula, chamara dhulaya

Some of them played horns and flutes, and others danced and sang. Some of them offered betel nuts, and others waved camara fans about Him.

nityananda-svarupera dekhiya vaibhava
kiba rupa, guna, lila—alaukika saba

Thus I saw such opulence in Lord Nityananda Svarupa. His wonderful form, qualities and pastimes are all transcendental.

anande vihvala ami, kichhu nahi jani
tabe hasi' prabhu more kahilena vani

I was overwhelmed with transcendental ecstasy, not knowing anything else. Then Lord Nityananda smiled and spoke to me as follows.

are are krsnadasa, na karaha bhaya
vrndavane yaha,—tanha sarva labhya haya

"O my dear Krishna Das, do not be afraid. Go to Vrindavan, for there you will attain all things."

"Wake up, wake up, Krishna Das! Do not stay here in Jhamatpur. Come to Vrindavan, and you will get all benefit." These days, when servitors go to Vrindavan, do you know what they do there? They enjoy themselves earning and spending money from their own pocket. When you go to Vrindavan, you must spend money on feeding others, not on yourself. How can you practise Krishna consciousness like this? When you go to Vrindavan, you must practise Krishna consciousness. You must not go there to practise Maya consciousness.

If you practise Krishna consciousness without following your Guru, it will be practising Maya consciousness—you will tangled within illusory bondage. People go to Vrindavan to worship Radha Krishna, but you will not get any result if you do not worship Nityananda Prabhu. There are many people like this living in Vrindavan, especially at Govinda Kunda—they have some problem at the temple, and they leave everything and go to do their bhajan in Vrindavan. They go there and only think about their own stomaches, always think, "What will I eat?" It is all illusion. Gurudev said that the monkeys in Vrindavan were previously all those babajis who go to Vrindavan to earn money. Now you will go to Vrindavan and see that monkeys eat biscuits and drink Frooti mango juice! Why is it like this? Because those babajis worried about their own enjoyment. There are people called "chhadi-ghuray" [bossy people who like to brandish their stick, or, figuratively, lord it over and command others]. They come, chant kirtan for two hours and ask for a kg of rice and a certain amount of money. What they chant is not Hare Krishna—they chant to earn money.

asadhu-sange bhai krsna-nama nahi haya
namaksara bahiraya bate tabu nama kabhu naya

"Brother, the Name of Krishna never appears in bad association: the letters of the Name may appear, but the Name never does."

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 7.1)

So, continuing reading,

eta bali' prerila more hatasani diya
antardhana kaila prabhu nija-gana lana

After saying this, He directed me toward Vrindavan by waving His hand. Then He disappeared with His associates.

murchchhita ha-iya muni padinu bhumite
svapna-bhanga haila, dekhi, hanachhe prabhate

I fainted and fell to the ground, my dream broke, and when I regained consciousness I saw that morning had come.

ki dekhinu ki suninu, kariye vichara
prabhu-ajna haila vrndavana yaibara

I thought about what I had seen and heard and concluded that the Lord had ordered me to proceed to Vrindavan at once.

sei ksane vrndavane karinu gamana
prabhura krpate sukhe ainu vrndavana

That very second I started for Vrindavan, and by His mercy I reached there in great happiness.

jaya jaya nityananda, nityananda-rama
yanhara krpate painu vrndavana-dhama

All glory, all glory to Lord Nityananda Balarama, by whose mercy I have attained shelter in the transcendental abode of Vrindavan!

jaya jaya nityananda, jaya krpa-maya
yanha haite painu rupa-sanatanasraya

All glory, all glory to the merciful Lord Nityananda, by whose mercy I have attained shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Rupa and Sri Sanatana!

yanha haite painu raghunatha-mahasaya
yanha haite painu sri-svarupa-asraya

By His mercy I have attained the shelter of the great personality Sri Raghunatha dasa Goswami, and by His mercy I have found the refuge of Sri Svarupa Damodara.

sanatana-krpaya painu bhaktira siddhanta
sri-rupa-krpaya painu bhakti-rasa-pranta

By the mercy of Sanatana Gosvami I have learned the final conclusions of devotional service, and by the grace of Sri Rupa Gosvami I have tasted the highest nectar of devotional service.

jaya jaya nityananda-charanaravinda
yanha haite painu sri-radha-govinda

All glory, all glory to the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda, by whose mercy I have attained Sri Radha-Govinda!

jagai madhai haite muni se papistha
purisera kita haite muni se laghistha

I am more sinful than Jagai and Madhai and even lower than the worms in the stool.

mora nama sune yei tara punya ksaya
mora nama laya yei tara papa haya

Anyone who hears my name loses the results of his pious activities. Anyone who utters my name becomes sinful.

How low he thinks of himself!

emana nirghrna more keba krpa kare
eka nityananda vinu jagat bhitare

Who in this world but Nityananda could show His mercy to such an abominable person as me?

preme matta nityananda krpa-avatara
uttama, adhama, kichhu na kare vichara

Because He is intoxicated by ecstatic love and is an incarnation of mercy, He does not distinguish between the good and the bad.

Nityananda Prabhu does not judge who is good and who is bad! He takes everyone on His lap!

ye age padaye, tare karaye nistara
ataeva nistarila mo-hena durachara

He delivers all those who fall down before Him. Therefore He has delivered such a sinful and fallen person as me.

mo-papisthe anilena sri-vrndavana
mo-hena adhame dila sri-rupa-charana

Although I am sinful and I am the most fallen, He has conferred upon me the lotus feet of Sri Rupa Gosvami.

sri-madana-gopala-sri-govinda-darasana
kahibara yogya nahe e-saba kathana

I am not fit to speak all these confidential words about my visiting Lord Madana Gopala and Lord Govinda.

vrndavana-purandara sri-madana-gopala
rasa-vilasi saksat vrajendra-kumara

Lord Madana Gopala, the chief Deity of Vrindavan, is the enjoyer of the rasa dance and is directly the son of the King of Vraja.

sri-radha-lalita-sange rasa-vilasa
manmatha-manmatha-rupe yanhara prakasa

He enjoys the rasa dance with Srimati Radharani, Sri Lalita and others. He manifests Himself as the Cupid of Cupids.

sva-madhurye lokera mana kare akarsana
dui pase radha lalita karena sevana

With Radha and Lalita serving Him on His two sides, He attracts the hearts of all by His own sweetness.

nityananda-daya more tanre dekhaila
sri-radha-madana-mohane prabhu kari' dila

The mercy of Lord Nityananda showed me Sri Madana-mohana and gave me Sri Madana-mohana as my Lord and master.

mo-adhame dila sri-govinda darasana
kahibara katha nahe akathya-kathana

He granted to one as low as me the sight of Lord Govinda. Words cannot describe this, nor is it fit to be disclosed.

vrndavane yoga-pithe kalpa-taru-vane
ratna-mandapa, tahe ratna-simhasane
sri-govinda vasiyachhena vrajendra-nandana
madhurya prakasi' karena jagat mohana

On an altar made of gems in the principal temple of Vrindavan, amidst a forest of desire trees, Lord Govinda, the son of the King of Vraja, sits upon a throne of gems and manifests His full glory and sweetness, thus enchanting the entire world.

vama-parsve sri-radhika sakhi-gana-sange
rasadika-lila prabhu kare kata range

By His left side is Srimati Radharani and Her personal friends. With them Lord Govinda enjoys the rasa-lila and many other pastimes.

yanra dhyana nija-loke kare padmasana
astadasaksara-mantre kare upasana

Lord Brahma, sitting on his lotus seat in his own abode, always meditates on Him and worships Him with the mantra consisting of eighteen syllables.

chaudda-bhuvane yanra sabe kare dhyana
vaikunthadi-pure yanra lila-guna gana

Everyone in the fourteen worlds meditates upon Him, and all the denizens of Vaikuntha sing of His qualities and pastimes.

yanra madhurite kare laksmi akarsana
rupa-gosani kariyachena se-rupa varnana

The goddess of fortune is attracted by His sweetness, which Srila Rupa Gosvami has described in this way:

smeram bhangi-traya-parichitam sachi-vistirna-drstim
vamsi-nyastadhara-kisalayam ujjvalam chandrakena
govindakhyam hari-tanum itah kesi-tirthopakanthe
ma preksisthas tava yadi sakhe bandhu-sange 'sti rangah

"My dear friend, if you are indeed attached to your worldly friends, do not look at the smiling face of Lord Govinda as He stands on the bank of the Yamuna at Kesighat. Casting sidelong glances, He places His flute to His lips, which seem like newly blossomed twigs. His transcendental body, bending in three places, appears very bright in the moonlight."

saksat vrajendra-suta ithe nahi ana
yeba ajne kare tanre pratima-hena jnana

Without a doubt He is directly the son of the King of Vraja. Only a fool considers Him a statue.

sei aparadhe tara nahika nistara
ghora narakete pade, ki baliba ara

For that offence, he cannot be liberated. Rather, he will fall into a terrible hellish condition. What more should I say?

We think Deities are dolls—we gossip and chat in front of the Deities. We think They are just dolls. What becomes of those who have such consciousness? They have no means of salvation—they will have no way to redeem their offence. The Lord is Vrajendranandan Himself! The Lord speaks, the Lord steals, the Lord gives witness, but we do not understand this. You all come to me asking me for mercy, but how can I give you mercy? The Lord is in your heart, He will give you His mercy. Do we have power to give mercy to anyone?

hena ye govinda prabhu, painu yanha haite
tanhara charana-krpa ke pare varnite

Therefore who can describe the mercy of the lotus feet of Him [Lord Nityananda] by whom I have attained the shelter of this Lord Govinda?

vrndavane vaise yata vaisnava-mandala
krsna-nama-parayana, parama-mangala

All the groups of Vaisnavas who live in Vrindavan are absorbed in chanting the all-auspicious name of Krishna.

yanra prana-dhana—nityananda-sri-chaitanya
radha-krsna-bhakti vine nahi jane anya

Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda are the life and soul of those Vaisnavas, who do not know anything but devotional service to Sri Sri Radha-Krishna.

se vaisnavera pada-renu, tara pada-chhaya
adhamere dila prabhu-nityananda-daya

The dust and shade of the lotus feet of the Vaisnavas have been granted to this fallen soul by the mercy of Lord Nityananda.

'tanha sarva labhya haya'—prabhura vachana
sei sutra—ei tara kaila vivarana

Lord Nityananda said, "In Vrindavan all things are possible." Here I have explained His brief statement in detail.

se saba painu ami vrndavane aya
sei saba labhya ei prabhura krpaya

I have attained all this by coming to Vrindavan, and this was made possible by the mercy of Lord Nityananda.

apanara katha likhi nirlajja ha-iya
nityananda-gune lekhaya unmatta kariya

I have described my own story without reservations. The attributes of Lord Nityananda, making me like a madman, force me to write these things.

nityananda-prabhura guna-mahima apara
'sahasra-vadane' sesa nahi paya yanra

The glories of Lord Nityananda's transcendental attributes are unfathomable. Even Lord Sesa, with His thousands of mouths, cannot find their limit.

sri-rupa-raghunatha-pade yara asa
chaitanya-charitamrta kahe krsnadasa

Praying at the lotus feet of Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunatha, always desiring their mercy, I, Krishna Das, narrate Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, following in their footsteps.

This is all written in the Adi part of Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay
Harinama sankirtana ki jay

[His Divine Grace continues to chants 'Hari Haraya' concluding thus the morning class.]

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami
Maharaj ki jay
Visva-varenya Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay
Jay Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa-kula-churamani Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak
Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Jay saparikara Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Govinda Sundarjiu ki jay
Jay saparikara Sri Sri Guru Gaura Nityananda jiu ki jay
Jay Om Vishnupad Bhagavan Sri Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur
Prabhupad ki jay
Rupanuga-guru-varga ki jay
Namacharya Haridas Thakur ki jay
Vrinda Devi, Tulasi Devi, Sri Bhakti Devi ki jay
Sri Shyama Kunda, Radha Kunda, Sri Giri Govardhan ki jay
Sri Mayapur Dham, Sri Nabadwip Dham, Sri Vrindavan, Mathura ki jay
Sri Purusottam Ksetra ki jay
Baladev Subhadra Jagannathjiu ki jay
Akar Math-raj Sri Chaitanya Math ki jay
Mayapur Yogapith ki jay
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math ki jay
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Ekachakra Dham ki jay
Jay Ekachakleshwar Sivji Maharaj ki jay
Jay Kadam-kandi ki jay
Pandav-tala ki jay
Janu Kunda ki jay
Jay Bankarai ki jay
Harinam sankirtan ki jay
Samagata Sri Gaura bhakta-vrinda ki jay
Jay Sri Varahadev ki jay
Varahadev's avirbhav tithi-bara maha-mahotsav ki jay
Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's avirbhav tithi-bara adhivas maha-mahotsav ki jay
Harinam sankirtan ki jay
Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol

Devotee: Jay Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti
Nirmal Acharya Maharaj ki jay. Harinam sankirtan ki jay. Gaura premanande Hari bol

* * *

Sri Ekachakra Temple

Adhivas of Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 1
Translated from Bengali

gurvvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam
chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam
govindabhidham ujjvalam vara-tanum bhakty anvitam-sundaram
vande visva-gurun cha divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam

I offer my obeisance unto he who perfectly fulfils his Gurudev's most cherished desires; who is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev’s associates; who is expert in all aspects of Vedic knowledge, both conceivable and inconceivable; who is the pre-eminent follower of Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu's line; who is known as 'Govinda'—Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj; whose beautiful, effulgent, exalted form is infused with pure devotion; who is the Guru of the entire universe; and who is the giver of the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord.

Today, by the mercy of Sri Gurupadpadma, we have gathered here at the evening assembly on the eve of the holy appearance day of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu to hear and speak some Hari-katha. The arati will beging shortly, so I will not take much time, I will speak briefly.

I have got this opportunity to hear some Hari-katha and speak some Hari-katha to you all. It is by a great fortune that we have been able to come here. This is Ekachakra Dham, the holy appearance place of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. It is now called Birchandrapur.

When my Param Gurudev, Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, established Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Koladwip, many of his godbrothers, many devotees came to him expressing their desire to take Harinam or sannyas initiation from him. Param Guru Maharaj Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj came here, to the birthplace of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu and prayed to Him for mercy, "Prabhu, please bestow Your mercy on me." Then, Param Guru Maharaj received a divine message (akash-dhvani). Nityananda Prabhu told him, "You have got Nayana Manjari's (Srila Prabhupad's) mercy to preach Rupa-Raghunath's teaching, and you must first preach this mercy. Do not be a miser—bestow that mercy on others. After that, you can come and ask for Nityananda Prabhu's mercy."

After that, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj went back to the temple and gave his godbrothers and other souls an opportunity to take sannyas or initiation from him. Before that, he had not taken disciples. A householder disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad named Sakhi Charan Ray Bhakti Vijay would give ten rupees to Srila Sridhar Maharaj, and Srila Sridhar Maharaj would run the temple with that money. At the same time, Srila Sridhar Maharaj also saved a little from that money and every year sent some money, even at least five rupees, to the temple of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu on Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day. I heard about this from Gurudev.

It was Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur's desire to establish a temple in Sri Ekachakra Dham, but he did not live a long life—he only stayed in this world for sixty-four years—and he did not live to fulfil his desire. Yet, by his mercy, by the mercy of Param Gurudev and by Gurudev's desire, we managed to acquire this land here in 2008. Gurudev was abroad in America in 2007, and this land was purchased in January 2008. Nityananda Prabhu's festival is held every year in January-February, so that year we quickly made a pandal here and held a festival here. Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Gurudev was very pleased. He saw the programme through a live broadcast. Gurudev could not come, but he always thought about Ekachakra Dham in his mind and heart. Gurudev told me, "Before making a temple, you must arrange for devotees' quarter." That is why, this four-storey building was built first as servitors' quarter. Gurudev gave the name to the building: Sri Sri Hadai Pandit Padmavati Smriti Kunja. Devotees follow the line of this name to this day.

* * *

Parental Sacrifice

Adhivas of Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 2
Translated from Bengali

It is impossible to get Nityananda Prabhu without the mercy of Sri Hadai Pandit and Sri Padmavati Mayi. It is only by their mercy that we have got Nityananda Prabhu.

Nityananda Prabhu left this village with a sannyasi when He was 12 years old. The sannyasi had come to Hadai Pandit and Padmavati Devi begging them for alms. Nityananda Prabhu's parents could not let the sannyasi go empty-handed, so they agreed to give him whatever he would ask for. However, the sannyasi asked for their only son, Nityananda Prabhu. These days women are such that they would never give their son if they were asked to—even if you give them 100,000 rupees, they will not give their son up; but Nityananda Prabhu's parents gave their son away. They made such a great sacrifice in their life! He is the Lord Himself—eke dehe dui rupa (Nitai and Gaura are non-different from each other).

We sing in one of the kirtans,

hari hari! viphale janama gonainu
manusya-janama paiya radha-krsna na bhajiya
janiya suniya visa khainu

O Lord! My life has passed uselessly. I attained a human birth, but I did not serve Radha and Krishna. Knowingly I drank poison.

('Hari Hari viphale' by Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

In this kirtan, it is said, "Balarama haila Nitai. Balaram became Nitai."

This place here is where Nityananda Prabhu grew up. Laksman was a younger brother in Treta-yuga, but Ramachandra always followed moral rules and always made sure that no moral rules were broken. In English, there is a saying, "Mercy is above justice." You can see in India also, someone can be sentenced to execution, but if the Supreme Court pardons the criminal, then execution is called off and the criminal can be pardoned. By judgement, the person must be hanged, but if the court rules to show mercy, then the criminal can be released. Here also, you can get somewhere by justice, but mercy is above justice, and Nityananda Prabhu is that mercy.

You know that Ramachandra was sent to live in the forest. We sing the Dasavatara Stotram about the ten incarnations of the Lord, and Lord Ramachandra is one of them; however, He is not called the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Why? Because all devotional mellows (shanta, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, madhura) do not exist within His pastimes. There is no proper vatsalya-rasa in Lord Ramachandra's pastimes. There is some parental love, but it is not fully manifest—Dasarath did not want to send his son to the forest, but he had given his word to Kaikeyi that Rama would be sent to the forest and Kaikeyi's son would be enthroned. Dasarath cried in his heart, but even if his son died, he let it be. What did Rama do? He made Sita Devi go through a test of fire; even then, not being satisfied when she had passed the test, He sent her to live in the forest. You all know that her two sons Lava and Kusha were born there. So, we see that Dasarath did not oppose it when his own son was exiled to the forest, but what did Vasudev and Devaki do? Taking Krishna, Vasudev carried Him across the Yamuna and kept Him in the house of Nanda Maharaj. This is what love is. This is what vatsalya-rasa (parental love) is....

* * *

Full Service Sway

Adhivas of Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 3
Translated from Bengali

...Because Laksman was a younger brother, He could not say anything against His brother's word. When Ramachandra agreed to go to live in the forest to make sure His father kept his word, Laksman agreed, "All right, I will go to live in exile too." Sita Devi also said nothing. She thought, "If Ramachandra goes to live in exile, what will I do living here at home? I will go with Him." Laksman also could not stay at home—He went with Ramachandra to serve His elder brother. Laksman could not contradict His brother in anything. When Ramachandra made Sita Devi go through the test of fire, when He exiled her into the forest, it was necessary for the upkeep of moral rules, but Laksman did not like it at all. Because Ramachandra was elder, Laksman could not say anything against.

However, in Dvapar-yuga and Kali-yuga, Laksman became an elder brother Himself. He became Balaram in Dvapar-yuga, and because He was elder this time, He even slapped Krishna! One day, Gopal came to His mother to complain, "Mother, do you know what brother did? He has hit Me today!" It is said that Balaram serves Krishna with ten bodies, just as Nityananda Prabhu serves Gauranga with ten bodies—He serves the Lord as His pillow (balis), shoes (paduka), the peacock fan (mayur pakha), the bed (sayana), the carrier (vahana), the house (grha), the umbrella (chhatra), the garments (vastra), the ornaments (bhusana), the sitting place (asana). However, when Krishna complained to His mother that Balaram had hit Him, Balaram took Him aside later. Grabbing Him by the shoulder, He started shaking Krishna, "What do You think?! Do You think Your mother loves You more than I do?! Your mother leaves You and goes to do household chores! When You get into trouble with demons and others, who comes to Your rescue?!" Hearing this, Gopal started to cry. Such was the relationship between Krishna and Balaram when Balaram was elder.

Here also, Nityananda Prabhu is elder than Mahaprabhu. When we do the parikrama of Sri Nabadwip Dham, we first come to Gaura Nityananda Mandir. When Mahaprabhu learnt who had come, He sent all devotees to find that person saying, "Listen, one great personality has come to Mayapur Dham. Go and find Him!" Nobody could find Him. Who found Him in the end? Mahaprabhu Himself. He came to the house of Sri Nandan Acharya and found Sri Nityananda Prabhu there. Nityananda Prabhu is extremely esoteric and hidden—it is not so easy to find Him! Such is the glory of Sri Nandan Acharya Bhavan, the place where Gaura and Nityananda's first meeting took place. Now there is a temple of Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj established at that place. Balaram (Nitai) arranges to appear as the elder brother to be able to serve the Lord. This is the glory of Sri Nityananda Prabhu.

uttama, adhama, kichhu na kare vichara
ye age padaye, tare kraye nistara

"Nityananda Prabhu does not consider who is good and who is bad, He saves anyone who falls before Him."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 5.208-209)

Nityananda Prabhu is hidden and extremely esoteric.

The arati is starting now, so I will not take more time now, I will continue after the arati.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

We actually have no quality or qualification to speak about the glory of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Trying to describe His glories, Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami says,

jagai madhai haite muni se papistha
purisera kita haite muni se laghistha
mora nama sune yei punya ksaya
mora nama laya yei tar papa haya

"I am more sinful than Jagai and Madhai and lower than the worms in the stool. If anyone hears my name, they lose all auspiciousness; if anyone takes my name, they become sinful."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 5.205-206)

If you make an offence at Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's lotus feet, who will save you? If you make an offence to the Lord, Guru and Vaishnavs can take care of you, but if you make an offence at the holy feet of your Guru and Vaishnavs (to those who can protect you from offence), then who is there in this world to save you? We must always remember this.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

Come, let's go to the arati now.

* * *

Life in Kirtan

Adhivas of Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 4
Translated from Bengali

[After the arati, there is a lot of commotion and noise in the audience.] I have told you before—you have your mouth, but one will not hear the Holy Name coming out of it, only other talks come out of it... Did you not hear what is said in one of the kirtans we sang earlier? Srila Lochan Das Thakur says, "I throw fire into the mouths of those who have no respect for Nitai!" When we chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, Krishna Nam does not come to everyone's mouth—people say, "You sing, and we will listen." People cannot even hear the Holy Name. I always tell you, "I have not come to chant kirtan; I have come to make you chant kirtan." You must chant kirtan...

mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim
yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

"The dumb can speak, the lame can climb a hill—all it takes is mercy from Gurudev."

(Bhavartha Dipika)

First of all, I am offering my full obeisance at the holy lotus feet of Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, begging him for his causeless mercy, after that I am offering my obeisance to all Guru-varga, to all my God-brothers and sisters, to all the listeners, to all the motherly lady devotees, to all devotees, and I am praying to you all for your mercy to this low soul.

Today is a very fortunate, very auspicious day. A day without Hari-katha is a bad day. It is not a cloudy day that is a bad day. So, today, we are present here at the holy dham of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu, at Sri Ekachakra Dham in Rada Desh, where the appearance place of Sri Nityananda Prabhu is. We have got some opportunity to speak about and glorify the Lord.

Will you take all this with you? You will not cross the Viraja river with your money, material things, etc. You will not get Gauranga's mercy without the mercy of Sri Nityananda, and no matter how much you practise Krishna consciousness, you will not get Radha-Krishna's mercy without the mercy of Sri Gauranga. That is why, I always keep on telling you about Mahaprabhu's advice to Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Prabhu,

gramya-katha na sunibe, gramya-varta na kahibe
bhala na khaibe ara bhala na paribe
amani manada hana krsna-nama sada la'be
vraje radha-krsna seva manase karibe

"Do not listen to the mundane talks, do not listen to the mundane news. Do not eat fancy food, do not wear fancy clothes. Do not expect honour to yourself, but offer all respect to others. Always chant the Holy Name of Krsna, and in your mind serve Radha-Krsna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.236-237)

I have given you an opportunity to chant kirtan, and if you do not let me chant, then what am I to do? Must I chant alone and you will not do anything? You must chant kirtan; if you do not chant, what result will you get?

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana
mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana

"One should associate with devotees, chant the Holy Name of the Lord, hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura and worship the Deity with faith."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.124)

You must chant the Holy Name in sadhu-sanga (saintly association) and you must listen to narrations about the Lord in sadhu-sanga (saintly association). You must practise both sravan (hearing) and kirtan (chanting). These are the main limbs of devotion.

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana
mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana

"One should associate with devotees, chant the Holy Name of the Lord, hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura and worship the Deity with faith."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.124)

Among these five main practices, Nama-sankirtan is the highest practice:

tara madhye sarva-srestha nama-sankirtana
niraparadhe nama laile paya prema-dhana

"Of the practising processes, the best is Nama-sankirtan. If you chant the Holy Name without offence, you will get the wealth of divine love."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 4.71)

It is not good to chant the Holy Name with offences. You must chant cleaning yourself from any offence. Many of you have read about ten offences of the Holy Name...

The Ten Offences to The Holy Name

(1) Criticising sadhus.
(2) Considering any of the gods to be lords independent of Krishna.
(3) Disobeying Sri Guru.
(4) Criticising the scriptures.
(5) Considering the Holy Name's glory exaggerated praise.
(6) Considering the Holy Name imaginary.
(7) Considering that one can sin (and be absolved) because one chants the Holy Name.
(8) Considering chanting the Holy Name equivalent to pious worldly works.
(9) Giving the Holy Name to faithless persons on account of material attachment.
(10) Remaining devoid of love for the Holy Name and filled with egotism and possessiveness even after hearing the Holy Name's glories.

* * *

Please Give These Alms

Adhivas of Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 5
Translated from Bengali

Today, by a great fortune we have come here, getting this opportunity to hear and speak something about the Lord. You may have heard when we were singing the kirtans,

kabe sri chaitanya more karibena daya
kabe ami paiba vaisnava-pada-chhaya

"When will Sri Chaitanya be merciful to me? When will I reach the shade of the Vaishnavs' feet?"

kabe ami chhadiba e visayabhimana
kabe visnu-jane ami kariba sammana

"When will I give up this mundane ego? When will I honour the Lord's devotees?"

"When will I leave this material ego? When will I be able to give honour to the Lord's devotees?" I am praying to you all with folded palms: please do not speak. If you need something, you can leave and come back later. Do not make noise. I am asking you to give your mind, body, heart, everything at the holy feet of the Lord as alms for one-two hours. Please give as alms your mind to the Lord's holy feet. Listen to what we are discussing, and one day, sooner or later, you will get the benefit. One day you will understand the result. We will leave this body and go away one day, and nobody knows what will be our situation then. However, we have come to the holy abode of Nitai now by a great fortune. Do you think you can see this holy dham with these eyes? These eyes are covered by illusory environment. Our consciousness is covered by illusory environment, but Gurudev and Vaishnavs mercifully give us an opportunity to hear and speak about the Lord.

We listen to all sorts of bad talks the whole day, and if we do not like to hear kirtan, if we feel no taste, then you must think why it is so. If you eat something when you have fever, you will not like the taste. In the same way, if you are sick, as long as you have pancha-roga (avidya, asmita, raga, dvesa, abhinivesa; ignorance, false identification, misdirected love, aversion to anything that goes against one's enjoyment, being unable to give up unfavourable habits), when there is kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya (lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness, envy), rupa, rasa, gandha, sabda, sparsa (desire for enjoyment through eyes, tongue, nose, ears, and skin), you will not like to hear all these holy talks. Actually, only intimate devotees of the Lord are qualified (have the right) to hear these talks...

So, you have got this opportunity today. I have been telling you about Sriman Nityananda Prabhu for two days already. Sriman Nityananda Prabhu performed His childhood pastimes at this place. He also performed His pastimes in Nabadwip, He also went to Puri with Mahaprabhu and performed His pastimes there too. In Nabadwip, He lived at the house of Srivas Pandit, you know it. He went to the house of Sri Gauri Das Pandit in Kalna. The Deities of Gaura Nitai are still there to this day. Everybody calls it "Mahaprabhu's house." Nityananda Prabhu went there with Mahaprabhu. There lived also the brother of Sri Gauri Das Pandit, Surya Das Sarkhel, who had two daughters, Jahnava Devi and Vasudha. Nityananda Prabhu took them as His two saktis...

It is impossible for fallen, lowly souls, such as myself, to utter anything about the glories of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, but if Gurudev bestows his mercy, then only can it be possible. I have heard something from Gurudev's holy mouth, I have read what Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami described, what Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur described, what Srila Lochan Das Thakur described, what Srila Narottam Das Thakur described. These are very beautiful things. Sri Advaita Prabhu also composed a poem in glorification of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Sriman Mahaprabhu Himself also glorified Sri Nityananda Prabhu saying to the extent,

madira yavani yadi nityananda dhare
tathapi brahmara vandya kahila tomare

"Even if Nityananda Prabhu takes a drunk lady by Her hand, He is always worshippable even for Lord Brahma."

Mahaprabhu said, "Even if Nityananda Prabhu comes holding a drunk Muslim woman, Brahma will pay his obeisance to Him."

Sri Nityananda Prabhu is avadhut, He has no external consciousness. You know that Mahaprabhu lost His brother, and Sri Nityananda Prabhu performed His pastimes in such a way that Sri Sachi Mata affectionally saw Him as a little boy. Sri Nityananda Prabhu sometimes wore yellows clothes, sometimes blue, sometimes red; He sometimes wore a garland on His wrist, sometimes earrings in His ears; He sometimes wore garlands on His neck.

This Sri Nityananda Prabhu appeared in this land in the family of Sri Hadai Pandit and Sri Padmavati Devi and performed His childhood pastimes right in the nearby fields. He played at the Jahnu Kunda. The temple in the pond is not unmanifest, but Sri Nityananda Prabhu would play there. Later, He travelled to various holy places together with Sri Madhavendra Puri—He took darshan of Ksir-chora Gopinath, Saksi Gopal, and then received the darshan of Mahaprabhu. Later, Sri Nityananda Prabhu circumambulated Sri Nabadwip Dham with Sri Jiva Goswami Prabhu, you know about that. You can read about in the book Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya-mukta-mala...

* * *

Sri Sivananda Sen's Mercy

Adhivas of Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 7
Translated from Bengali

The glories of Sri Nityananda Prabhu are unlimited. This book (Sri Nityananda Mahimamrita) describes everything very beautifully, you should buy this books—you can study when you are at home.

Sri Nityananda Prabhu bestowed His mercy on Srila Raghunath Das Goswami. I told you about it yesterday, so I will not tell much about it now. Sri Nityananda Prabhu explained by that pastime that without His mercy it is impossible to attain any result. I told you also about Sri Ramahari Chakravati, how Sri Nityananda Prabhu bestowed His mercy on Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur, and how Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur preached about Sri Nityananda Prabhu later. I told you about it all yesterday. There is another pastime I would like to tell you about today.

When Sri Sivananda Sen was taking all the devotees to Sri Puri Dham, he got delayed because in those days boats did not take so many people, and Odiya people like to take money. (You know that you can even pay money and climb Jagannathdev's chariot. One time, a foreign devotee told Gurudev that he was allowed to climb the chariot after he had given his wristwatch and paid very much money to the panda. Gurudev asked him, "What for did you climb on the chariot? We never climb on the chariot; we always pay our obeisance from downstairs." They think they have climbed the chariot, so they have received a lot of mercy, but Gurudev scolded him a lot.) So, that time, when Sivananda Sen was getting all the devotees across the river, some Odiyan man did not allow a dog that was following Sivananda Sen's party to enter the boat. Sivananda Sen said to the man, "You charge every man for getting across the river, and I will pay four times more for the dog. Let it go." The man agreed. Then, coming to the Odiyan border, they were supposed to pass the tax. Sri Nityananda Prabhu went first, and when He was asked for the tax, Sri Nityananda Prabhu said, "Our leader is behind, he will pay." Everybody passed in the same way.

Sivananda Sen's house is in Kulingram. Mahaprabhu said, "I love Kulingram devotees so much. I love even the dogs from Kulingram! I love even the parrots from Kulingram for they chant the Holy Name of Krishna!" It is near Jogram station. I have been to that place a few times when I was doing collection. Sivananda Sen was one of those Kulingram devotees. He had five sons, one of them was Kavi Karnapurna, a dear devotee of Mahaprabhu—he composed Sri Gaura-gana-desa-dipika describing the identities of the the Lord's devotees, who was who in Dvapar-yuga and who came as who in Kali-yuga. Kavi Karnapur's name is Puri Das. When Mahaprabhu told him, "Chant Hare Krishna," he did not chant. Mahaprabhu asked Haridas Thakur, "Haridas, what is this? When I go down the street, even tigers and deer chant the Holy Name, but this child is not chanting?!" Haridas Thakur said, "Prabhu, he took initiation from You." "What? What do you mean?" Haridas Thakur explained, "You told him to chant Hare Krishna, so he has heard this mantra from You, and a disciple cannot say the mantra in front of his guru." Mahaprabhu said, "Has he really taken initiation?" Haridas Thakur said, "Yes, he has." Then, Mahaprabhu told Puri Das, "Tell me a sloka from Srimad Bhagavatam!" And Puri Das, a five-year-old boy started reciting slokas. This is how he forcefully took initiation from Mahaprabhu.

So, coming back to Sri Sivananda Sen's party travelling to Puri, everybody passed the border saying, "Our leader is behind." Then, when Sri Sivananda Sen came to the border, the guards stopped him, "You have brought so many people, you must pay!" Sivananda Sen was a thrifty householder, so it took him some time to bargain with the guards. In the meantime, Sri Nityananda Prabhu went far ahead and He became very hungry—it was past their meal time. He was so angry that His words were like bullets so much so that Sri Nityananda Prabhu cursed Sivananda Sen! He said, "May Sivananda's two sons die!" Sivananda Sen heard that Prabhu was very angry, so he quickly went to Him to pacify Him. He paid a full obeisance to Sri Nityananda Prabhu saying, "Prabhu, please forgive my offence. It is all my fault, it is all my fault!" He was paying obeisance and apologising, but Sri Nityananda Prabhu kicked him in return! Sivananda Sen's wife began to cry a lot, and Srikanta, Sivananda Sen's nephew, became angry, "Everybody respects my uncle so much, and He is kicking my uncle! I will complain to Mahaprabhu!" So, Srikanta ran to Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu is antaryami: He knows everything, He can understand everything. So, when Srikanta came panting, Mahaprabhu said, "Srikanta, do you want to say something?" But Srikanta could not say a word—under Mahaprabhu's influence, he could not complain about Sri Nityananda Prabhu. And Sivananda Sen's wife wept, "Prabhu has cursed my two sons to die!" Then, Sivananda told his wife, "You do not understand anything! What Thakur said is not a curse, it is a blessing! If your sons die with His blessing, they will attain the Lord!" Sivananda Sen began to dance, "I have been serving the Lord for so long, but today I have got the Lord's mercy! The Lord has kicked Me today!"

This is how Sri Nityananda Prabhu bestowed His mercy.

* * *

Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Eccentricity

Adhivas of Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 8
Translated from Bengali

When Mahaprabhu took sannyas, He first came to Sri Advaita Acharya Prabhu's house, and from there He was going to go to Vrindavan. However, He changed His mind and finally went to Puri. On the way to Puri, Sri Nityananda Prabhu contrived a plan.

You know, one time, there was Sachi Mata, Vishnupriya Devi and others at the house of Mahaprabhu (Mahaprabhu had not taken sannyas then), and Sri Nityananda Prabhu suddenly came there stark naked. Vishnupriya Devi became shy and went inside a room, and Mahaprabhu took a cloth and put it on Sri Nityananda Prabhu! Sri Nityananda Prabhu had no sense—He was not aware whether He was dressed or naked, whether there were women, girls in the room, etc.

So, I started telling you about Mahaprabhu going to Puri. Mahaprabhu went to Puri with Mukunda, Sri Nityananda Prabhu, and a few more devotees. Mahaprabhu ran down the road like a madman, and Sri Nityananda Prabhu somehow tricked Mahaprabhu into giving Him His danda. Getting Mahaprabhu's danda, Sri Nityananda Prabhu broken it into three pieces and threw it into the Bhargi River. When they reached Atharnala, Mahaprabhu asked Him, "Nitai, where is My danda?" Sri Nityananda Prabhu replied, "Prabhu, the way You are going chanting the Name of Jagannath, running like a man elephant. Intoxicated with transcendental love, You You fell down on Your danda, and the danda broke into three pieces! I threw it into the Bhargi." He lied to Mahaprabhu like this, and Mahaprabhu became angry, "I have left everything in this world and did not bring anything from Nabadwip. I had only My danda with Me, and You have broken it?! Nityananda, You know why I have taken sannyas, You know everything." Sri Nityananda Prabhu said, "Yes, I know, I know. You are a make-believe sannyasi. Is it necessary for the Lord to take sannyas?" Mahaprabhu stopped Him, "Hey, what are You saying! Do not say such things." Then, Mahaprabhu told everyone, "I will not go with you all. Either you go first and I will go behind, or I will go first and you must go later. Decide what you will do." Everybody thought, "If we go first, we will not see which way Prabhu will go. Better He goes first, and we will follow Him." They told about their decision to Mahaprabhu, and Mahaprabhu began to walk so fast that the devotees could not catch up with Him even when they ran. In this way, Mahaprabhu came to the temple of Lord Jagannath. He ran into the temple saying all the time, "Ja-ja-ga-ga, Ja-ja-ga-ga," and foam started coming out of His mouth. The guards of the temple ran to beat Mahaprabhu (because He wanted to come too close to the Deity of Lord Jagannath), but in the end Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya ordered the guards, "Whoever He is, let Him be. Take Him to my house." You all know what happened after that. There is a book Sri Puri Dham Mahatmya-mukta-mala, everything is there. In the end, Mahaprabhu rescued Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya.

This is the pastime of Sri Nityananda Prabhu breaking Mahaprabhu's danda. There are so many things described about Sri Nityananda Prabhu...

* * *

Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami's Gratitude

Adhivas of Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 9
Translated from Bengali

This book, Sri Nityananda Mahimamrita, contains the words of our Param Guru Maharaj (Om Vishnupad Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj) and our Gurudev (Om Vishnupad Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj). You can read it, they are describing very nice things.

Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami said, "I have got Sri Vrindavan Dham by the mercy of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. He ordered me to Vrindavan saying I would get all possible benefit there." I told you yesterday about Gunarnava Misra and Ramdas Minaketan. Ramdas Minaketan was Sri Nityananda Prabhu's servant, but Gunarnava Misra committed an offence to him. Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami's brother was doing a whole-day-and-night kirtan (just as they do asta-prahar kirtans these daysardha-kukkuti there is nothing except Nama-aparadh there). Many people came to their house that night, and when Ramdas came, everybody offered obeisance and much respect to him because he was Sri Nityananda Prabhu's servitor. However, Gunarnava Misra showed no respect to him. Ramdas Minaketan thought, "What is he doing? My hair stands on end just to think about it! He is an atheist! He is giving honour to one person and gives no honour to another person. This is a half-hen logic (ardha-kukkuti-nyaya)!" I told you yesterday what this half-hen logic is, Gurudev explained it to me. When I asked Gurudev, "What does ardha-kukkuti mean?" He said it meant a hen. Hen drops eggs from backside and eats with its mouth, so if you think, "OK, I will keep the backside since it brings eggs, and I will throw the rest away because it is useless!" Giving honour to one and not giving honour to another person is being an atheist. Gunarnava Misra gives honour to Mahaprabhu and gives no honour to Sri Nityananda Prabhu. They are one, so what he did is nothing but being an atheist. Ramdas Minaketan explained this to Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami, and Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami quarrelled with his brother. In the end, he went to bed saying to his brother, "I want to have nothing to do with you, do what you like." At night, Sri Nityananda Prabhu came to him in a dream saying, "Wake up, wake up, Krishna Das! Do not stay in Jhamatpur any more—come to Vrindavan! Do not keep any connection with your brother." Then, in his old age, Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami came to Vrindavan and wrote Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita there. He said,

ei grantha lekhaya more 'madana-mohana'
amara likhana yena sukera pathana

"Actually Sri Madana Mohan is writing this scripture through me. My writing is like the repetition of a parrot."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.8.78)

When Sri Nityananda Prabhu first came to Nabadwip, Mahaprabhu said that a great personality had come, but nobody could find Him. Then, Mahaprabhu personally took all the devotees to the house of Sri Nanda Acharya. There, they saw a beautiful figure of extraordinary radiance sitting at the veranda and understood, "Oh, this is that great personality Mahaprabhu was talking about!" This was the first meeting of Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Sriman Mahaprabhu. We always go there during the parikrama.

In this way, Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami writes, "I have got Sri Vrindavan Dham by the mercy of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. He ordered me to Vrindavan saying I would get all possible benefit there. When I came there, I attained the lotus feet of Sri Radha Madan Mohan, Sri Radha Govinda, Sri Radha Gopinath. What is more, I have attained the super mercy of Mahaprabhu's dearmost devotees, Srila Rupa Goswami, Srila Sanatan Goswami, Srila Jiva Goswami, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami. They have embraced me and I have attained the mercy of Sri Rupa-Raghunath." When he wrote Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, he wrote in every chapter,

sri-rupa-raghunatha-pade yara asa
chaitanya-charitamrta kahe krsna-dasa

"Always desiring the lotus feet of Sri Rupa and Raghunath, Krishna Das is narrating this Chaitanya-charitamrita."

* * *

Unblemished Nitai

Adhivas of Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 10
Translated from Bengali

One time, there was a brahman in Nabadwip who came to Mahaprabhu to express his doubts regarding Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Mahaprabhu removed his doubts by quoting this sloka from Srimad Bhagavatam:

dharma-vyatikramo drsta isvaranam cha sahasam
tejiyasam na dosaya vahneh sarva-bhujo yatha

"The status of powerful controllers is not harmed by any apparently audacious transgression of morality we may see in them, for they are just like fire, which devours everything fed into it and remains unpolluted."

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 10.33.29)

Fire can consume everything and can remove all impurities, all dirt, but the fire is not affected by that. In the same way, even if Nityananda Prabhu transgresses the religion of sannyas, He has no fault. He is higher than any rules and regulations. All rules and regulations, all prohibitions exist for the conditioned souls living in illusory environment—they are not for the Lord. If somebody criticises Sri Nityananda Prabhu for His behaviour not knowing who He is, they will suffer birth after birth.

This is how Sriman Mahaprabhu expressed the supramundane glories of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu to that brahman. He also said, "Sri Nityananda Prabhu possesses supreme qualification; if you have little fortune, you can never understand Him (it takes a great fortune to understand Him). Those who look at His supramundane activities with affection receive liberation. Nityananda Prabhu appears in this world to save fallen souls, and all jiva souls receive liberation by His mercy. His behaviour is above any Vedic regulations. Indeed, who is capable of understanding Nitai?"

You know, one day Mahaprabhu came to the house of Srivas Pandit and said to Srivas Pandit, "Srivas, have you let this Man stay at your house?! He has no house, no room; do you even know who He is? What if He steals or does something bad and runs away? What will you get?" Srivas Pandit laughed when he heard this. He replied, "Prabhu, have You come to test me? You want to check how much I love Nityananda, do you not? Have You come to test how much faith I have for Nityananda?" Mahaprabhu was happy to hear Srivas Pandit talk in this way.

Mahaprabhu said, "Who has the capacity to understand Nityananda? If somebody criticises Nityananda not understanding anything, their attainment of devotion to Lord Vishnu will be obstructed. O brahman, go quickly to Nabadwip and explain all this to everyone. If anyone criticises Nityananda in any way behind His back, they will not escape the punishment of Yamaraj! Nobody will be able to save them. Go quickly to Nabadwip and see to it that no one blasphemes Nityananda. If someone loves Nityananda, then I think that they love Me; and if someone does not love Nityananda, they do not love Me either. So, if Nabadwip citizens genuinely love Me, then they must love Nityananda. Brahman, I am telling you the truth. Even if Nityananda comes holding a drunk Muslim woman, Brahma will pay his obeisance to Him."

Srila Guru Maharaj also writes here (in Sri Nityananda Mahimamrita) that by the wish of Sriman Mahaprabhu, the six goswamis headed by Sri Rupa and Sri Sanatan preached in Vrindavan, and Nityananda Prabhu preached massively in Sri Gauda-desh together with His associates.

We can see that there are two Vyasas of Chaitanya-lila, and both of them received Sri Nityananda Prabhu's mercy. First, Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur got His mercy and wrote Sri Chaitanya-bhagavatam, and the second Vyasa of Chaitanya-lila is Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami, the author of Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita. Srila Gurudev composed a sloka about both Vyasas of Chaitanya-lila:

dasa-vrndavanam vande krsna-dasa-prabhum tatha
chhannavatara-chaitanya-lila-vistara-karinau
dvau nityananda-padabja-karuna-renu-bhusitau
vyakta-chchhannau budhachintyau vavande vyasa-rupinau
sri-guru-gaura-gandharva-govindas cha ganaih saha
jayanti pathakas chatra sarvesam karunarthinah

"I offer my obeisances to Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur and Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami, who made public the pastimes of the hidden avatar, Sri Chaitanya. They were both adorned with the mercy-dust of the lotus feet of Nityananda. I offer my obeisances to these two inconceivable sages who assumed the form of Vyasadeva, one—explicitly (Vrindavan Das Thakur), another—hiddenly (Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami). Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Govinda and Their associates are ever victorious and we, the students, pray for Their mercy."

Therefore, if Nityananda Prabhu had not come, we would not have known anything about the transcendental pastimes of Sriman Mahaprabhu because it is by His mercy that these two Prabhus (Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur and Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami) granted this world the gift of sweet pastimes of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

After Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Sri Nityananda Prabhu's sakti, Sri Jahnava Devi took the helm of this sampradaya. She lived in Vrindavan and gave initiation on behalf of Sri Nityananda Prabhu (she accepted disciples). The other sakti of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Sri Vasudha Devi begot a son, Sri Virachandra Prabhu. Sri Virachandra Prabhu took initiation from Sri Jahnava Devi and preached magnanimously and very widely. In particular, Sri Virachandra Prabhu brought many Buddhists to the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu.

This is how, through Sri Nityananda Prabhu, it was and is possible for all jiva souls of this world to get Mahaprabhu's mercy.

* * *

Sri Nityananda's Supreme Mercy

Adhivas of Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 11
Translated from Bengali

This is a very beautiful book (Sri Nityananda Mahimamrita)—there are writings of Gurudev, Guru Maharaj, Prabhupad here. I have told you all of the pastimes described here, including how Sri Nityananda Prabhu rescued Jagai and Madhai...

(His Divine Grace reads from Sri Nityananda Mahimamrita, 2nd expanded edition.)

Sri Nityananda Prabhu is my only hope. He is supremely magnanimous, He is merciful, and it is easy for us to receive His mercy. Sri Gaura Hari cannot reject somebody who has been approved by Sri Nityananda Prabhu, and when we get Sri Gauranga's mercy, Sri Radha-Krishna and Their pastimes that take place in Vrindavan will easily come to us. Our highest and innermost aspiration is to attain service to Srimati Radharani. To fulfil this aspiration, it is of foremost necessity to attain the servitude and service to Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu's representative, Sri Gurupadpadma, which is the foundation of our highest aspiration. When you make a house, it is necessary to first have a foundation. If the foundation is not good, then the house will not stand. Therefore, the mercy of Sri Nityananda Prabhu and the mercy of Gurudev are the real foundation. Our only duty is to attain the mercy of Sri Gurupadpadma.

Sri Nityananda Prabhu's mercy is such that He takes even the lowest meat-eaters on His lap. It exceeds even the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu! One may consider it superfluous or excessive because it is seen that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was reluctant to accept very heavy offenders. That is because He must always keep an eye on everything and maintain balance. However, there is no such consideration when it comes to Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Sri Nityananda Prabhu does not pay any attention to this, does not judge all these things—He gives divine love without any consideration! Mahaprabhu always considers who to give mercy and whom not to give, but Sri Nityananda Prabhu has no such consideration. He tells to chant the Holy Name to whoever He sees. Sri Nityananda Prabhu accepts with raised arms even those whom Mahaprabhu is reluctant to accept. Even Mahaprabhu becomes helpless then: Nitai wants to give mercy to somebody, then where will Mahaprabhu go (how can He avoid it)?

Mahaprabhu told to the followers of Sri Nityananda Prabhu:

madira yavani yadi nityananda dhare
tathapi brahmara vandya kahila tomare

"Even if Nityananda Prabhu takes a drunk lady by Her hand, He is always worshippable even for Lord Brahma."

Mahaprabhu said to the effect, "My mind, My heart is always at the lotus feet of Nitai. I eternally offer My obeisance at His feet." We have fallen into this illusory environment becoming slaves of Maya, and to rescue such fallen souls as ourselves, to save the souls from the clutches of the witch Maya, Mahaprabhu took sannyas. He ran behind fallen souls making them hear Krishna-nam and severing the noose of Maya. And Sri Nityananda Prabhu followed Mahaprabhu everywhere like a shadow and one by one took over all the great responsibilities of Mahaprabhu...

* * *

Our Only Wealth and Shelter

Adhivas of Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 12
Translated from Bengali

(His Divine Grace reads from Sri Nityananda Mahimamrita, 2nd expanded edition.)

Sri Nityananda Prabhu says, "Those who worship Gauranga are My heart and soul!" If you glorify and chant the Name of Gauranga, all sins and impurities will go away from you and you will get taste for Krishna-lila. However, both results are attained easily if we pray to Nitai. "O Nityananda Prabhu! O Gurudev! Please give me a drop of taste for the holy lotus feet of Sri Gauranga for He is the worshippable connoisseur of the transcendental mellows existing in Sri Vrindavan, He is a combined form of Sri Sri Radha Govinda. Please, bestow your mercy on me by which I can get the transcendental ecstatic loving service in Vrindavan."

If we do not take shelter of Nitai and Gaura, we cannot attain this service to Sri Sri Radha Govinda even in a dream—our service will be simply an imagination. Sri Nityananda Prabhu is extremely merciful to the fallen, He is our only hope. He resides in His form of Sankarshan in the abode of Vaikuntha and Goloka. He is the only main foundation of all living entities. He is Baladev (holder of all divine power), He enables the creation process and the procurement of all necessary ingredients to create the transcendental realm. Yet, He descends in the form of Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Guru and, dancing incessantly down the road, tells everyone with tears of divine love flowing from His eyes: "Take the Name of Gauranga! Buy Me!"

No matter how much humility He displays, I am telling you that He is the greatest and most qualified personality on this path of devotion, and if we throw ourselves at His holy feet, our life will be successful.

We can see in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita and Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata a thorough and ample description of Sri Nityananda Prabhu and His nature. Baladev-Nityananda Prabhu is a repository of the entire creation, of all possible ingredients in the pastimes of Lord Krishna; therefore, our only wealth in spiritual life is to surrender everything and take exclusive shelter at the holy lotus feet of Sri Nityananda and Gurudev, who is non-different from Him.

* * *

Mahaprabhu's Private Order

Adhivas of Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 13
Translated from Bengali

(His Divine Grace reads from Sri Nityananda Mahimamrita, 2nd expanded edition.)

One day, when They were in Sri Puri Dham, Mahaprabhu called Nityananda and spoke to Him privately. Do you know what He said? After that conversation, Sri Nityananda Prabhu went to Bangladesh and married two daughters of Suryadas Sarakhel, Jahnava and Vasudha, in Kalna. I have told you how it happened. What Mahaprabhu told Sri Nityananda Prabhu privately was this. Mahaprabhu ordered Sri Nityananda Prabhu to marry and preach the Holy Name. Many people say many things, but Sri Nityananda Prabhu did not marry because it was His desire. Many Vaishnav sannyasi look at Sri Nityananda Prabhu's example and get married, but they must know that there is no proof that Sri Nityananda Prabhu was a sannyasi. There was no question of Sri Nityananda Prabhu being a sannyasi or a householder in His time. He is above all these designations.

In those days, it was not possible for a sannyasi to mix with public closely, there were many rules and regulations for renounced persons (they could stay in one place, in one village only for one day, not longer than that). Also, many householders did not give respect to those who were not householders. However, Sriman Mahaprabhu wanted the Holy Name to be preached in every corner of the world:

prithivite achhe yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra prachara haibe mora nama

"My Name will spread to every village and town on this earth."

That is why, Mahaprabhu observed the situation and concluded that Sri Nityananda Prabhu had to get married and become an acharya to preach the Holy Name everywhere.

It is seen that after Sri Nityananda Prabhu disappeared, Jahnava Devi's son, Virachandra Prabhu, flooded the whole of Bangladesh with Nama-sankirtan and that flood ebbed only three centuries later.

The account of how Sri Nityananda Prabhu married Sri Jahnava Devi is found in Sri Bhakti-ratnakar.

Before getting married, Sri Nityananda Prabhu began preaching in Bangladesh. One day, as He was preaching, He came to the house of Sri Suryadas Pandit, the father of Sri Jahnava Devi. Suryadas Pandit's brother, Sri Gauri Das Pandit, was a dear and staunch disciple of Gaura and Nityananda, so Suryadas Pandit helped Sri Nityananda Prabhu in His preaching in every way he could. Sri Nityananda Prabhu would stay at his house and preach from there. It was at that time that Suryadas Pandit gave his daughter, Sri Jahnava Devi, to Sri Nityananda Prabhu, and they got married. In fact, Sri Jahnava Devi is an eternally perfected soul and an associate (female counterpart) of Sri Nityananda Prabhu in His eternal pastimes.

It should be noted that there is no mention of Sri Nityananda Prabhu's sannyas-guru anywhere. Sri Madhavendra Puri (the guru of Sri Advaita Acharya and Sri Ishwar Puri) was His diksa-guru.

* * *

Nityananda Prabhu's Campaign

Adhivas of Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 14
Translated from Bengali

(His Divine Grace reads from Sri Nityananda Mahimamrita, 2nd expanded edition.)

It is mentioned in the scriptures that Sri Nityananda Prabhu's name is avadhut. Avadhut is the one who is above all obstacles and prohibitions—the one who does not follow any rules and regulations because He has no consciousness of them. 'Ava' means 'low', 'dhuta' means 'purifier'—He who purifies the low and the impure is called 'avadhut.' Even if you see any misconduct in the spiritual practices of the practitioners of the highest calibre, or the perfected souls, they eternally remain pure. There is a sloka in Srimad Bhagavad-gita,

api chet suduracharo, bhajate mam ananya-bhak
sadhur eva sa mantavyah, samyag vyavasito hi sah

"If even a very sinful person serves Me exclusively with devotion, he should be regarded as saintly, for his resolve is perfect."

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 9.30)

If you read this sloka, you will understand it.

Another thing that is written here is an explanation why Sri Nityananda Prabhu broke Mahaprabhu's danda. Chaitanya-charitamrita says (2.5.157), "Inho kene danda bhange, tenho kene bhangaya: why Nityananda Prabhu broke the danda, and why did Mahaprabhu allow Him to break the danda?"

To teach others, Mahaprabhu took eka-danda sannyas (mayavadi-sannyas), but this pastime shows that if you are to take a sannyas, you must take a tridanda-sannyas (kaya, mana, vakya—with your body, mind, and speech). That is why, Prabhupad Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur established the tradition of tridanda-sannyasa. At the same time, Sri Nityananda Prabhu thought, "Why will Prabhu carry Me? I Myself am the danda, why will He carry Me? Besides, why must He take sannyas at all? This danda does not suit Him!" So, Sri Nityananda Prabhu broke it into three pieces. This is why Sri Nityananda Prabhu broke it, and this is why Sriman Mahaprabhu allowed Him to.

Srila Param Guru Maharaj also writes: there is another misconception that I would like to clarify. Sri Nityananda Prabhu's behaviour and policy were of different kinds, but His strategy was such that He first and foremost pulled to Himself those who were the worst, the most sinful, and extremely fallen among people. He was like Bonaparte Napoleon, who would first defeat the enemy's impenetrable prison. In the same way, Sri Nityananda Prabhu first rescued the lowest and the most fallen souls and threw them at the holy lotus feet of Sriman Mahaprabhu. We have a misconception that a sannyasi runs away from the illusory world thinking, "I will go to a cave and meditate twenty-four hours a day." In India, sadhus usually preach, "Leave everything and go to live in a solitary place; find a cave in some jungle and engage yourself with full energy in meditation on the Lord." However, our Gurudev was completely different. Like Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu, he would say, "Become a general and attack maya!" He declared a totalitarian war against maya and all other existing conceptions of religion, proclaiming, "Everything belongs to Krishna (isavasyam idam sarvam). Whatever I see, everything that is created in this world, everything is for Krishna's service, not for my enjoyment. Do not indulge in the wrong conception that 'this is mine and that is Krishna's'. Attack and crush this whole wrong idea! Remove this misconception."

He [Srila Prabhupad] told us that kirtan means preaching against this misconception, against the illusory condition of the souls charmed by this misconception. Go door to door and preach Krishna consciuosness. Preaching Krishna consciousness means preaching about a life where the very goal is to please Krishna. If they can understand that everything is for Krishna's enjoyment, then they will be saved and rescued. This is plain truth. Why would they not be able to understand it?

In this sense, we see nothing but fear wherever we cast our glance. One time, a Vaishnav who loved solitary life asked our Gurudev, "Why do you stay in Kolkata? It is Satan's place. Here is only a daily competition for enjoyment, for selfish interest. Leave this place and come to a holy dham." However, Srila Saraswati Thakur did not listen to it. He said, "I want to preach Sriman Mahaprabhu's conception here, in the most contaminated place."

For this reason, Srila Prabhupad wanted to send men to the West, thinking, "Attracted and charmed by the external glitter of the West's beauty, the people in this country have started to imitate them. The people of this country always try to go to America and London, but I am telling them: you want to leave, but there is a hidden treasure, hidden wealth in this country! Search for it! There is Krishna-prema in this land! The Lord Himself appeared in this land so many times! Gaura Nitai appeared in this Mayapur, Sri Nabadwip Dham. Search for this happiness!"

Such was Sri Nityananda Prabhu's enthusiasm. From the beginning, He raised the banner of rescuing the fallen souls of this world and cleared the path for them to become attracted to the holy lotus feet of Sriman Mahaprabhu.

How beautiful these words are. Srila Guru Maharaj (Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj) wrote this. When I read it, I want to read it all day and all night, but I do not get time... Guru Maharaj and Prabhupad wrote very beautifully. Get this book (Sri Nityananda Mahimamrita) and read it.

Srila Prabhupad also wrote very beautiful glorification on Sri Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day, but I will leave it for tomorrow. I will tell you about it tomorrow.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

I will sing a kirtan now.

Hare Krishna, Hari bol. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

[His Divine Grace chants the kirtan 'Amara jivana'.]

* * *

Humility and Deep Faith

Adhivas of Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 15
Translated from Bengali

[His Divine Grace chants the kirtan 'Amara jivana'.]

amara jivana sada pape rata
nahika punyera lesa
parere udvega diyachhi ye kata
diyachhi jivere klesa [1]

My life is always engrossed in sin. There is not a trace of piety in it. I have caused others so much anxiety and trouble.

nija sukha lagi' pape nahi dari
daya-hina svartha-para
para-sukhe duhkhi sada mithya-bhasi
para-duhkha sukha-kara [2]

I am never afraid to engage in sinful activities for the sake of my own happiness. I am merciless and selfish. I am a perpetual liar. I am saddened by the happiness of others and pleased by the sadness of others.

asesa kamana hrdi majhe mora
krodhi, dambha-parayana
mada-matta sada visaye mohita
himsa-garva vibhusana [3]

There are unlimited sinful desires within the core of my heart. I am angry and arrogant, always maddened with vanity, infatuated with mundanity, and malice and pride are my ornaments.

nidralasya hata sukarye virata
akarye udyogi ami
pratistha lagiya sathya-acharana
lobha-hata sada kami [4]

I am subdued by laziness and sleep, averse to performing good deeds, and eager to perform sinful deeds. I engage in deceitful behaviour in pursuit of prestige. I am ruined by greed and constantly covetous.

e hena durjana sajjana-varjita
aparadhi nirantara
subha-karya-sunya sadanartha-manah
nanaduhkhe jara jara [5]

Such a sinner as I is shunned by devotees, and is a constant offender. I am devoid of virtuous motives, always intent upon evil, and racked by various miseries.

vardhakye ekhana upaya-vihina
ta'te dina akinchana
bhakati-vinoda prabhura charane
kare duhkha nivedana [6]

Now aged, I am devoid of any means of deliverance and thus destitute and distressed. Bhakti Vinod submits this remorseful confession at the Lord's feet.

We must always be humble. I have told you before: the higher a Vaishnav is, the more humility they have.

dainya, atma-nivedana, goptrtve varana
'avasya raksibe krsna'—visvasa palana

[Limbs of surrender:] "Humility, self-submission, embracing the Lord’s guardianship, maintaining the faith that 'Krishna will certainly protect me.'"

First, it is necessary to accumulate sukriti from previous lifetimes. There is ajnata sukriti and there is jnata sukriti. Nobody can practise Krishna consciousness without sukriti.

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija
mali hana kare sei bija aropana
sravana-kirtana-jale karaye sechana

Having travelled throughout the universe and got the mercy of Guru, Krishna, a fortunate soul receives a seed of the devotional creeper. As a gardener, they must plant that seed and water it with practising: hearing and chanting.

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 19.151-152)

Always practise. You must all take kirtan books with you. Always join this parikrama of the holy dham.

sri-gauda-mandala-bhumi yeba jane chintamani
tara haya vraja-bhume vasa

"Those who always think about Sri Nabadwip Dham, reside in Sri Vrindavan."

Come and stay in Sri Gaura Mandal! Gauda Mandal is not only Mayapur or Nabadwip. "Those who always think about Sri Nabadwip Dham, reside in Sri Vrindavan." Those who understand what Nabadwip Dham is, who have deep internal faith live in the land of Vraja. Therefore, there is no other way to rescue yourself from the circumambulation of this material world except chanting the Holy Name in the saintly association.

sadhu-sange krsna-nama—ei matra chai
samsara jinite ara kona vastu nai

“I desire only to chant the Name of Krishna in the association of the sadhus. There is no other way to conquer samsara.”

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.13)

You can become rescued from this parikrama of the material world if you do the parikrama of the holy dham in good association of sadhus.

* * *

Save Yourself

Adhivas of Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 24 February 2021, part 16
Translated from Bengali

Wake up tomorrow in the morning; there will be some Hari-katha and kirtans here, and at 9 o'clock, we will go out on the parikrama. Please do not be late, come quickly. After the parikrama, we will come here, speak some Hari-katha, and there will be prasad. Try to fast tomorrow. If you skip one meal, it is not a problem. If somebody has health problems, they can eat. It is my prayer to you all that you may always come for the dham parikrama—Sri Navadwip Dham, Sri Ekachakra Dham, Sri Vrindavan Dham, Sri Puri Dham.

I see so many people have come this time to Sri Ekachakra Dham. Gurudev scolded me, "You have made such a big nat-mandir, where will you get so many people to fill it?" Now you can see that there is no place. We have made so many rooms, but even that is not enough—people still sleep in the nat mandir; and 25-30 people stay in one room. How to do? You have to struggle for one-two days...

'samsara' 'samsara' kari' michhe gela kala
labha na ha-ila kichhu, ghatila janjala

"Time has passed as I have been busy in my material life, and I have got nothing—only became burdened."

kisera samsara ei chhayabaji praya
ihate mamata kari vrtha dina yaya

"What sort of world is this? It is like a trick, a show. While I affectionately take it as my own, days pass by in vain."

dina yaya michha kaje, nisa nidra-vase
nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe vase

"My days are passed in useless work and nights are wasted on sleeping. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting next to me."

ara kabe nitaichand karuna karibe
samsara-vasana mora kabe tuchchha ha'be

"When will Nitaichand give me His mercy? When will my material desires lose all their importance?"

kabe nityananda more kari' daya
chhadaibe mora visayera maya

"When will Nityananda be compassionate to me and relieve me from the mundane illusion?"

("Kabe habe bolo se dina amar" by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

When will Sri Nityananda Prabhu give His mercy to me? When will I be free from material illusion? How can I save myself from this ocean of material existence? I keep coming to this material world engrossed in eating, sleeping, defending and mating. Days are passing in vain.

dina yaya michha kaje, nisa nidra-vase
nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe vase

"My days are passed in useless work and nights are wasted on sleeping. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting next to me."

jivana anitya janaha sara
tahe nana-vidha vipada-bhara
namasraya kari' yatane tumi
thakaha apana kaje

"Understand the essence: life is temporary and filled with all sorts of adversity. Carefully taking shelter of the Name, engage in your work."

Please live in the family of Krishna. You must practise Krishna consciousness giving up all bad practices and embracing Krishna's family. You are uselessly wasting your time. When will I listen to what my Guru says? When will Gurudev bestow his mercy? When will I be able to serve Gurudev properly? When will I engage in service all day and night? When will I be able to only serve the Lord the whole day? Make sure that not a single day is passed in vain—make sure that not a single day passes without service to the Lord. Eating, sleeping, etc.—these will always be there, and the more you do these things, the more they will increase in your life. I always tell you, "Do not eat good things, do not wear good clothes; always serve Radha Krishna in your mind."

gramya-katha na sunibe, gramya-varta na kahibe
bhala na khaibe ara bhala na paribe
amani manada hana krsna-nama sada la'be
vraje radha-krsna seva manase karibe

"Do not listen to the mundane talks, do not listen to the mundane news. Do not eat fancy food, do not wear fancy clothes. Do not expect honour to yourself, but offer all respect to others. Always chant the Holy Name of Krsna, and in your mind serve Radha-Krsna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.236-237)

If you want to practise Krishna consciousness all the time, you have to give up the whims and lust of your tongue. Your tongue keeps your bound in the material world.

sarira avidya-jala jadendriya tahe kala
jive phele visaya-sagare
ta'ra madhye jihva ati lobhamaya sudurmati
ta'ke jeta kathina samsare

"The body is a net of illusion, and the material senses are the enemies; they throw the soul into the ocean of mundanity. Among the senses, the tongue is the most greedy and wicked. It is very difficult to conquer the tongue in this world."

krsna bada dayamaya karibare jihva jaya
sva-prasad-anna dila bhai
sei annamrta pao radha-krsna-guna gao
preme daka chaitanya-nitai

"O brothers! Krsna is very merciful: to conquer the tongue He has given us His remnants! Accept this nectarean food, sing the glories of Radha-Krsna, and with love call out, 'Chaitanya! Nitai!'"

When will Nitaichand bestow His mercy on me so that I could do this?

All these things that I am telling you are not just for the three days that you are here. The jiva soul is an eternal servant of Krishna. You go home and forget it, that is why I keep telling you about it, again and again, again and again. I went house to house inviting you to this festival in Ekachakra.

kaya bara eli kaya bara geli
tabu tattva na sikhili
nijer matha nije khaili
e-dosa dibe kare bhai?

"Coming and going, coming and going, and never learnt anything. You have been eating your own brain, who will you blame now, brother?"

Who will you blame? You are your own friend, and you are your own enemy. We have no enemies in this world—we are our own enemies. If we cannot subdue the enemy within us (if we cannot subdue lust, anger, greed, illusion, etc.), then what will we do? There are ten senses indriya: pancha-karmendriya (instruments—feet, hands, rectum, genitals, mouth), pancha-jnanendriya (senses—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin), and mind, intelligence, and ego. If you regularly chant kirtans and listen to Hari-katha, then one day you will be able to concentrate your mind on eternal conscious place and the service of the Lord. We must throw everything—our body, mind, heart, ego—at the lotus feet of the Lord.

diksa-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krsna tare kare atma-sama

"At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders unto the service of the Lord, Krishna accepts them as His very own."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 4.192)

Many make a mistake and live by karma-kanda (engage in material life seeking material benefits), and they turn the Lord into a bribe-taker or their menial servant. "Dhanam dehi, vidyam dehi, rupam dehi, bharyam dehi, yasam dehi: make me rich, make me clever, make me beautiful, give me a good wife, make me famous." People want all these things, but Mahaprabhu said,

na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

"I do not want wealth, I do not want knowledge, I do not want beauty, I do not want to be a poet. I only want causeless devotion to Your lotus feet. Give me that kind of devotion to Your lotus feet so that I could do Your service life after life."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 20.29)

...In this way, Gurudev has made all arrangement for us. Just now somebody called me asking, "Will there be Nabadwip Dham parikrama?" Of course, there will be, I will not stop by it no matter what. Why must parikrama be stopped? You must all come for the parikrama. You can see so many people sitting here and they are not wearing masks. Corona must have fled. If you get Nitai's mercy (karuna), you will not get corona.

I have not stopped—I went everywhere. Trains and buses did not run for nine months, but my car went everywhere. I went everywhere to speak Hari-katha, and nobody stopped me.

The construction workers at first ran away, but I told them to come back quickly and finish the works. It is necessary to finish devotees' quarter. Everything happened in Nabadwip by the mercy of Gurudev—I left Nabadwip, but I did not stop the parikrama. I made a temple in Nrisingha Palli and started doing parikrama from there. There are many rooms now. Everything is arranged now, there are no problems. During the lockdown, there were another hundred rooms built there. If ten people stay in each room, then one thousand people can come. If the Lord keeps me alive, then another fifty rooms can be built. If my service is needed, then He will keep me alive, and if the Lord wants to take me, He will take. "Janma-mrtyu-biye tin Vidhatar niye." There are three things—janma means birth, mrityu means death, and biye means marriage—and these three things are not in the hand of anybody, they are only in the hands of the Lord, they come through the Lord. If the Lord needs me, if He needs me for His service, then He will keep me alive. Otherwise, I can get corona and die, I can get diarrhoea and die, or I can cancer and die. It is impossible to stop this. "Marabi rakhabi, yo ichchha tohara: whether you keep me or kill me, it is up to You." If He wants to kill, He will kill; and if He wants to protect, He will protect. Because we have little faith in this, we feel scared.

'sraddha'-sabde—visvasa kahe sudrdha nischaya
krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya

"Sraddha is firm, determined faith that by service to Krishna all actions are accomplished."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.62)

You will have no debt—no debt to your father, no debt to your mother, no debt to any rishis (sages) or demigods; you will become crazy. When will I become crazy?

One time, Sachi Mata used cooling oil to calm Mahaprabhu when He showed heated behaviour, and Srivas Pandit said, "Didi, what am I to say to you? This oil that you are applying will not help! I know why He has become crazy, and I too want to become crazy like that!" Mahaprabhu became crazy out of separation from Krishna.

You have heard songs of separation sung by Srimati Radharani...

vamsira kono laj nai divanise dake-tai
ami yata dure yay vamsi bole eso rai
keno ye samay bujhe na
o mora keno more na?

"The Flute has no shame! It only keeps on calling day and night. No matter how far I go, the Flute keeps calling, 'Come, Rai.' Why does it not understand? Why does it not die?"

This is Srimati Radharani's lamentation... and in Krishna-lila, Krishna says in separation from Radharani, "O Subal! My mind is burning in agony, what kind of lila is this? I have become mad for Her!"

That is why, Srivas Pandit told Sri Sachi Mata, "I too want to become crazy like Him."

[His Divine Grace sings the kirtan 'Kabe habe bolo se dina amara', 'Hari haraye Krishna Nama' and recited Jaya Dhvani concluding thus the evening class.]

* * *

Supremely Worshippable Day

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 1
Translated from Bengali

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Visva-varenya Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay
Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Om Vishnupad Bhagavan Sri Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupad ki jay
Jay Rupanuga-guru-varga ki jay
Namacharya Haridas Thakur ki jay
Vrinda Devi, Tulasi Devi, Sri Bhakti Devi ki jay
Sri Shyama Kunda, Radha Kunda, Sri Giri Govardhan ki jay
Sri Mayapur Dham, Sri Nabadwip Dham, Sri Vrindavan, Mathura ki jay
Sri Purusottam Ksetra ki jay
Baladev Subhadra Jagannathjiu ki jay
Akar Math-raj Sri Chaitanya Math ki jay
Mayapur Yogapith ki jay
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math ki jay
Tandiya sakha Math samuha ki jay
Sri Mather sevak vrinda, bhakta-vrinda ki jay
Ananta-koti Vaishnav vrinda ki jay
Sri Gaudiya Acharya vrinda ki jay
Tridandi-pad-gan ki jay
Saparsada Sriman Nityananda Prabhu ki jay
Saparsada Sriman Mahaprabhu ki jay
Bhakta-prabara Prahlad Maharaj ki jay
Suddha-bhakti-vighna-vinasankari Bhagavan Nrisinghadev ki jay
Sri Sada-Siva Gangadhar, Giriraj Govardhan ki jay
Jay Sri Sri Guru Gaura Nityananda jiu ki jay
Nityananda Prabhur avirabhav tithi-vara maha-mahotsav ki jay
Nityananda trayodasi ki jay
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math ki jay
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Krishnanusilana Sangha ki jay
Samagata Sri Gaura bhakta-vrinda ki jay
Jay all the sannyasi-, brahmachari-, bhakta-vrinda ki jay
All the assembled devotees ki jay
All the worldwide devotees ki jay
Harinam sankirtan ki jay
Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol

Devotee: Jay Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj ki jay. Harinam sankirtan ki jay. Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol

Today is a very fortunate day for us. We always wait for this day very much every year—the holy worshippable day when our supremely worshippable Sriman Nityananda Prabhu chose to come to this world. We, especially all devotees of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu, have a very special regard to the holy day Gaura Purnima (Bengali people call this day 'dol purnima'), and today is the holy appearance day of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu—He without whose mercy this world is plunged into darkness, He without whose mercy we do not see and will never see any light, He without whose mercy the door of Goloka Vrindavan will never open for us, He without whose mercy we can never save ourselves from this illusory environment.

Sriman Nityananda Prabhu accepted Sriman Hadai Pandit and Srimati Pamavati Devi as His parents and appeared on this holy day in this world in the age of Kali to rescue all the low and fallen souls like ourselves. Therefore, this day, Nityananda Trayodasi, is an extremely worshippable day for us.

Many different sampradayas are observing this holy Nityananda Trayodasi day, but our Gaudiya sampradaya observes this day beautifully, with heart and soul, extracting and smearing mellows of deep love from their hearts. You too come here every year with much enthusiasm, and you will hopefully come next year too. Many of you have got an opportunity to come and be here from dasami tithi, which is very good, there is no problem with that. You have come one-two days earlier getting an opportunity to stay at Nityananda Prabhu's holy abode, we have also got this opportunity. I do not get time to come here all the time because I have to visit all the other temples—this is how the time passes. Because you all came before the festival, then I too came here a few days before the festival. This is how I too get an opportunity to hear the nectarean narrations about this holy dham (Mahima-charitamrita, Mahima-amrita, Mahima-katha). This is an extremely pure land, non-different from Sri Vrindavan Dham. Just as everyone says, "Jay Radhe Radhe" in Vrindavan, everyone here says, "Jay Nitai!" When people meet each other here, they say, "Jay Nitai!" Nityananda Prabhu's Name is uttered here all the time.

nitai na balila mukhe majila samsara-sukhe
vidya-kule ki karibe tara

"What will learning (aristocratic birth) do for one who was immersed in worldly pleasures and never called aloud, 'Nitai'?"

We are so proud of our knowledge, we are controlled by our ego—we are proud of our wealth, proud of our knowledge, proud of our bodily beauty, proud of our material qualities. This is how we become mad with pride and forget Nitai's lotus feet ("Ahankare matta haina, Nitai-pada pasariya.” I have seen Gurudev. One time, when Gurudev had an operation in Kolkata. When I saw him being taken to the operation theatre, I cried to see him suffer so much. There was about forty-five minutes before the operation and Gurudev told the nurse to allow foreign devotees (his servants) to stay. Seeing our crying faces, Gurudev only started chanting kirtan. He was lying on the stretchers, dressed in the hospital clothes, and he was chanting,

nitai-pada-kamala, koti chandra-susitala,
ye chhayaya jagata judaya
hena nitai vine bhai radha-krsna paite nai
drdha kari' dhara nitaira paya

"Cooling like ten million moons, Nitai's lotus feet soothe the world with their shade. O brother! Without Nitai, you cannot reach Radha-Krishna. Firmly grasp Nitai's feet."

It is necessary to have the strongest faith. If you do not have a very strong faith, you will not have faith in Nitai. People sing at market places

yadyapi amara guru vesya-bari yaya
tathapio amara guru nityananda-raya

"Even if my Guru, Nityananda Ray, goes to a prostitute's house, He is still my Guru."

This is what faith is.

* * *

Do Not Pass Your Life in Vain

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 2
Translated from Bengali

I have described to you the qualities and glories of Sri Nityananda Ray, I told you what Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami wrote in His glorification.

You all know that we have a temple in Kalna. Before making the temple in Kalna, I went once to the house of Sri Gauri Das Pandit. I did the parikrama of Kalna Dham with a few (foreign) devotees. When we were in Ambika Kalna, Bardhaman District, a man came up to me and called me, "Come here, come," and he showed me a low wooden stool used for marriages saying, "This is Nityananda's marriage stool!" I asked him, "Who made this stool? Where have you heard this? Do you think Nityananda Prabhu's marriage is like any ordinary marriage?" Nityananda Prabhu accepted Jahnava Devi on the order of Mahaprabhu (I told you about it yesterday). After that, He took Vasudha Devi as well. It happened on the same day. You know this story. It was not a wedding as you understand it. Jahnava and Vasudha have been Nityananda Prabhu's sakti for a long time. When Mahaprabhu told Nityananda Prabhu to preach in Gauda-desh, Nityananda Prabhu went to preach in Kalna as well. Mahaprabhu also visited Kalna...

[Clamour in the background among the audience.]

So much racket... People are talking so much! People come to gossip, talk nonsense and do not allow devotees to speak about the Lord. They come to the dham, but they only make dham-aparadh: without knowing it, they are unconsciously making offences. Those who obstruct glorification of Sri Nityananda Prabhu commit dhama-aparadh. If somebody creates obstruction when somebody is talking about the holy dham, about the glory of the dham, it is an offence. There is seva-aparadh, Nama-aparadh, Vaishnav-aparadh, dhama-aparadh. All this is written and explained in our calendars. I have also written in the third volume of Guidance about the hellish suffering—I explain what kinds of hell there are, what suffering living entities undergo there, etc. You have come here, to the holy dham, to earn sukriti—circumambulating this holy dham, glorifying and hearing about the glories of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, you earn some sukriti that will purify your heart. If, on the other hand, you come here and only have idle talks (prajalpa), if you make naughty, if you disturb, then you have come here in vain. You can get money, food, clothes, a place to stay in, etc. at home, so it is not like you come here only for food, room, etc. Each of you lives in a house—you are all proud of the place where you stay and call it "home" ("my house", "my room", "my son", "my wife")—you live comfortably; but you come here and struggle so much, there are thirty people staying in some rooms. If you want this struggle to be worth it, you must take advantage of Hari-katha and kirtan. Practise sravanam and kirtanam.

adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango 'tha bhajana-kriya
tato 'nartha-nivrttih syat tato nistha ruchis tatah
athasaktis tato bhavas tatah premabhyudanchati
sadhakanam ayam premnah pradurbhave bhavet kramah

"In the beginning there is faith, then good association, then practising life. After that, the offences gradually go away, faith becomes stronger, taste comes, then attachment, then there arises affection and love. This is how love to God comes to those who practise Krsna consciousness."

(Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, 1.4.15-16)

This is how everything gradually comes. If you do not practise sravan and kirtan in sadhu-sanga (saintly association), then your life will pass in vain. If you have any other talks, any other thoughts in your mind, in your heart, then surrender will never come to us. Therefore, I am begging you with folded palms, "One day is left, please do not disturb the class."

* * *

Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 3
Translated from Bengali

Very soon, we are going for the parikrama. We will speak about different places—we will go to the Pandav Tala. Some place is closed now for reconstruction, but we will still go there, we can pay our obeisance there and take the darshan of the place in our heart...

If you cannot concentrate your mind, then it is a very difficult situation. The Lord has given you a mouth to speak about Him. When we wake up in the morning, we sing,

bhajiba baliya ese samsara-bhitare
bhuliya rahile tumi avidyara bhare

"You came into this world saying, 'O Lord, I will serve You', but, having forgotten this promise, you have remained in ignorance."

When we were in our mothers' wombs, we have promised to the Lord, "I will worship You. I will speak about You with this mouth. I will look at Your Deity with these eyes. You can see that devotees decorated the temple so nicely. It takes so much time to do it—the Deities are very big here. They cleaned everything. Archan means cleaning. Do you think archan is only lighting the pancha-pradip and waving the fan, but it is not.

visaye ye priti ebe achhaye amara
sei-mata priti hauk charane tomara

"May I have the same affection and attraction to your feet that I now have for material things."

(Gitavali, 4.5, Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

You can see how you make your own bed—every day you first dust and clean it nicely, then you lie down. You must treat the Lord, the Deities like that too. The archan of the Deities means to keep the Deities' room clean. Sometimes, there can be some rats' stool, some cobwebs—it must all be cleaned. There can be dust where the parampara is kept—you must wipe the dust and keep everything neat.

You think the Deities' archan is only to offer a ghee lamp, wave a yak-tail whisk, a peacock fan, etc. or bathe the Deities, but archan is more about keeping everything clean, tidy, and neat. Many think that archan is to just bathe the Deities, and if it is very difficult to bathe the Deities, then you must bathe Them in your mind, by reciting mantras. It is not only that. It is necessary to keep the room of the Deities clean.

I have heard that the Deities room here was very dirty. This is seva-aparadh. You are trying to do service but instead committing offences. You can give so many excuses, "Oh, the Deities are so tall, how can I clean Them?" but you cannot give this excuse about the guru-parampara—they are not standing high, you can always clean the place. I have got the news from the devotees how untidy and neglected the Deities' room was. Those who do puja must always keep the altar clean.

Archan-puja is a part of devotional practices: sravanam, kirtanam, archanam, etc. Do not think that you can just recite some mantras and this is archan. Do I have to see if you keep the altar room clean or not, if you keep the guru-parampara clean or not? I have told you just now—there are Nama-aparadhas, dhama-aparadhas, seva-aparadhas, Vaishnav-aparadhas. We must all be very careful that we do not make any offences. This is not only about this temple here. I go to every place and tell devotees, "Do not turn the Deities' room into a jungle." If you do not keep everything clean and neat, it will not do. Even Muslim people say, "Cleanliness is a part of faith" (pariskara prichhannata imanera anga; similar to an English proverb, "cleanliness is next to godliness"). In this country, they are campaigning for clean water and sanitation (Swachh Bharat Abhiyan campaign). It is necessary to keep everything clean. Temple must be always clean and neat.

* * *

Meaning of Discipleship

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 4
Translated from Bengali

It will not do to only speak about the glories of Sri Nityananda Prabhu with your mouth.

“gorara ami, gorara ami" mukhe balile nahi chale
gorara achara, gorara vichara la-ile phala phale

Just saying, "I am Gora's! I am Gora's!" does not do. Only when you follow Gora's practices and Gora's conception will you get the proper result.

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 8.6)

Only if you follow Gora's practice and conception can you get any result.

loka dekhana gora bhaja tilaka matra dhari'
gopanete atyachara gora dhare churi

You show the world you serve Gora simply by wearing tilak but secretly you misbehave. Gora will catch you, you thief!

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 8.7)

Many of us are like that. We dress as sadhus, but how difficult it is to actually become a sadhu. I also say: "I have not been able to become a sadhu, but if I speak again and again about all these things, then I will become good one day. If I speak again and again about all these things, I can make myself pure, I can make myself suitable for the service of the Lord."

"Yar hate khai, tar hate khai, yar tar hate khai na. Krishna says that He does not take food from anyone and everyone—He eats from the hand of those whose hand He wishes to eat from." The Lord does not accept service or offerings from anyone and everyone.

bhakter jinish prabhu lutiputi khay
abhakter jinish prabhu ulti nahi chay

"The Lord eats anything and everything when a devotee offers it, but He does not want anything from a non-devotee."

The Lord does not want to take anything from non-devotees (those who have no devotion). He does not accept raja-bhog (royal opulent food), but if you feed the Lord with some rice and fire-baked eggplant with love and affection, extracting and smearing mellows of deep love from your heart, He will accept it. If you only fry a green chili or a dry red chili, He will take it and enjoy it more, but you must offer it with affection, with care, with love.

You live at your house and you know how you serve your husband, wife, and children. You must serve one with heart and soul; you must love one with heart and soul. In the same way, you must love the Lord with your heart and soul; you must love the Lord's temple with your heart and soul. If you think, "I have come here and got a room and I will go away leaving the room dirty," this is not right. You have come to the holy abode of your Lord, the holy abode of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, and if you go away leaving the room dirty, you will be making an offence. If you think those who are staying in the dham will take care of everything and you will come, stay like crazy and then go away leaving everything dirty, it is not right. People smoke bidi, cigarettes in the rooms—this is nothing but offences.

That is why, remember well what I am telling you. Everybody comes, chants kirtan with raised arms, but how many people have managed to come to this line? How many people have managed to become disciples?

Many comes to take the mantra. I have once given up and said, "I will not give any more initiations!" because people take initiation and do not practise anything after that, do not keep any connection with their Guru, do not keep any relationship with their Guru, never think about service to their Guru. Gurudev told that there are three kinds of people: guru-bhogi, guru-tyagi, and guru-sevi. Some want to use their Guru, want to use their Guru's things—they use their Guru's property for their own enjoyment (they are called guru-bhogi); some want to serve their Guru—they use everything, all properly, all materials in the service of their Guru (they are called guru-sevi); and those who do not listen to their Guru are called guru-tyagi—they do not respect, do not follow what their Guru and Vaishnavs say.

Therefore, I am praying to you all—you have all taken initiation, taken the mantra, but it is necessary to become a disciple. Every single one of you must become a disciple, every single one of you must take part in service. You have come to the house of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, and when you come here, you must utilise yourself for service. There are so many services here. You can sweep, you can wash the dishes, you can clean. If everybody sits down to take prasadam, then who will distribute prasadam? I cannot bring hired people for this. This is not right, you can tell it yourself. This is not a marriage house or some entertainment place. This is a festival of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu. You must come to this festival and engage yourself in service.

tad viddhi pranipatena, pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam, jnaninas tattva-darsinah

"You will be able to attain knowledge by satisfying the divine master with submission, relevant inquiry, and sincere service. The enlightened souls who are learned in scriptural knowledge and endowed with direct realisation of the Supreme Absolute Truth will impart divine knowledge to you."

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

First, it is necessary to surrender. I heard in the morning from upstairs (I was very busy and could not come downstairs) that you were singing,

dainya, atma-nivedana, goptrtve varana
'avasya raksibe krsna'—visvasa palana
bhakti-anukula matra karyera svikara
bhakti-pratikula bhava—varjanangikara
sad-anga saranagati ha-ibe yanhara
tanhara prarthana sune sri-nanda-kumara

"Humility, self-submission, embracing the Lord's guardianship, maintaining the faith that 'Krishna will certainly protect me', engaging only in activities that are favourable to devotion, rejecting everything unfavourable to devotion. These are the six types of saranagati, and if you can surrender in all the six ways, Krishna will hear you."

Saranagati is the gist of devotion. Until and unless you become surrendered, you will not get any result or real benefit.

* * *

Ask Yourself, 'Am I Practising?'

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 5
Translated from Bengali

One time, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur was inaugurating a temple. At that time, he did everything himself—he made all arrangements, he did the yajna, etc. At that time, our Param Guru Maharaj, Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, received one service and helped Srila Prabhupad. Many were dissatisfied with that grumbling, "Why does Sridhar Maharaj do what Prabhupad would normally do?" Srila Sridhar Maharaj got to hear about this and was upset, "I tried to help Prabhupad, but instead of that I have to listen to people slandering and abusing me." Then, he came to Prabhupad and said, "Prabhupad, I did your service. Please forgive me." In reply, Srila Prabhupad said, "There is no offence for a surrendered soul."

Therefore, you must ask yourself, "Have I become a surrendered soul?" I do not come to examine or test you, but you should ask yourself, "Am I really practising Krishna consciousness? Do I live following what my Guru tells? Do I live in strict adherence to my Guru or not?"

Jiver seva korte korte atma kalyan labha haya: by serving jiva souls, your soul will get benefit." However, "Jiver seva" does not mean giving people clothes, food, etc. "Jiver daya (seva)" means bringing the souls who turned away from Krishna, to this path. People say, "Jive prema kare yei jana sei jana sevichhe isvara: love God by loving others." They say 'love others,' but they in fact mean only humans—what they do not understand is that cows, goat, sheep, cats, dogs, etc. every living entity has a soul, and that soul is the same as the souls of human beings. All animals, all living entities have the same soul as human beings, but we only show care for humans—we make sure they have medicine, etc. This is what they call "jive prema" (love for the jivas). The main thing is that we do not understand what is called Vaishnav-seva. Jive prema, or, as Mahaprabhu said, jive daya, means bringing the souls who turned away from Krishna to this path.

Many of you have come with a return ticket, and many of you are ready to go back to your house. You worry, "When is my train leaving?" But what happens to your Guru's service? What happens to your Guru's ashram? You go home and live engrossed in household affairs,

samsara bhajili sri-gauranga bhulili
na sunili sadhura katha
iha-parakala dukala khoyali (mana)
khaili apana matha

You served your family (mundane ends), forgot Sri Gauranga, and never listened to the sadhus' words. O mind, you wasted both this life and your next life. You depraved yourself.

('Avatara sara Gora avatara' by Srila Lochan Das Thakur)

We go home and worship our material life—we forget Gauranga, we forget Nitai! You come here, stay a few days chanting, "Nitai, Nitai," and when you go back to your house, what do you do?... Our Param Guru Maharaj, Srila Sridhar Maharaj, had a younger sister, Rama Devi. One day, Gurudev was walking around the temple and took me to her. (Rama Devi could not hear so well in her old age; and Gurudev would come to see her sometimes, to pay obeisance and talk to her because she was Srila Guru Maharaj's younger sister.) That day, Gurudev greeted her and said, "Didi, you are chanting your mala and talking—what are you chanting? Are you chanting, 'Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,' or are you chanting, 'Nitu Satu, Nitu Satu'?" (Rama Devi had two nephews, their names were Nitu and Satu.) We also have one lady devotee—she is staying in Nrisingha Palli. She sits and does her mala—she has her mala in one hand and her mobile in the other hand. I told her, "Didi, what are you chanting? You are sitting in your phone and chanting, 'Rumu Chumu, Rumu Chumu'?" (She has two granddaughters, Rumki and Chumki. They are now both grown-up.) You think about all these things and cannot chant the Holy Name. We worship our material life.

samsara bhajili sri-gauranga bhulili
na sunili sadhura katha
iha-parakala dukala khoyali (mana)
khaili apana matha

You served your family (mundane ends), forgot Sri Gauranga, and never listened to the sadhus' words. O mind, you wasted both this life and your next life. You depraved yourself.

('Avatara sara Gora avatara' by Srila Lochan Das Thakur)

Not listening to what sadhus tells us, we ruin our present and future life, both.

So, if you come to this holy dham, chant, "Nitai, Nitai," then go home and again become engrossed in your material life not caring for the Lord, not worshipping the Lord. You must practice archanam (Deity worship), vandanam (praying) even at home! Many take initiation, but you must practise at home too (practise archan, vandan, prasad-seva). Then, material things will go away from you. We are aparadhi (offenders). That is why it is said,

kabe habe bala se dina amara
aparadha ghuchi suddha name ruchi
krpa-bale ha'be hrdaye sanchara

"Please tell me, when will that day be mine? When will my offences be removed? When will the taste for the pure Name arise in my heart by the power of mercy?"

When will offence go away from me and I get taste for the pure Holy Name?...

* * *

Become Pure

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 6
Translated from Bengali

One time, I went to Russia with Gurudev, and when we were returning back, we were sitting in the airport in Moscow and Gurudev spoke to the devotees. I think devotees in about 250 cars came to see Gurudev off. At that time, one foreign Guru from another mission asked one of our sannyasis, one Maharaj, "Your Gurudev tells to chant minimum four rounds, but we do not do like this. We say we must chant minimum sixteen rounds!" Then, Maharaj came to Gurudev and told him what that sannyasi had said. Hearing this, Gurudev gave a reply and told Maharaj to go and tell that sannyasi about it. What was Gurudev's reply? He said: we tell to chant four rounds, but what is the difference between chanting four rounds and chanting sixteen rounds? Do we chant the real Holy Name? If we chant sixteen rounds, then we will be making even more offences! So, we tell everyone to chant four rounds so that there would be less offence. This is what Gurudev said. We mostly chant with offences—the more you chant, the more offences you make. So, if you chant four rounds, there will be less offence. That sannyasi thought, "I chant more rounds, I am a great guru!" When you practise, do not tell anyone and everyone about your spiritual practice. "Apana bhajana-katha na kahibe yatha tatha: Do not tell anyone and everyone about your own bhajan, service and practice." So, when it comes to doing mala, it is better if you do service and chant (sevon-mukhe). Do service and chant, "Krishna, Krishna"—this habit must come to you. Stir the subji, wash the dishes, clean vegetables, work in the rice field—whatever you do, only chant the Holy Name of Krishna, chant the Holy Name of Nitai ("Krishna, Krishna", "Nitai, Nitai").

Another thing is that when you chant the Holy Name, the Holy Name always judges whether you are making offences or not:

'krsna-nama' kare aparadhera vichara
krsna balile aparadhira na haya vikara

"The Holy Name of Krishna always considers who is an offender. Even if an offender chants the Name of Krishna all the time, it produces no transformation within them."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 8:24)

Because you are making offences when you are chanting the Holy Name, the Holy Name does not produce any transformation in you. That is why, when I tell everyone, "Say 'Hare Krishna!'", many sit with their mouths shut. I look at everyone's faces and see that. During kirtans, people can clap, but the Holy Name does not come to their mouths. Gurudev also said, "Somebody chants 100,000 Holy Names on their mala, but if you hit them in their belly, they will cry, 'Mother!', 'Father!'—you will not hear them chant the Holy Name at that time!" When you answer the phone, do not say, "Hello"—you must say, "Hare Krishna."

Some become unmindful and forget to even pay obeisance to their Guru. Do you know what kind of Vaishnavs some become? Many people phone Gurudev and say, "This is such-and-such Prabhu speaking." One time, Gurudev said in reply to that, "And this is your servant, Gobe, speaking." ['Gobe' is an extremely informal 'village' variation of the name 'Govinda'; Srila Gurudev sometimes used this name in the intimate relationship with his Srila Guru Maharaj, saying to Srila Guru Maharaj, 'I am your Gobe.'] Gurudev lamented, "They call themselves Prabhu [master]! They feel ashamed to say they are a servant, a slave."

'ami ta vaisnava' e buddhi haile
amani na ha'ba ami
pratisthasa asi' hrdaya dusibe
haiba nirayagami

"If I think, 'I am a Vaishnav,' then I will never stop expecting honour from others—my heart will become polluted by the desire for fame and I will end up in hell."

sambandha janiya bhajite bhajite
abhimana hau dura

"Knowing the true relationship I will worship You and my ego will go far away."

saisava-yauvane, jada-sukha-sange,
abhyasa ha-ila manda
nija-karma-dose, e deha ha-ila,
bhajanera pratibandha

In my childhood and youth, I always indulged in material happiness and I have become habituated to bad things. Because of my own sins, this body has become an impediment to spiritual practice.

We get mixed up with the material things and our habits become bad. You know, before, I would always bathe with cold water, even early in the morning in winter. After I went for an operation in 2005, doctors prohibited me to bathe in cold water. Since that time, I have got used to using hot water, even when it is hot. Today I did not get hot water. I had to wake up quickly, so I bathed in cold water. I woke up early, at 4 o'clock and did not want to disturb and ask anyone to give me hot water. So, what to do? I took bath with cold water. When I go for preaching, I also have to use cold water and tolerate.

Gurudev said, "Even if Brahma himself or Indra himself come and call you, you must say, 'I am sorry, I have my service to my Guru, I cannot come with you.'"

manasa, deha, geha, yo kichhu mora
arpilun tuya pade nanda-kisora

"I have offered my mind, my body, my household, and whatever else may be mine at Your feet, O Nanda Kisor!"

It is said in this kirtan,

kita janma hau yatha tuya dasa,
bahir-mukha brahma-janma nahi asa

"I do not want to be Brahma or Indra, I do not mind being born as an insect as long as I can be your servant, Prabhu."

I do not want to be Brahma, I do not want to be Indra—I do not mind becoming an insect as long as I can be your servant! This is a very beautiful kirtan, you must always sing it to yourself. "Kirtana prabhave smarana haibe: chanting (kirtan) arouses remembrance (smaran)." You are staying at home—do not waste time, you can chant kirtans; you can lie down and read the kirtan book, it will be also good. Engage yourself in the service of the Lord, in the kirtan of the Lord. You will not get any benefit by wasting your time on prajalpa (idle talks). You must understand it yourself, and you must prepare yourself so that the Lord could accept you. If you do not clean yourself, do not make yourself pure, then the Lord will not accept you. When we go to the Lord, He will take us when we are clean and pure. You do not become pure just by bathing in the Ganges. Your heart must become clean. Do you think your heart will become pure by dipping yourself into the Ganges? You must always speak and listen to Krishna-katha, Hari-katha, then your heart will become purified. Our hearts, our minds are contaminated...

All right, I will speak today about Nityananda Prabhu's mahimamrita (nectar of Sri Nityananda Prabhu's glories), and now I will chant one kirtan, after that I will read to you what Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur says about the glories of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. The main thing is that we chant kirtan and speak Hari-katha with our mouth, but we do not practise what is written in the kirtans. We must understand this...

[His Divine Grace chants the kirtans 'E-ghora samsara padiya', 'Bhajahu re mana', Hare Krishna maha-mantra.]

* * *

Who Is Nityananda Prabhu?

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 7
Translated from Bengali

mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim
yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

"The dumb can speak, the lame can climb a hill—all it takes is mercy from Gurudev."

(Bhavartha Dipika)

First of all, I am offering my full obeisance at the holy lotus feet of Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, begging him for his causeless mercy, after that I am offering my obeisance to all Guru-varga, to all my God-brothers and sisters, to all the listeners, to all the motherly lady devotees, to all devotees, and I am praying to you all for your mercy to this low soul.

I am going to read to you what Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said on the day of Sri Nityananda Trayodasi. Listen carefully. [Clamour in the audience.] Are you hungry? What is it if you skip one meal? Fast for Nitai a little. It is not even one day, just a few hours.

Srila Prabhupad spoke this in Yogapith, in the evening.

amara prabhura prabhu sri-gaurasundar
e bada bharasa chitte dhari nirantara

"My Prabhu's Prabhu is Sri Gaurasundar. I always keep this great hope in my heart."

(Chaitanya-bhagavat, 1.17.153)

We live in this world surrounded by all sorts of problems; we cannot place our trust anywhere here. The only hope is that Mahaprabhu is also the Master of Nityananda Prabhu (Nityananda Prabhu called Mahaprabhu 'Prabhu' [My Master], and I have got this Nityananda Prabhu as my Master. Sri Nityananda Prabhu belongs to svayam-prakasa-tattva (original form of the Lord that manifests itself in the world). Those who come in the form of a guru are non-different from the Lord. We sing every morning,

saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair
uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih
kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam

"I offer my obeisance unto the lotus feet of Sri Guru, who is said by all the scriptures to be the Lord Himself, and considered to be so by the sadhus, yet is also the Lord's beloved devotee."

(Sri Sri Gurvastakam, 7)

Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur writes, "Sri Guru is the Lord Himself." The Lord personally comes to this world in the form of a Guru or He sends His own associate. We always sing,

emana durmati samsara bhitare
padiya achhinu ami
tava nija-jana kona mahajane
pathaiya dile tumi

"O Lord! I am very wicked-minded and have fallen into this material world, but You have sent a great soul, Your associate (to rescue me)."

"O Lord, You have sent Your associate to this world in the form of a Guru." It is said in the scriptures also,

acharyam mam vijaniyan, navamanyeta karhichit
na martya buddhyasuyeta, sarva deva-mayo guruh

(Sri Krishna said to Uddhava:) "You should know the bona fide spiritual master as My very Self. Gurudeva is the embodiment of all the gods. Never dishonour him or find fault in him by ascribing any mundane conception of place, time and circumstances to him."

"Know that the acharya (guru) is I myself."

So, Srila Prabhupad says that Sri Nityananda Prabhu belongs to svayam-prakasa-tattva (He is a manifestation of the original personality of the Lord). Sri Nityananda Prabhu is non-different from Sri Vrajendranandan, He is transcendental. As the original form of the Lord, Nityananda Prabhu is four-armed, and He is also two-armed. He resides eternally in Goloka Vrindavan. Nityananda is non-different from Baladev, a manifestation of the original Lord (Narayan, et al.).

We were singing yesterday in one of the kirtans, "Balarama haila Nitai. Vrajer Balai Nitai haila, Vrajer Kanai Gaura haila. [In Kali-yuga,] Balaram became Nitai—Balai from Vraja became Nitai, and Kanai from Vraja became Gaura." So, Balaram is non-different from Nityananda Prabhu.

eka 'mahaprabhu', ara 'prabhu'—dui-jana
dui prabhu seve mahaprabhura charana

"There is one Supreme Personality of Godhead ('mahaprabhu'), Sri Gaurasundar, and there are two 'prabhus'—svayam prakas-vastu Nityananda Prabhu and svamsa Advaita Prabhu—both of them serve Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.7.14)

Sriman Mahaprabhu is the one person, but it is said in the Vedas, "He is One, yet there is a Second." There is Gaurasundar, the original personality of Godhead, and there is also His personal expansion, Sri Nityananda Prabhu. So, Sri Nityananda Prabhu is Sriman Mahaprabhu's dearmost associate and the Lord Himself. Personal expansions of the Lord manifest in various persons in various places and become known as an 'acharya'. That is why, it is said that jiva souls can get benefit if they realise that Sri Gurupadpadma is a worshippable manifestation of the Supreme Lord. In other words, we must understand that the Guru is non-different from the Lord. The Lord assumes a Deity form (vigraha), and there is also a manifest form (prakasa-vigraha). This manifest form of the Lord, which is easily accessing for all jiva souls, is Sri Gurudev, or Sri Nityananda Prabhu. One must never feel spiteful or envious of the Guru. Lust, anger, greed, madness and illusion are the five enemies that live all together within spite, or envy. Envy is created when the power of these enemies (lust, etc.) increases. Those who have much last, who have a very strong hankering for power, are envious and feel pain to see others' fortune or wellbeing...

* * *

How and When?

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 8
Translated from Bengali

Today is a very happy day. Why? Because today is the appearance day of the worshippable Lord of all Gaudiya devotees, of Him who intoxicated the world with the transcendental love for Gaura, of Him who distributed Sri Gaurasundar to all the jiva souls.

Sri Thakur Mahasay (Srila Narottam Das Thakur) said,

'gauranga' balite habe pulaka sarira
'hari hari' balite nayane ba'be nira
ara kabe nitaichand karuna karibe
samsara-vasana mora kabe tuchha ha'be

visaya chhadiya kabe suddha habe mana

kabe hama heraba sri-vrndavan

"When will my body thrill chanting the Name of Gauranga? When will tears flow from my eyes chanting the Name of Lord Hari? When will Nitaichand give mercy to me? When will all my material desires become nothing? When will my mind, leaving the material world, become clean? When will I see Sri Vrindavan?"

Srila Guru Maharaj always chanted this, many of you have tapes at home; you can hear it in those tapes.

When will my mind become pure and I behold Sri Dham Vrindavan? When will I retire? What must we retire from? From this material world. When will my heart become gripped and enchanted by taking the Name of Gauranga? In this world, the name and the named are two different things, and whatever we may see, smell, hear, taste, touch, think, etc. in this world remains on the outer, worldly level; when the transcendental Holy Name, belonging to Vaikuntha, is uttered, it produces transformations (feeling stunned, etc.) that pertain to the land of supramundane knowledge and transcendental love—when will this state come to me? There is meditation, knowledge, etc. in this world, but when will I leave all material things, when will my mind become pure and when will I be able to feel, see, know, etc. the wealth of Vaikuntha world?

ara kabe nitaichand karuna karibe
samsara-vasana mora kabe tuchha ha'be

"When will Nitaichand give mercy to me? When will all my material desires become insignificant?"

When will material desires leave me? We always think about material things... Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami says in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita,

krsna yadi chhute bhakte bhukti mukti diya
kabhu prema-bhakti na dena rakhena lukaiya

"If you ask Krishna for anything except devotion, He can give you those things—bhukti, mukti, liberation, and so on—but He will hide devotion from you. You will not get devotion."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 8.18)

If you ask the Lord for enjoyment instead of devotion—if you want to fulfil your desire for enjoyment, the Lord will give us all that and make us forget everything taking devotion from us. You cannot get the Lord by any material activities, any mystic powers, or knowledge. You can get the Lord through devotion to the Lord.

When will this day come to me when I get relief from the material bondage of this world? I keep coming to this world time and time again. The Lord is our eternal shelter—this judgement does not come to us. Until and unless this judgement comes to us, we will have to remain engaged in temporary relationships. You can never attain pure conception without the mercy of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. We find ourselves in such a deplorable position amidst worldly suffering and agonising misery, then, truly, why cannot we even once think about the Lord? Even though we suffer so much in this world, we still forget the Lord, we do not remember or think about the Lord. Srila Narottam Das Thakur wrote,

nitaiyer charana satya tahara sevaka nitya
nitai-pada sada kara asa

"The lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu are the truth, and His servitor is eternal. Always pray for His lotus feet."

Our only hope is the holy lotus feet of Sri Guru Nityananda. Quoting Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur,

amara prabhura prabhu sri-gaurasundar
e bada bharasa chitte dhari nirantara

"My Prabhu's Prabhu is Sri Gaurasundar. I always keep this great hope in my heart."

(Chaitanya-bhagavat, 1.17.153)

ara kabe nitaichand karuna karibe
samsara-vasana mora kabe tuchha ha'be

visaya chhadiya kabe suddha habe mana

kabe hama heraba sri-vrndavan

"When will Nitaichand give mercy to me? When will all my material desires become nothing? When will my mind, leaving the material world, become clean? When will I see Sri Vrindavan?"

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

* * *

Scattered Heart

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 9
Translated from Bengali

By becoming attracted to Nityananda Prabhu, you can rescue yourself from this terrible material world.

Those who forget Krishna have no memory, no knowledge of Krishna.

krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vanchha kare
nikatastha maya tare japatiya dhare

"When souls become averse to Krishna and desire enjoyment, nearby Maya seizes them."

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.2)

krsna bhuli' sei jiva anadi-bahirmukha
ataeva maya tare deya samsaradi-duhkha

Having forgotten Krishna, the soul wanders throughout the universe. Being thus covered by illusion, the soul goes through all kinds of material suffering.

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 20.117)

pisachi paile yena mati-chchhanna haya
maya-grasta jivera haya se bhava udaya

"When someone is possessed by a ghost, they become bewildered. This condition overtakes souls bound by Maya."

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.3)

When you forget Krishna, the Master of the World, when you become removed from the service of the Lord, then Maya, who is always near, jumps and catches you.

krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vanchha kare
nikatastha maya tare japatiya dhare

"When souls become averse to Krishna and desire enjoyment, nearby Maya seizes them."

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.2)

Srila Prabhupad says:

For as long as you remain oblivious towards Krishna, you will be cheated out of service to the Lord and you will remain in the clutches of Maya. Just as an ant always crawls everywhere looking for a hole, Maya is also always around us, always looking for hole to catch you. As soon as you forget the Lord and think about something else, Maya will jump on you:

krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vanchha kare
nikatastha maya tare japatiya dhare

"When souls become averse to Krishna and desire enjoyment, nearby Maya seizes them."

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.2)

You cannot practise Krishna consciousness without taking shelter at the holy lotus feet of Nityananda Prabhu. Many people think you can practise without a guru. This is a wrong conception. If you do not practise Krishna consciousness (if you do not worship and serve the Lord), do you know where you will go after death? To the abode of Lord Yama. You do not even need to worry about it—the road there is always laid. On account of one's pious merits, those who are averse to Krishna may get to heaven, and on account of sins they will go to hell and suffer from hellish miseries. Unless our intelligence does not awaken amidst the agony of the threefold miseries, how can we hope to attain any auspicious destination?

visaya chhadiya kabe suddha habe mana
kabe hama heraba sri-vrndavan

"When will my mind, leaving the material world, become clean? When will I see Sri Vrindavan?"

(Srila Narottam Das Thakur)

* * *

Learn the Truth

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 10
Translated from Bengali

When will I stop thinking in terms of material worldly enjoyment (of taste, form, etc.) and come to live close to Krishna? When will I give up enjoyment and renunciation by always thinking about Krishna and become enchanted by the nectar of devotion to Krishna? Vrindavan is the eternal object of worship for the jiva soul.

[Clamour in the audience, a devotee tries to quieten them.] It is not use telling them... If everybody was to go to the Lord, then there would be no place left in Goloka. That is why people say, "Oh, there is no place there, it is no use practising Krishna consciousness! If I come to the temple, there will not be place for me, so why bother practising Krishna consciousness?" There are people who know nothing about the Lord... The Lord is transcendental. He is the owner, the master of the whole creation. This whole world is created by Brahma on His order. Even Vishnu, even Siva obey His orders, but people forget it and only run following Maya's order.

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur prays, "Kabe nija sukha bhuli' sudina-hrdaya. When will I forget my own happiness and when will my heart become extremely humble?" However, we can never forget our happiness—we are always thinking about ourselves. We are only always busy with food, money, clothes, etc.

"Taddh tad-vanam nama tad-vanamity-upasitavyam." The word "tad-vanam" implies His forest (vana) or a forest in a broader sense. The worshippable matter that is meant by the word "tad-vanam" is Sri Vrindavan Dham where there are no threefold miseries. It is said in Srimad Bhagavatam, "Vedyah vastavam atra vastu sivadam tapa-trayonmulanam. Unless you learn what the truth is, there is no way for you to escape the threefold misery of this world." That is why, it is necessary to know what the truth is. Everything in this world that you see is false; the Holy Name is the only truth. Guru Maharaj also told often, "What you have in your hand is true, and the Holy Name is true." Only the Holy Name is true in this world, everything else that is created will go away. It is said in Srimad Bhagavad-gita also that everything in this world will be destroyed one day.

* * *

 What Do You Need?

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, morning class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 11
Translated from Bengali

Those who are averse to the service to Lord Krishna are called "griha-vrata" or "griha-medhi" (lit. "vowed to their house" or "house-minded"). Such persons, attached to their homes, can never develop attachment to Krishna. When talking about his father, Sri Prahlad Maharaj expressed his judgement,

sravanam kirttanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam
arccanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam
iti pumsarpita visnau bhaktis cen nava-laksana
kriyeta bhagavaty addha tan manye 'dhitam uttamam

Prahlada Maharaj said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental Holy Name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Visnu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one's best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words)—these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Krishna through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge."

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 7.5.23-24)

When Prahlad Maharaj's father asked him what good teaching he had learnt at school? What is the highest in this world? What have you learnt? In reply to that, Sri Prahlad Maharaj spoke this sloka.

Those who desire the highest benefit need only one thing—the shelter of Sri Nabadwip Dham; their duty is to take shelter at the holy lotus feet Sri Gaura Nityananda; their duty is to serve Their Name, holy dham, and desire. Nabadwip consists of nine islands, and it is the highest place for practising the nine kinds of devotions (nava-vidha bhakti). Those who leave strict adherence to their Guru and Vaishnavs and become materialists pursuing knowledge and sensual pleasures, do not serve the transcendental Lord.

acharyam mam vijaniyan, navamanyeta karhichit
na martya buddhyasuyeta, sarva deva-mayo guruh

(Sri Krishna said to Uddhava:) "You should know the bona fide spiritual master as My very Self. Gurudeva is the embodiment of all the gods. Never dishonour him or find fault in him by ascribing any mundane conception of place, time and circumstances to him."

This sloka's judgement does not enter such people's heads; they only think within the terms of material intelligence perceiving Guru as a mere mortal. They see, "Guru passes stool just like me, Guru does everything just like me." Those who are vowed to their house are always busy with trifle worldly knowledge that is perceived by their senses. (This is what is written here, and I am telling you the same thing.) That is why, Guru Maharaj always says, "If you want to get great things, you must leave small matters." If you want to get something valuable, you have to throw away fake things. You can remember the story of Jivan Chakravarti (his name later became Jivananda Goswami).

Jivan Chakravarti came running to Vrindavan for the sake of his daughter, but in the end he threw away a touchstone and chanted the Holy Name. Srila Raghunath Das Goswami left his angel-like beautiful wife and immense wealth and accepted the path of chanting the Holy Name taking shelter of Sriman Mahaprabhu and Sri Nabadwip Dham. Unless you receive the blessing and mercy of Sri Rupa Raghunath, you cannot understand or know Nityananda Prabhu. We need the mecy of Sri Rupa Raghunath. Without their mercy we cannot know Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu or anyone else. We need the mercy of Vaishnavs.

Srila Prabhupad says that it is necessary to give up all attachment to your house and become a proper grihastha. You must follow the example of Srivas Prabhu. What did Srivas Pandit do? He gave up even begging for alms. He used to collect alms, but because he is a householder, people criticised him committing offences, that is why Mahaprabhu ordered him not to beg any more. This is how Srivas Pandit gave up begging and took the sole vow of chanting the Holy Name. He chanted the Holy Name the whole day and everything (food, etc.) was supplied to him on its own. One day, Mahaprabhu came to him and said, "Srivas, from tomorrow you must not go begging. People criticise you and make offences thinking you beg to maintain your family and life comfortably." Srivas Pandit listened to Mahaprabhu and gave up begging but said at first, "One clap, two clap, three clap. I will see one day, I will see two days, and on the third day I will jump into the Ganges." Mahaprabhu replied, "Oh, so this is how much faith you have? Even if Laksmi Devi herself has to come from Vaikuntha and beg, you must not go begging to people's houses." After that, Mahaprabhu sent a lot of people with all sorts of wealth and ingredients to Srivas Pandit.

When a prostitute named Laksmihira was sent to Haridas Thakur, by the influence of the Holy Name (by hearing Haridas Thakur's kirtan) she became a great Vaishnavi. She left everything and started serving Tulasi Devi and the Holy Name—people would bring food to her, and she knew no want.

Look at all these examples, and look at ourselves—they leave everything and live by chanting the Holy Name knowing no lack of anything, but we always lack everything... Sri Govinda Gosh writes, "Bhajahu re mana Sri Nanda-nandana. O mind, worship the Son of Sri Nanda Maharaj!"

All right, I will tell you more later. We will finish at this for now.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

[His Divine Grace retires to prepare for the parikrama of Sri Ekachakra Dham.]

* * *

Golden Time for Golden Purpose

Srila Gurudev's Vyasa Puja Adhivas, Nrisingha Palli
13 December 2019, part 1

We have arrived here by a great fortune. We are now in Grumdwip, kirtanyakha-dham (the holy abode of kirtan). There are nine kinds of devotion residing on the nine islands of Nabadwip, and the place where we are now is an abode of kirtan. This is a place where kirtan must be practised. You know what the nine kinds of devotion are: sravanam, kirtanam, smaranam, archanam, vandanam, dasyam, sakhyam, atma-nivedanam, pada-sevanam (hearing, chanting, remembering the Lord, worshipping the Deity of the Lord, offering obeisance, rendering service as a servitor, as a friend, self-submission, serving the Lord's lotus feet). Kirtan (chanting the Holy Name of the Lord, chanting the glories of the Lord) is one of these nine kinds of devotion. This place here is kirtanyakha-dham. Our old temple in Koladwip is in the abode of pada-sevanam. We are present here in the abode of kirtan...

Our Gurupadpadma, Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, also stayed in Nabadwip—this is where he came to his Guru, this is where he took shelter. Many of you have seen him, but the biggest question is how many of you have got a relationship with him? There can be no abhidheya (understanding of the goal) without sambandha (relationship); without abhidheya you cannot understand what prayojana is (cannot understand what is necessary to do to achieve the goal). You do not establish or develop relationship with the Guru just by taking the mantra from the Guru. Thousands and thousands of people took initiation from Gurudev; yet, who of them remember him eternally, at every moment? You must remember Gurudev all the time—when you are eating, when you are sleeping or lying down, when you are sitting. You must remember Gurudev, you must keep Gurudev's words in your heart at every moment, then you can understand everything.

I always tell to everyone in this world: how much you are struggling your whole life, from birth to death! All for what? For some money, food, and clothes? How much you are all struggling for the sake of your own interest. You wake up and work the whole day just to feed your stomach two times a day, to sleep comfortably, and to dress well, thinking, "What will neighbours say?", "I want to eat well," "I want to do this," "I want to do that." From early morning until evening you keep on working and struggling the whole day for these things. Do you ever think what will happen when you 'close your eyes'? The day you close your eyes, you will have to leave everything behind. Everything you have worked for so hard—you have made a big house, you have made a garden, everything—will be left behind. However, what will become of your soul after death? Does anyone think about getting liberation, getting to the Lord?

I know you have taken initiation from Gurudev, I know you are serving Gurudev eternally (strictly every day without fail), you are worshipping the Lord eternally, you are chanting the kirtans eternally, but how much of your golden time can you give to the Lord? Are you using your golden time to serve the Lord or to do something for your own self? If you can give golden time to the golden purpose, then you will get a genuine result. If you cannot, then...

* * *

Emerging from Darkness

Srila Gurudev's Vyasa Puja Adhivas, Nrisingha Palli
13 December 2019, part 2

I was reading the other day about Bharath Maharaj, about Rama and Laksman. Bharath Maharaj had to leave his royal throne, and in the end because he thought of a deer, in his next life he was born as a deer. Then, we must think: what will become of us? We do not chant the Holy Name incessantly, we are not thinking about the service of the Lord incessantly, then what will become of us?

At the beginning of Kali-yuga, sixty thousand rishis (sages) gathered in a place called Naimisaranya (we went there several years ago on a parikrama) and performed a fire sacrifice for one thousand years. Sixty thousand sages(!) did a sacrifice for one thousand years(!), but even then they did not feel happy at heart. In the end, Sri Suta Goswami came there and explained that happiness was possible only through chanting the Holy Name. You must always keep this as the object of your eternal meditation.

You worry about your wife, son, daughter, grandchildren. We always live engrossed in family life, in material life. We have got a higher intelligence in this human birth. Dogs, cats, etc. all have a family, children, etc., but they cannot chant the Holy Name—neither can they hear it, neither can they understand it. Do you know what the purpose of this human life is? The Lord has mercifully sent Gurudev to us, and through Gurudev's association, through Gurudev's words, we have been able to come to this path. This is his mercy.

When we recite Gurudev's pranam-mantra, we say,

om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
chaksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah

I offer my obeisance unto Sri Gurudev, who has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the salve of divine knowledge.

Gurudev opens our blind eyes, he removes our illusory ignorance. When we take initiation, when we take shelter of a Guru—if this is a real initiation—then we become absolved from whatever sins, from whatever offences we made in all the previous births. That is why it is necessary to take shelter. When you go to a doctor, you can remove your disease; in the same way, when we come to Gurudev, our internal heart disease is removed.

When you come and genuinely take shelter at the lotus feet of Gurudev, then whatever offences due to ignorance you have in your heart, all bad things are removed from you—all darkness is removed. But how many people like that are there?... Real disciples are those who place Gurudev's order on their heads and follow it without fail.

* * *

Leaving Maya's Shelter

Srila Gurudev's Vyasa Puja Adhivas, Nrisingha Palli
13 December 2019, part 3

We do not understand this. People think, "If I take initiation, then who will take care of my children? Who will take care of my young wife? What will become of my grandchildren if my son or daughter dies?" This is ego. Thinking others will suffer without you is ego. Nothing will happen to them without your care and nourishment. Everyone is taken care of by He who is Protector, who is Maintainer. Krishna is our maintainer.

dainya, atma-nivedana, goptrtve varana
'avasya raksibe krsna'—visvasa palana

Humility, self-submission, embracing the Lord’s guardianship, maintaining the faith that 'Krishna will certainly protect me'...

This is surrender. Embracing the Lord's guardianship means realising that Krishna is our maintainer—He takes care of us, He protects us.

dainya, atma-nivedana, goptrtve varana
'avasya raksibe krsna'—visvasa palana

"(1) Humility, (2) self-submission, (3) embracing the Lord's guardianship, (4) maintaining the faith that ‘Krishna will certainly protect me.'"

bhakti-anukula matra karyera svikara
bhakti-pratikula bhava—varjanangikara

"(5) Engaging only in activities that are favourable to devotion, (6) rejecting everything unfavourable to devotion."

sad-anga saranagati ha-ibe yanhara
tanhara prarthana sune sri-nanda-kumara

"Sri Krishna hears the prayers of those who surrender in the six-fold way."

Those who truly take shelter of Gurudev, who truly always listen to Gurudev can understand this. Otherwise, people always worry how to eat well, how to sleep well, how to dress well. They live following the whims of their minds; and the mind is always naughty.

kama-krodha-adi chaya batapare deya bhaya
avasana haila asi bela

I am attacked by the six highway robbers lead by kama and krodha, and my life is coming to its end...

("Anadi karama-phale" by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

All this keeps us bogged down in various ways—Maya will always keep you in her net of illusory environment. Maya's duty is to remove you from the Lord's service and keep you away from it. If some fortunate soul can come to take shelter at the holy lotus feet of Sri Guru severing the illusory bondage and keeping themselves in Guru's service, then they are very fortunate. There is no one in this world more fortunate than them.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said this about tridandi-sannyas. I said today when I was giving sannyas [to Sripad Bhakti Ujjval Sajjan Maharaj],

sannyasira dharma nahe—sannyasa karina
nija janma-sthane rahe kutumba lana

"After accepting sannyas, it is not the duty of a sannyasi to remain at his birthplace, encircled by relatives."

(Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 3.177)

Those who do that (who take sannyas but then go back to their previous family or keep connection with them) are not sannyasis, they are vantasis. Vantasi means you vomit something and then you eat what you have vomited...

* * *

Sitting on Two Chairs

Srila Gurudev's Vyasa Puja Adhivas, Nrisingha Palli
13 December 2019, part 4

People always worry about their food, their clothes, etc. They want to eat nice things, wear nice clothes. They cannot live without meat, fish. How much meat people eat! In China, people eat dogs, cats, sheep, yaks. In some countries, they pork, including raw pork(!). In Nagaland, people catch dogs and swirl them until the dog vomits, and then they eat that vomit. This is Nagaland, here in India. Because we want all these trifle enjoyments, we cannot come to this path. We say, "If you come to Gaudiya Math, you have to give up eating fish, meat, garlic, onion"—that is why we cannot come to this path. All because of some trifle interests. If I say today, "Eat whatever you want—eat meat, fish, etc." a hundred people will come tomorrow to take initiation. There are such gurus in this world—they say, "We do not prohibit anything. Eat and do whatever your soul pleases." But this is not what the soul lives for! The purpose of atma is to serve Paramatma.

My father, mother gave me this body, but they did not give me that who I am. Remember this. My parents gave me this body, but I am a soul and I come from the Lord. So, first know who you are, then do what your soul wants. Always remember this.

But what is the use saying all this?... How long I have been telling you all this... Before Gurudev left in 2010, I spoke to him. He said to me, "Acharya Maharaj, how many people I have given initiation to. Tell me, how many people have become my disciples?" Gurudev asked me this question. So, taking initiation does not mean becoming a disciple. It is written in the scriptures that a disciple is the one who takes the chastisement of their Guru on their head and follows it (corrects themselves and lives following their Guru's order). Gurudev told an example. Suppose you are walking down the street and see a snake. You are saying to Gurudev, "Gurudev, there is a snake! A snake!" but Gurudev says, "No, it is a rope." And you must believe it. Even if I see a snake—if Gurudev says it is a rope, I must believe it and must not have even a slightest doubt in my mind. This is what Gurudev said. Yes, we are always pulled apart in two opposite sides. You are making a fire sacrifice and giving one spoon water, and one spoon ghee, then again one spoon water, one spoon ghee. Do you think the fire will burn like this? You cannot make a yajna like this. When you make a yajna, you chant 'Om svaha' and put only ghee. You cannot put water and ghee together. Therefore, accept that which is favourable to devotion and reject that which is unfavourable to devotion.

* * *

Deep Chastity

Srila Gurudev's Vyasa Puja Adhivas, Nrisingha Palli
13 December 2019, part 5

It is necessary to understand what chastity is. No matter what happens, no matter what anybody does, we must always stay chaste. Our Guru Maharaj (Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj) also went through this. When Srila Sridhar Maharaj declared Gurudev the next acharya, many doubted him, many were malicious towards him. Later all those people left the temple—they derailed from Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math's line. That is why, we always show patience, we always practise 'wait and see'. Patience is a great power.

Those who can live following Gurudev's words and instructions, become entitled for Gurudev's property. Gurudev's property is not the temple, great buildings, etc. Gurudev's property is Gurudev's love, affection, loving connection, his heart. Who can one chastise? When you love someone, you can chastise them. You cannot scold or rebuke someone if you do not have affection for the person, and when you have affection for someone, you have a heart for them. We must always think in this way. Anyhow, we will chant kirtans now, and after that, I will speak again about the relationship with the Guru. I will tell you what Gurudev told. We will talk about Gurudev's words, about the relationship with the Guru.

Gurudev is the centre of the disciple's heart. Always remember this. You can never get anything without the Guru. No matter what you do and how much you do, if the Guru is angry, nobody can protect you. I must understand, "I have a person who is my shelter. I have a place of shelter. I have taken shelter in a person, and as long as I stay in that shelter, even the Lord cannot do anything to me." We must always remember this.

Prahlad Maharaj is the witness of this. He was five years old. His mouth was closed, but he thought about the Lord all the time in his mind without saying anything. So many things happened to him—he was thrown into a pond, he was tied to an elephant's leg, he was thrown from a hill—but nothing happened to him.

Always remember these things. Become surrendered. Remember what I am telling you all the time. You are always busy with material talks, material news: this is material life...

* * *

Accept and Appreciate

Srila Gurudev's Vyasa Puja Adhivas, Nrisingha Palli
13 December 2019, part 6

You may live 80-100 years, but you do not understand it yourself—many of you say, "I will not practise Krishna consciousness now. When I get old, when I retire at sixty, then I will practise spiritual life." When you get to retired life, how long will you be alive after that? When you retire, you will have to count your days till death—you will feel so much pain in the body: you will try to chant on the beads, but your hand will pain; if you sit on the floor, your back or lumber will pain; when you want to go from one place to another, you will have to get another person to help you. When you have so much pain in your body, tell me, do you think you will like serving the Lord or chanting? When you say, "I will practise spiritual life when I get older," Srila Prabhupad and the scriptures say that this is cheating, or deceiving, the Lord. Speaking like this is cheating the Lord. "When I get old, then I will practise Krishna consciousness. I will not do it now." You have come to this line owing to much accumulated karma, but if you keep thinking and remembering other things, if you do not practise from a young age, then you will not be able to remember the Lord, you will not be able to chant the glory of the Lord. I think that I came to Krishna consciousness at twenty-eight, and I often think, "If only I had come earlier, it would have been so much better." Gurudev came when he was seventeen. Now my legs pain, this pains, that pains. Diseases will come, must come—if you have a body, then diseases will come. So, if you do not waste your time and practise Krishna consciousness while you are still young, then you will get the supreme benefit.

...I have been trying. There have been works going on in many places. Still, I have managed to complete the rooms upstairs [in Sri Nrisingha Palli, above the nat mandir]. I hurried the workers a lot. There was much work in Ekachakra also. Nrisingha Palli is a small place, but the land in Ekachakra is very big—19 kanal [2.375 acre/9611.28 sq.m.]. It must be three times bigger than the land here in Nrisingha Palli. Now,there is no problem in Ekachakra—there are now more rooms above the nat mandir. The festival in Ekachakra is next, it is soon—Sri Nityananda Trayodasi, the abode of Guru-tattva. You all must come. There is no problem with accommodation now. There is still time—only painting and electric works are left now; the bathrooms are all ready. There are many places where works have been going on...

...Anyway, whichever state, however the Lord keeps you, you must live and be happy with that. Whatever the Lord wishes, this is what will happen. You must always leave everything to the Lord. However the Lord keeps you, whatever situation the Lord creates, you must accept it. Do you understand it? Nothing is in our hands. We are only His servitors.

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Visva-varenya Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay
Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Jay saparikara Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Govinda Sundarjiu ki jay
Jay saparikara Sri Sri Guru Gaura Nityananda Prabhu ki jay
Jay Sri Bhakta-prabara Prahlad Maharaj ki jay
Suddha-bhakti-vighna-vinasankari Bhagavan Nrisinghadev ki jay
Harinam sankirtan ki jay
Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol

* * *

Sri Advaita Prabhu's Nityananda Stuti

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, noon class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 1
Translated from Bengali

[His Divine Grace chants the kirtans "Are bhai, Nitai amara daya avadhi", "Nitai mora jivana dhana", "Rada majhe eka chaka name achhe grama", "Gora preme gara Nitai amara", "Iha Kali-yuga dhanya", "E-bara karuna kari Chaitnaya-Nitai", "Nitai-Chaitanya dohne bara avatara".]

Sri Advaita Prabhu sang in praise of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. His stuti (glorificaiton) is recorded in Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata (2.24.470-490):

dekhiya advaita nityanandera sri-mukha
hena nahi janena janmila kona sukha

When Advaita saw Nityananda's face, he could not understand how joyful he became.

'hari' bali' lagilena karite hunkara
pradaksina dandavata karena apara

He roared loudly and chanted the name of Hari. Then Advaita circumambulated Nityananda and offered Him obeisances.

kara-joda kariya advaita mahamati
santose karena nityananda-prati stuti

The broad-minded Advaita folded His hands and happily offered prayers to Nityananda.

You know, one day, Nityananda Prabhu came to have a meal in Sri Advaita Prabhu's house. Nityananda Prabhu kept saying, "Give more! Give more!" He ate everything! He ate everything He was given. Advaita Prabhu said, "What is this? We are poor brahman family. Why are You doing like this?" Nityananda Prabhu replied, "Why did you invite Me then!" and He took a handful of rice and threw it in Advaita Prabhu's face! "You are telling Me such things when I am taking prasad! You have made an offence!" Mahaprabhu saw this and laughed thinking, "Maha Vishnu and the Lord have met, and They are having a fight!"

dekhiya advaita nityanandera sri-mukha
hena nahi janena janmila kona sukha

When Advaita saw Nityananda's face, he could not understand how joyful he became.

'hari' bali' lagilena karite hunkara
pradaksina dandavata karena apara

He roared loudly and chanted the name of Hari. Then, Advaita circumambulated Nityananda and offered Him obeisances.

kara-joda kariya advaita mahamati
santose karena nityananda-prati stuti

The broad-minded Advaita folded His hands and happily offered prayers to Nityananda.

"tumi nityananda-murti nityananda-nama
murtimanta tumi chaitanyera guna-dhama

"Your form is Nityananda, and Your name is Nityananda. You are the personification of Lord Chaitanya's transcendental qualities.

sarva-jiva-paritrana tumi maha-hetu
maha-pralayete tumi satya-dharma-setu

"You are the ultimate cause of all living entities' deliverance. You protect religious principles even during the total annihilation.

tumi se bujhao chaitanyera prema-bhakti
tumi se chaitanya-vrkse dhara purna-sakti

"You propagate Lord Chaitanya's devotional service in ecstatic love. You are the fully empowered branch of the tree of Lord Chaitanya.

brahma-siva-naradadi 'bhakta' nama yanra
tumi se parama upadesda sabakara

"You are the supreme instructor of all devotees headed by Brahma, Siva, and Narada.

visnu-bhakti sabei payena toma haite
tathapiha abhimana na sparse tomate

"Everyone attains devotional service to Visnu by Your mercy, yet You are never touched by pride.

patita-pavana tumi dosa-drsdi-sunya
tomare se jane yara achhe bahu punya

"You are the deliverer of the fallen souls. You do not find faults in others. Only a person who has much piety can understand You.

"Those who have some piety can understand You." You must have mercy to understand Nitai.

sarva-yajna-maya ei vigraha tomara
avidya-bandhana khande smarane yanhara

"You are the personification of all sacrifice. Simply by remembering You, all bondage of ignorance is destroyed.

yadi tumi prakasa na kara' apanare
tabe kara sakti achhe janite tomare?

"If You do not reveal Yourself, who will have the power to know You?

akrodha paramananda tumi mahesvara
sahasra-vadana-adi deva mahidhara

"You are free from anger, You are supremely blissful, and You are the ultimate controller. You are the thousand-headed original Lord who sustains the universe.

raksa-kula-hanta tumi sri-laksmana-chandra
tumi gopa-putra haladhara murtimanta

"You are Sri Laksman, the destroyer of the demoniac dynasty. You are Haladhara, the son of the cowherd.

murkha nicha adhama patita uddharite
tumi avatirna haiyachha prthivite

"You have incarnated in this world to deliver the foolish, fallen, and wretched souls.

ye bhakti vanchhaye yogesvara muni-gane
toma haite taha paibeka ye-te jane"

"The devotional service desired by the best of the mystic yogis and sages will be obtained by anyone and everyone by Your mercy."

kahite advaita nityanandera mahima
ananda-avese pasarilena apana

As Advaita glorified Nityananda, He became absorbed in ecstasy and forgot Himself.

* * *

Sriman Mahaprabhu's Nityananda Stuti

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, noon class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 2
Translated from Bengali

When Sriman Mahaprabhu was in Panihati, He sang in praise of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Lord Himself, and Sri Nityananda Prabhu is non-different from Mahaprabhu—He manifests to serve Mahaprabhu, that is why it is said 'eki dehe dui rupa' (Their form is one, but there are two of them).

panihati-grame haila parama ananda
apane saksat yatha prabhu gaurachandra

The village of Panihati became filled with ecstasy, for Lord Gaurachandra was personally present there.

raghava pandita-prati sri-gaurasundara
nibhrte karila kichhu rahasya-uttara

Sri Gaurasundara spoke some confidential topics to Raghava Pandita in a solitary place.

"raghava, tomare ami nija-gopya kai
amara dvitiya nahi nityananda-bai

"O Raghava, I have something confidential to tell you. Nityananda is nondifferent from Me.

ei nityananda yei karaya amare
se-i kari ami, ei balila tomare

"I tell you, I do whatever Nityananda wants Me to do.

amara sakala karma-nityananda-dvare
akapate ei ami kahila tomare

"I tell you frankly that all My activities are performed through Nityananda.

yei ami, se-i nityananda—bheda nai
tomara gharei saba janiba ethai

"There is no difference between Myself and Nityananda. Everyone in your house will come to know this.

maha-yogesvare yaha paite durlabha
nityananda haite taha paiba sulabha

"From Nityananda you will easily obtain that which is rarely attained by the best of the mystic yogis.

eteke haiya tumi maha-savadhana
nityananda seviha—yehena bhagavan"

"Therefore you should very carefully serve Nityananda, knowing Him to be the Supreme Lord Himself."

If you look at a Deity and see stone, brass, etc. then you do not know what service is (i.e. if you try to serve, it will not be service). The Deity is not a doll, not an idol—the Deity is the Lord Himself! Krishna Himself played here with Nityananda Prabhu and then disappeared. Later, His Deity was found at Kadam-khandi. When you went for the parikrama, you saw the last place—there is Krishna's Deity in the temple, together with Jahnava and Vasuddha. Jahnava and Vasuddha found that Deity of Bankarai Krishna floating in the Yamuna.

tilarddheka nityanande dvesa yara rahe
satata bhajileo se mora priya nahe

"If somebody is envious of Nityananda, they can never become dear to Me, even if they worship Me constantly."

gopi-ganera sei prema kahe bhagavate
eka nityananda haite paibe jagate

If you worship Nityananda, you can get the deepest transcendental love of gopis. Without Him, you can never attain it.

samsarera para haiya bhaktira sagare
ye dubibe, se bhajuka nitaichandere

Anyone who wants to cross the material ocean and merge in the ocean of devotional service must worship the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda.

If you are to cross this ocean of material existence, you must worship Nityananda Prabhu, Gurudev. You cannot make it without worshipping the Guru.

mukhe-o ye jana bale muni nityananda-dasa
avasya janibe amara svarupa prakasa

"Those who say (even just lip-deep) that they are a servant of Nityananda Prabhu, will no doubt know the manifestation of My form."

madira yavani yadi nityananda dhare
tathapi brahmara vandya kahila tomare

"Even if Nityananda Prabhu takes a drunk lady by Her hand, He is always worshippable even for Lord Brahma."

'svatantra' kariya vede ye krsnere kaya
hena krsna para tumi karite vikraya

"You are able to sell Krishna, who is proclaimed as fully independent in the Vedas."

Nitai can sell Krishna to you! Do you understand this? He has such power!

prabhu kahe ei nityananda svarupere
ye karaye bhakti-sraddha se kare amare

The Lord says, "Those who have devotion and faith for this Nityananda Svarup, have devotion and faith for Me."

Mahaprabhu says, "Those have faith for Nityananda Prabhu, actually have faith in Me. You can never get Me without faith in Nityananda Prabhu." Without devotion to the Guru, without devotion to Nityananda Prabhu, you cannot get the Lord.

inhara charana, siva-brahmara vandita
ataeva, inhare kari-o sabe prita

Nityananda Prabhu goes door to door distributing to you that very divine love that Lord Siva and Lord Brahma pray for!

How can you recognise Nityananda Prabhu. You will not recognise Him by looking at Him with your eyes. Our eyes are blinded with material dust—we cannot see anything without our eyes. We see the Deity as an idol made of stone, wood, brass.

How beautiful these words are. Do you understand it? We must sing this kirtan very well.

[His Divine Grace chants, 'Nitai amara parama dayala.']

* * *

Approaching Nityananda Prabhu

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, noon class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 3
Translated from Bengali

Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami is describing the glory of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu in a very beautiful way (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.5.157-168). Listen to it.

sri-chaitanya—sei krsna, nityananda—rama
nityananda purna kare chaitanyera kama

"Lord Caitanya is the same Lord Krishna, and Lord Nityananda is Lord Balaram. Lord Nityananda fulfills all of Lord Chaitanya's desires."

Nityananda Prabhu takes charge in fulfilling Mahaprabhu's desire—He performs the works that Mahaprabhu wants to do. Mahaprabhu gave Him charge, "Nityananda, preach in Bengal. If You leave for Jagannath Puri, what will become of this land?" This is why, Nityananda Prabhu preached Mahaprabhu's message in this world. He said,

bhaja gauranga, kaha gauranga, laha gaurangera nama re
ye jana gauranga bhaje, sei amara prana re

"Worship Gauranga! Say Gauranga! Take Gauranga's Name! Those who worship Gauranga are My heart and soul!"

yare dekhe tare kahe dante trna dhari'
amare kiniya laha bhaja gaura hari

"He says with a straw in His teeth to whoever He sees, 'I will be sold to you, please accept, serve Gaurahari!'"

Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami received Nityananda Prabhu's mercy—Nityananda Prabhu came to him in a dream and prohibited him to associate with his brother; after that, Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami left his house and went to Vrindavan.

nityananda-mahima-sindhu ananta, apara
eka kana sparsi matra,—se krpa tanhara

"The ocean of Lord Nityananda's glories is infinite and unfathomable. Only by His mercy can I touch even a drop of it."

ara eka suna taìra krpara mahima
adhama jivere cadhaila urdhva-sima

"Please listen to another glory of His mercy. He made a fallen living entity climb to the highest limit."

veda-guhya katha ei ayogya kahite
tathapi kahiye taìra krpa prakasite

"To disclose it is not proper, for it should be kept as confidential as the Vedas, yet I shall speak of it to make His mercy known to all."

ullasa-upari lekhon tomara prasada
nityananda prabhu, mora ksama aparadha

"O Lord Nityananda, I write of Your mercy out of great exultation. Please forgive me for my offences."

Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami then speaks about the Vedas, saying, "I am not fit to speak about Nityananda Prabhu's glory, which are as sacred as the topics of the Vedas, but I am speaking about it to reveal His mercy to the world. If there is any fault in what I say, please forgive my offence."

What should we pray for when we come to Nityananda Prabhu? We should pray, "Please forgive me, Nityananda; please forgive my offences." This is all we can want from the Lord. We always make offences, consciously or unconsciously. We are offenders! We are offenders to the Holy Name, that is why the Holy Name does not come to our mouths. It is said, "Krsna-bahirmukha jivera nahi Krsna smrti-jnana—souls that are averse to Krishna have no knowledge or remembrance of Krishna." The Holy Name does not come to the mouths of such persons—even if they chant the Holy Name, it will not produce any transformation in them.

'krsna-nama' kare aparadhera vichara
krsna balile aparadhira na haya vikara

"The Holy Name of Krishna always considers who is an offender. Even if an offender chants the Name of Krishna all the time, it produces no transformation within them."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 8:24)

The Holy Name always judges whether the person chanting the Holy Name is an offender or not, and the Holy Name never comes to the mouths of those who are offenders. Such persons always want something from Krishna, from Nitai. You can see so many people coming here—somebody comes to receive mercy, and somebody comes to earn money. Is everyone the same? I have been to the market here—they are selling chamara fans at double price, and all the chamara fans are fake (made of nylon). People queue at the shop to buy it. People come here thinking, "What should I get for my granddaughter?" You worry about your grandchildren! They will ask you, "Grandma, what have you brought? What have you brought?" I see everything. We come to some place to chant kirtan and somebody goes to the shop to buy something. Instead of the Holy Name, their minds go to, "What should I buy?"...

* * *

Know Your Place

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, noon class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 4
Translated from Bengali

Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami describes in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita how he received Sri Nityananda Prabhu's mercy. I have told you about it before, and now I will only mention briefly that his brother had made an offence by having no faith in Nityananda Prabhu's servitor, and Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami objected against it—he did not take the side of his brother. His brother made an offence to Nityananda Prabhu's servitor, Ramdas Minaketan, and Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami did not accept his brother's position; instead, he took the side of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. That night, Nityananda Prabhu came to him in a dream and told him to go to Vrindavan. Owing to him, we now have Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita. I have brought some copies here, you can get this scripture.

In the weekly Gaudiya magazine, Srila Prabhupad wrote an article in honour of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance festival. There, he quotes from Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata (3.6.30),

adhikari bai kare tahana achara
duhkha paya sei-jana, papa janme tara

"If an unqualified person imitates His behavior, he will suffer and become implicated in sin."

rudra vine anye yadi kare visa-pana
sarvathaya mare, sarva-purana pramana

"If anyone other than Rudra drinks poison, he will certainly die. This is the verdict of all the Puranas."

It says here that Siva can drink poison. Do you think you can do that? Take poison and see how you feel after that. So, those who have the right to do something, they can do it. Nityananda Prabhu can wear blue clothes, saffron clothes, He can wear anything He wants (bangles, necklace, etc.). However, you do not have the right to do what Nityananda Prabhu did. Many imitate Nityananda Prabhu and take two wives, for example. Those who have the right can do that, they can eat everything, but you do not have this right to cross the viddhi-marga.

visayira anna khaile malina haya mana
malina mana haile, nahe krsna-nama grahana

"If you take food that comes from materialistic people, your mind becomes contaminated. When your mind is contaminated, you cannot chant the Name of Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.278)

That is why we do not eat anything and everything without discrimination. If we go somewhere, we personally make the offering to the Lord, then we take prasadam. That is why, it says here,

rudra vine anye yadi kare visa-pana
sarvathaya mare, sarva-purana pramana

"If anyone other than Rudra drinks poison, he will certainly die. This is the verdict of all the Puranas."

If anyone takes poison like Lord Siva (Rudra), they will die. Therefore, one can do only what one is fit to do.

ista-deva vandon mora nityananda-raya
chaitanya-kirti sphure yanhara krpaya

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Nityananda Raya, for He is my worshipable Lord. By His mercy the glories of Lord Chaitanya become manifest."

chaitanya-chandrera priya-vigraha balai
tana-sthane aparadhe mare sarva thani

"Lord Nityananda is the dearmost object of Sri Chaitanyachandra, therefore anyone who commits an offense at His lotus feet is vanquished."

samsarera para haiya bhaktira sagare
ye dubibe, se bhajuka nitaichandere

Anyone who wants to cross the material ocean and merge in the ocean of devotional service must worship the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda.

vaisnava-charane mora ei manaskama
bhaji yena janme-janme prabhu balarama

"My only desire at the feet of the Vaisnavas is that birth after birth I may worship the feet of Lord Balaram."

You cannot get Krishna without Balaram, and you cannot get Gaura without Nitai. If you worship Nitai, you get Gaura, and if you worship Gaura, you can get Radha-Krishna in Vrindavan. Yet, many go to Vrindavan first before getting the Guru's mercy...

* * *

Amidst 'Dal' and 'Gal'

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, noon class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 5
Translated from Bengali

People come to Vrindavan before getting the Guru's mercy and sit there, doing bhajan at Radha Kunda or in some cave. Have you heard the story of Gita Family?

One time, a man thought, "Gurudev told me to read Bhagavad-gita, but it is very hard to read it among all these people. Better I go somewhere to read Gita on my own." Thinking this way, he left the temple and went to Risikesh to read Gita. He found a cave in a mountain and settled there, but how will he read Gita? His mind is not right.

When he read Gita, he felt drowsy and fell asleep. One day, a mouse came and started eating the book. When he woke up, he saw that half the book had been finished. He got annoyed, "What is this? I am reading Gita and this mouse is disturbing me! I must do away with it!" What did he do? His bad desires had not left him—he still had desire and envy. So, thinking how to get rid of the mouse, he started thinking of getting a cat. He went looking around for a cat and when he found one, he brought it to his cave, thinking, "Now I can read Gita peacefully." A few days later, the cat started meowing in the cave. The cat had to eat something. Then he thought, "Ugh, I must get some milk for the cat. I should find a cow." He found a cow and got milk, but then the cow started to cry, and he thought, "Who will take care of the cow? When will I look after the cow and when will I read Gita? I should get somebody to take care of the cow!" Then, he found a girl. He brought the girl to the cave, and eventually they had children. He ended up having a big family.

In the meantime, the Guru of that man wondered how his disciple was getting on, "He said he was going to Risikesh to read Gita. Let me go and see how he is." When he came there, he saw a big family in a cave squabbling with each other. One child is crying, "Daddy, give me a motocycle!"; another child is crying, "Daddy, I have seen a new girl, arrange my marriage with her!" The Guru asked the man, "Are you reading Gita?!" "Gita? I do not even know where it is!" This is Gita Family for you.

Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur told this story. You can find it in his book (Bengali) called Upakhyane Upadesh. One time, when Srila Prabhupad was in some preaching programme, he was informed that the cooking had not been completed and the cooks were running late, and the person was concerned that people were hungry. Srila Prabhupad replied, "Do not worry about it. Delay the cooking for another hour. I will tell devotees such things that they will forget all about hunger. They will not feel hunger anymore." Such were Srila Prabhupad's stories. I have told you many stories from that book (Upakhyane Upadesh).

People want gawa ghee and balam chal—very good quality ghee and good quality of rice. They say, "Oh, I do not want to live at the temple! I would rather stay at home and eat nice ghee and nice rice!" Yet, when you stay at the temple, you will have to take dal and you will have to take abuse or chastisement (gal). You can see that everyone here has come with a return ticket. They are thinking about their house, but if you tell them to stay here for ten days, for four-six months (Gurudev has built so many temples for your shelter), first, they will say, "I will stay at the temple when I retire." Then, they say, "I must have my grandchildren married." After that, you ask what happened and it turns out that before the grandchildren could get married, the person went to 'collect patol' [a Bengali euphemism for 'died']. Such is life,

jivana anitya janaha sara
tahe nana-vidha vipada-bhara
namasraya kari' yatane tumi
thakaha apana kaje

"Know that the main thing is that life is temporary and filled with all sorts of danger. Carefully take shelter of the Name and do your work."

(Gitavali, Arunadaya kirtan, 1.3, by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

Our life is not eternal: we will have to leave one day; but we are all eternal servants of Krishna, and not for two-three or four days only. No. We are eternal servants. Yet, we forget it,

'krsna-nitya-dasa'—jiva taha bhuli' gela
ei dose maya tara galaya bandhila

"When the jiva soul makes the mistake of forgetting that it is an eternal servant of Krishna, Maya captures the soul by its neck."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.24)

You must not forget this. We are eternal servants of Lord Krishna.

* * *

Increase Your Fortune

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, noon class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 6
Translated from Bengali

We must not forget that we are eternal servants of Krishna. You must know your identity—you must know who you are. I am not such-and-such Ray, such-and-such Chowdhury, such-and-such Master, or such-and-such Maharaj! I am not a brahmachari, I am not a ksatriya, I am not a vaisya! What did Mahaprabhu say?

naham vipro na cha nara-patir napi vaisyo na sudro
naham varni na cha grha-patir no vanastho yatir va
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramananda-purnamrtabdher
gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah

"I am not a brahman, I am not a ksatriya, I am not a vaisya or a sudra. Nor am I a brahmachari, a householder, a vanaprastha or a sannyasi. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna, the maintainer of the gopis. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 13.80)

"I am a servant of devotees." I am a menial servant of devotees. People are too proud to call themselves menial servants—"I like it when people call me 'Prabhu', I feel I am being given honour, and if somebody called me a servant, it hurts me." Yet, we want to give honour to others. That is why, we sing every morning,

sakale sammana karite sakati,
deha natha! yatha yatha

"Gurudev! Please give me such power that I can give appropriate honour to everyone."

We give 'ki jay' to everyone. Nitai Gaurachandra Prabhu ki jay. You must give honour to everyone. Pray to Gurudev, "Gurudev, please hijack me!"

Recently, I sent Ashok Prabhu and Sripad Niriha Maharaj for collection. Somebody scolded them, "What are you begging for? Go chant the Holy Name! Go worship Deities! Do you think you can practise Krishna consciousness just by bringing a sack of rice from Shantipur?" One time, I went to a house in Mednipur. A man came out to me and said, "Do not come to this house, I will not be able to help you." I told him, "I have not come to take your help—I have come to help you!" To help people, sadhus go house to house to take a sack of rice or even just a handful of rice or potato because people cannot offer anything to the Lord themselves—they are enjoying with the Lord's things (they eat everything themselves). When I was going down the street, I saw someone got very hungry, bought some khaja (sweatmeat) and started stuffing it into his mouth. Seeing me, the man tried to say, "Nitai! Nitai!" but his mouth was full of khaja. That is "pahu tule Hari bolo" (chant the Holy Name with your arms upraised) for you—He is holding khaja in one hand and raises the other arm saying, "Hari bol!" He cannot even say "Nitai, Nitai!" You cannot practise Krishna consciousness like that. Mahaprabhu said,

gramya-katha na sunibe, gramya-varta na kahibe
bhala na khaibe ara bhala na paribe
amani manada hana krsna-nama sada la'be
vraje radha-krsna seva manase karibe

"Do not listen to the mundane talks, do not listen to the mundane news. Do not eat fancy food, do not wear fancy clothes. Do not expect honour to yourself, but offer all respect to others. Always chant the Holy Name of Krsna, and in your mind serve Radha-Krsna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.236-237)

Your mind must serve Radha Krishna.

This life is always passing and going away,

dina yaya michha kaje nisa nidra-base
nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe base

My days are passed in useless work and nights are wasted on sleeping. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting next to me.

('Durlabha manava janma labhiya' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

We have to leave this world, but how much have you chanted the Holy Name? How much have you listened to Hari-katha? You will have to answer these questions. You have come to this holy abode of Nityananda Prabhu by a great fortune. The Lord has bestowed His mercy on you and brought you to this holy dham. If you had not got Nityananda Prabhu's mercy, you would not have been able to come here. So many thousands and thousands of jiva souls take birth and live only by eating, sleeping, fearing, and copulating, but how many people come here? One thousand can come, two thousand can come, even if a hundred thousand people will come, that is all—definitely not more than that. You always think about your enjoyment, you always think, "I want more, I want more"; but you have got this tongue for chanting the Lord's Name, to chant the Lord's kirtan. If you do not chant the Holy Name of Krishna, Nitai with this tongue, then this tongue will simply decay and get bitten by insects. If your tongue does not chant the Holy Name of Nitai, it is a waste of tongue—it is not necessary to keep a tongue then! You do not need a mouth if it does not chant the Holy Name of Nitai. Lochan Das Thakur said, "I do not want to go to any place where there is no Nitai." Yet, sadhus mercifully go to people's houses. You think, "Oh, he has taken a sack of rice/potato/sugar/dal from me!" but you are so fortunate! Sadhus came to your house and took a sack of rice or a sack of potato from you—they take the trouble of carrying it to the temple and use it for the service of Nitai. You cannot offer it to the Lord yourself—you are not vegetarian, you eat non-vegetarian food, you do not follow Ekadasi, you do not chant the Holy Name—the Lord will not accept an offering from you. That is why, devotees and sadhus come to your door, to your room, and take rice, dal, potato and use it in the service to Lord Govinda.

Sri Nityananda Prabhu's dham parikrama has finished, but soon there will be Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama. Please come. Everyone can come—there are now one hundred rooms more in Nabadwip. After this festival, I will not go for preaching so much. There is a six-day preaching programme planned, after that I will be in Nrisingha Palli, arranging everything so that you can stay there nicely...

(His Divine Grace concludes the festival programme by chanting Bhoga Arati and Arati kirtans before commencing the grand and renowned prasadam distribution.)

* * *

Free Yourself From Deceit

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 1
Translated from Bengali

mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim
yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

"The dumb can speak, the lame can climb a hill—all it takes is mercy from Gurudev."

(Bhavartha Dipika)

First of all, I am offering my full obeisance at the holy lotus feet of Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, begging him for his causeless mercy, after that I am offering my obeisance to all Guru-varga, to all my God-brothers and sisters, to all the listeners, to all the motherly lady devotees, to all devotees, and I am praying to you all for your mercy to this low soul.

Today, on this auspicious day, we have had a festival of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance. It has passed very well. The devotees have made the parikrama of Sri Ekachakra Dham, and everybody has helped this festival in their own way. Many helped distributing prasadam, many were at the kitchen—Keshto Prabhu, Tarok Prabhu, Nisikanta Prabhu and others worked very hard. Rama Prabhu, Ashok Prabhu are here at the front, they chant and dance. Sripad Niriha Maharaj also arranged many things whenever it was necessary to bring anything from outside; he also arranged the accommodation for everyone. Many did service. I have seen many helped clean and cut the vegetables. I do not know the names of many of you, but you have all served in your own way and Nityananda Prabhu notices everything, He will arrange the best for you. I pray for this at His holy lotus feet. I pray that He may keep you all well, so that we can celebrate Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day in this beautiful way next year too, so that we can come to the holy dham, do the dham parikrama. This is what I pray for to Sriman Nityananda Prabhu and Ekachakleshwar Dhameswar Sivji Maharaj.

Many have helped this festival, but you cannot help with money only. You can see the decoration of the temple—Kamlendu Prabhu, Sudevi Didi, Dharitri Didi from Colombia, Ranjana Didi from Nepal cleaned and decorated the temple and the altar. In one or another, many do some service, and those who do service are very fortunate. If you behave deceitfully and try to cheat, you can never succeed like that—you cannot hide anything from Gurudev, you cannot hide anything from Nityananda Prabhu. They do not bestow mercy on deceitful persons. If a person says one thing but has something else inside, it will not do. What you say and what you have inside must be the same. If you are deceitful, you will not get the Lord's mercy. Always serve the Lord without deceit. Do not keep any deceit. If you keep dirty, filthy things inside but externally speak in another way—that is not correct, it will not take you anywhere. Therefore, Nityananda Prabhu bestows His mercy on those who fall at His feet sincerely, without any deceit. Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, "Saralata is vaishnavata. Being a Vaishnav means being simple." You will not get any result if you do not have simplicity. Do not keep any insincerity or duplicity (kutinati). This is good, that is bad—if you have such duplicity in your mind (if your external behaviour does not align with your internal mood), you cannot practise Krishna consciousness like that. No matter whether you have taken initiation, no matter how many rounds of the Holy Name you chant, everything will be in vain.

hena krnsa-nama yadi laya bahu-bara
tabu yadi prema nahe, nahe asrudhara
tabe jani, aparadha tahate prachura
krsna-nama-bija tahe na kare ankura

"If you chant this Name of Krishna so many times but still there is no love, there are no tears streaming from your eyes, then as I understand there are too many offences and the seed of Krishna's Name does not sprout."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 8.29-30)

koti janma yadi kare sravana kirtana
tabu na paya vrajendranandan

"If you practise hearing and chanting for millions of lives, you may still not get the Son of Nanda who dwells in Vraja."

You must chant the Holy Name rejecting all offences. Practise Krishna consciousness properly, with a simple heart and sincerity.

* * *

Be Truthful, Pious, and Sincere

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 2
Translated from Bengali

You must be simple-hearted. Do not resort to lying (lit. 'take shelter of lying'). You must never ever lie to your Guru—you cannot think, "I will tell this, and I will not tell that." The Lord does not like this. Lying means you have lust (kama-sakti), and all diseases take shelter in lying (lies contain all diseases). Never lie, always take the path of the truth. Always speak the truth. No matter what happens, even if you are beaten or anything, you must speak the truth. This is how we must serve our Guru and Vaishnavs...

You wear tilaks, wear beads on your necks, but inside you do wrong—one day, sooner or later, your character will be exposed. You will not get anything by hiding something from the Lord. You cannot hide anything from Gurudev. What you do at your home or not do—Gurudev can understand everything.

Therefore, always speak the truth. You must always tell the truth to Gurudev. If you take shelter of lies in relation to your Guru, the Lord can never like this because Gurudev wants to keep everyone engaged in the service of the Lord. You always say, "Gurudev, give your mercy!" "Gurudev, give your mercy!" You offer flowers to Gurudev's photograph, you offer Gurudev a garland. You say, "Give me mercy," but mercy means service. We must do service despite any unhappiness, "Tomara sevaya yata haya duhkha, seo ta' parama sukha—All the distress I encounter in Your service is also my greatest happiness." You can see my example, and you should feel hope. One year, I was giving class here in Ekachakra, and police came and took me to jail, you know that, but all those lies did not last—everything became exposed, and later, those who had caused this came to me and apologised. Now too, we went for the parikrama—my feet hurt a lot, I got a headache. I never used to be like that. I used to go to forty houses a day without any difficulty... When you come to practise Krishna consciousness and do something wrong, keep some fault inside, then all fault falls on the body of your Guru. Your Guru has to suffer for your wrongdoing...

One time, I asked Gurudev, "Gurudev, is your health all right?" Gurudev replied, "Today, my health is good. You know why? Because I did not give initiations today." In other words, when people come to take initiation, they place the burden of all their sins, all their actions on Gurudev's shoulders. Gurudev has to suffer for the result of all their actions. Our bodies are made of flesh and blood, and anarthas, etc. are always with us—our bodies are ruined by five diseases (vardhakye ekhana, pancha-roge hata), but you must be careful yourself. Always think, "How can I serve Gurudev?" Those who have no money can serve with their mind, heart, and soul.

How can you help Gurudev? When Gurudev told me one day, "Maharaj, come with me abroad for preaching. You will help me," I thought, "Gurudev is taking me for preaching, but I do not cook for Gurudev, I do not massage Gurudev's body with mustard oil, I do not take care of his prasadam, then what service can I do? What does Gurudev want me to do?" I thought deeply about it and realised: when Gurudev was abroad, he would preach only once a day, in the evening, for forty-five to sixty minutes. So, I would wake up in the morning, lead the morning arati, gave class, and in the evening, I would come to the arati or to the hall where the programme was held and start kirtan. When the time for Gurudev's lecture came, Gurudev called and asked, "Have people gathered?" I said, "Yes, the hall is full." And their halls are very big, for maybe thousand or two thousand people, with chairs, etc. Foreigners sit on the chairs and listen to lectures—they listen to lectures and come to this line, and when they come here, they put on tilaks, chant on their beads and sit on the floor like us. Nobody comes to this line so easily, but the way people from that country are serving now! They are serving with heart and soul. Our country's people cannot understand it...

What does Gurudev want? What does Gurudev like? We do not know this, we do not understand it. What makes Gurudev happy? I have written about the relationship with the Guru in the fourth volume of Guidance. Read it. What is necessary to genuinely serve the Guru?

* * *

Chastity In Preaching

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 3
Translated from Bengali

When you live at the temple, you cannot be choosy, "I will do this, I will not do that." One time, Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur gave sannyas to one disciple, but later he said, "I am taking off the sannyas cloth I have given you," because he did not go to preach for Prabhupad—instead, he took sannyas from Prabhupad and went to Badarikashram. Prabhupad actually took his sannyas back. Gurudev told me about that. It is necessary to have chastity. For example, Mukunda was very good at singing kirtan, but Mahaprabhu called him khar-jhatiya. Why? Because he went everywhere and mixed with everyone.

We do not go everywhere. One time, there was a programme in Uluberia. When I got the photos in whatsapp, I told the Lord, "O Lord, You have saved me!" We are not politicians, we do not do politics, so I will not go to such places. I have my service. If there are politicians, I do not want to go there. Mahaprabhu did not do such things. Mahaprabhu went door to door chanting the Holy Name—He would go to BJP's door, He would go to Trinamool's door; He went to Muslims' door, He went to Christians' door, He went to Buddhists' door, He went to Hindus' door; He went to mlechhas' door, etc. He did not choose where to go and where not to go [He preached everywhere, He did not engage in politics]—He told whoever He saw to chant the Holy Name, and it is said about Sri Nityananda Prabhu,

uttama, adhama, kichhu na kare vichara
ye age padaye, tare kraye nistara

Nityananda Prabhu does not consider who is good and who is bad, He saves anyone who falls before Him.

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 5.208-209)

He does not see who is higher, who is lower—He rescued whoever falls at His feet.

In this way, we must serve Gurudev—we must not use Gurudev. If you do something using Gurudev's name, it is bad. Do not do business using Gurudev's name. We have not come here to do business, and we do not want to do anything covering up with the name of Gurudev. We must only preach Gurudev's teaching. We must preach in the same way that Gurudev preached, and we must preach his teaching—we must understand properly, truly what Gurudev's teaching and preaching mood are.

* * *

Cry, Pray, and Serve

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 4
Translated from Bengali

'ami ta vaisnava' e buddhi haile
amani na ha'ba ami
pratisthasa asi' hrdaya dusibe
haiba nirayagami

"If I think, 'I am a Vaishnav,' then I will never stop expecting honour from others—my heart will become polluted by the desire for fame and I will end up in hell."

If I start thinking that I have become a Vaishnav, then I will not be able to give honour to others. We sing in the kirtan, "Gurudev, give me strength so that I can give proper honour to everyone, then I will be able to happily chant the Holy Name and all my offences will go away."

sakale sammana karite sakati,
deha natha! yatha yatha
tabe ta' gaiba hari-nama sukhe,
aparadha habe hata

"O master! Give me the ability to befittingly honour everyone. Then I will sing the Lord's Name happily, and all my offences will be eradicated."

If I can give honour to everyone, my offences will go away—in other words, if I pay a dandavat to someone, then my ego and pride will go away. The person can be younger than me by age, but I should offer obeisance to everyone. When we do Tulasi parikrama, we pray,

vanchha-kalpatarubhyas cha krpa-sindhubhya eva cha
patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah

"Again and again I offer my obeisance unto the Supreme Lord's devotees, who are saviours of the fallen, oceans of mercy, and wish-fulfilling trees."

Do you understand what I am saying? We must offer obeisances to everyone. Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, "Daso 'smi. I am your servant. You are all not my disciples; rather, I am your servants."

visaya chhadiya kabe suddha habe mana,
kabe hama heraba sri-vrindavan

"When will my mind, leaving the material world, become clean? When will I see Sri Vrindavan?"

When will I leave material world and my mind become clean? When will material desires be removed from me? We must always cry and pray for this. Always cry, "When will material desires go away from me? When will I forget all material desires?" We have lived a family life for so long, so many things have passed. We have been living a material life, a family life for so long—we have crossed 8,400,000 species and have lived in 8,400,000 material families, and more will come. Now you have come to old age, but the older you get, the more you think, "I want to live more and more! I want to enjoy my family life more and more!"

Sometimes you can see ants inside molasses. Nobody puts them there, but they come to enjoy the sweet molasses, and once they come there, they are finished—they will fill their bellies so much that they get stuck in the molasses. Our material life is just like that—we have become entangled in the material life just as ants get stuck in molasses.

I told one lady the other day, "There is nobody to wash the dishes at the temple. The lady who washed the dishes has sores on her hand," but she refused. Next day in the morning she died, and she was rather young, not so old. Did she have any sons? [Devotees say she had two daughters.] Yes, she had her daughters married and stayed alone at home (without any income). I told her, "Why are you staying alone and eating on your own? Stay in Tarakeshwar, serve there." She did not have enough fortune for that... When I started preaching at the time of Gurudev's festival, I told her, "It is winter now and that lady cannot wash the dishes because she has sores on her hands, if I can send you there, it will be good. You can wash the Lord's dishes." She refused, and the next day she died. What will you do? Such is fate. This life is not eternal—we do not know when we will have to leave this world.

We carry on our material life with its happiness and unhappiness, we have become so much entangled in the material world. What happiness is there in it? If only we can throw our life for the service of the Lord! How long, how long more will you sleep on the lap of Witch Maya? Wake up, wake up, brothers! There is no time! Worship Krishna! Loudly chant the Holy Name of Krishna!

uthare uthare bhai ara ta samaya nai
'krsna bhaja' bale uchchaihsvare

Wake up, wake up, brother, there is no time! Worship Krishna!

Gurudev opened these temples so that we can sincerely serve at the temple, live at the temple...

* * *

Service: Labour of Love

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 5
Translated from Bengali

Before you light a big lamp (pradip), you must light a small lamp and keep it always burning. Why? Because if you do not keep a lamp burning, then, when the big lamp's light goes off, everything will become dark. This is the truth...

Gurudev explained everything and made this fallen lowly soul sit in his chair. I never wanted to sit on a throne! Gurudev said, "I am sitting on a very hard throne." When Gurudev said this, I did not understand the meaning, but now I understand it. Making temples, buildings is not a big matter, but it is important to maintain them. You can see that we have been here for so many days already, but only two fans work. Can you see it? There are so many fans in the nat mandir, but they do not work. So many people gather in the nat mandir. They could call me and let me know, "Gurudev, fans are not working," and I could arrange to fix them. Yet, so many people come for the kirtan, and it is so difficult. "Kirtaniyer parisram jane Gaura Ray. Gaura Ray knows the struggle of those who chant kirtan." [Chaitanya-charitamrita (14.1.38): Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu understood the labour of all the kirtan chanters; therefore He was very eager to feed them sumptuously.] Nobody understands how hard it is to chant kirtan. I have made the kitchen outbuilding, and I have to see what adjustments are necessary—how many things one person must see to! What is good, what is necessary to make—those who are staying here must look after it. How much time do I spend here? I come here in winter, nobody turns the fans on because it is cold, and I come in the morning, offer obeisance to the Lordships, and leave in the afternoon. How am I to know that the fans are not working? Those who are staying here must know and check whether everything is working properly or not. I have to think whether there are buckets in the bathrooms, whether the bathrooms are clean or not. Actually, when I was coming, I brought more buckets in case there are not enough. But how am I to know the fans are not working? This is the problem.

It is necessary to have service mood.

tad viddhi pranipatena, pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam, jnaninas tattva-darsinah

"You will be able to attain knowledge by satisfying the divine master with submission, relevant inquiry, and sincere service. The enlightened souls who are learned in scriptural knowledge and endowed with direct realisation of the Supreme Absolute Truth will impart divine knowledge to you."

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

You must ask honest questions. Honest questions are "Who am I?" "Why am I suffering?" "How can I get benefit?"

One time, there was a sadhu who stayed in a small room and practised Krishna consciousness on his own. He cooked something, offered bhoga to the Deities, and took prasad. The sadhu had one broken chair. One day, a big mayavadi came to him and sat in that chair, shaking his leg impatiently and saying, "Listen sadhu, everybody comes to you for knowledge. Give me some knowledge!" The sadhu thought, "Oh, he has come for knowledge! I will teach him." When somebody came, the sadhu gave the visitor some sherbet (sweet, flavoured water). So, this time too, he put a glass of sherbet on the table; then, he started pouring water into it. The water overflowed on the table and then on the chair and the mayavadi. The man jumped up, "Is this how you are giving knowledge to me? You are a fool! You have wetted my pants and shirt! Do you not see there is water in the glass?! Why are you pouring water when there is water in the glass?!" The sadhu said, "Sir, I am doing it for you. How so? You have come to take knowledge from me, but your head is already full of knowledge. If I put more knowledge there, it will flow over and fall."

When there was recently some debate with a mayavadi during preaching, I told the man the same thing, and I said, "I do not want to see the face of a mayavadi!" He asked me the same question over and over again, and when I answered, he challenged me, "What is the proof? Who wrote Bhagavatam?" Srila Prabhupad wanted to keep a hundred feet away from such people—they do not even accept the existence of the Lord. He tried to say there is no Lord, there is only Brahman! I stopped, but he still did not leave. In the end, I said, "Sorry, I am very busy, I have to go..."

* * *

Service: Adherence and Attachment

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 6
Translated from Bengali

Actually, sahajiyas are better than mayavadis [because unlike mayavadis, sahajiyas believe in the existence of the Lord]. You have seen today at the Bankarai Krishna's temple that somebody was dressed as Krishna and chanting some 'kirtans.' This is what sahajiyas are like. They only dress as Krishna, just as Siva once dressed as a gopi, but the difference is that Lord Siva had anugatya (strict adherence and devotion), that is why he was able to take part in the Vrindavan pastimes. There is no Krishna consciousness without anugatya. If you practise Krishna consciousness without anugatya, it is Maya consciousness (serving Maya). You must remember this. If somebody practises Krishna consciousness without strict adherence and devotion to a Guru, it is Maya (illusion).

You know, one time, I went for collecting rice. Somebody told me, "I can give you rice. How much will you take?" I told him, "OK, give one quintal (100 kg)." He said, "OK, I'm going." I said, "Wait, give the rice first," and then I saw that the sack the man had given was full of rice husk paddy! I still took it because it is good paddy for cows. Another time, I went to some place, the man said, "I have not got any rice, I only have husk paddy." I took it, and everybody laughed at me, "Maharaj has brought husk paddy!" We must always think how we can help our Gurudev—whatever your capacity is. There is no question that everybody must give money. I never ask for money from anyone. When I come to your house, I say, "Give me a sack of potato, give me five kg rice, etc." Why do I say this? Because when a sannyasi comes from a temple, you must give him something. When you come to a sannyasi, when you come to the Lord, you must give something, some food items.

You can see that whenever I go to some temple, I always give some pranami. Such is the rule. Whenever I go to temples in Vrindavan, Puri, etc. I never leave the temple without giving some pranami (a small donation). Gurudev taught me this. Even when I go to the Kolkata temple, there is Gaura Nitai there: if I go out preaching and I am coming back to Kolkata late, I bring some bhoga for Gaura Nitai (especially if I know I am passing a shop where good bhoga is sold)—it can be offered the next day in the morning. You must bring something for the Deities. When I come here, I bring some fruit, some vegetables. When I go to Nrisingha Palli, when I go to Tarakeshwar, etc. I always bring something. Such is the rule, and I do this wherever I go. This is what Gurudev taught me. One time, Gurudev told me, "Let us go to Hapaniya. My Guru Maharaj told me Hapaniya is my temple; I want to go there." On the way, Gurudev gave me 100 rupees and told me to buy some yoghurt and sweets. When I came back, Gurudev told me, "Why did it take you so long? Were you bargaining? When you buy for the Lord, you must never bargain." This is what Gurudev taught me.

How should we serve Vaishnavs?

ki-rupe paiba seva muni durachara
sri-guru-vaisnava rati na haila amara

I am so wicked, how will I ever get service? I do not have any attachment to Sri Guru and Vaishnavs!

We do not have attachment to the lotus feet of Sri Guru and Vaishnavs! We are wicked...

We must practise Krishna consciousness. Krishna consciousness means we must please the Lord. Therefore, we must please the Lord, we must please our Gurudev. You can never please the Lord without pleasing Gurudev. Krishna Himself says, "Worship of My devotees is higher than worshipping Me." That is why we always say we are devotees of Gauranga Mahaprabhu, devotees of Nitai. Before you become a devotee of Krishna, you must become a devotee of Srimati Radharani.

radha-bhajane yadi mati nahi bhela
krsna-bhajana tava akarana gela

"If you do not worship Srimati Radharani, your worship of Krishna is nothing."

We must worship Srimati Radharani. Her worship is this:

matala hari-jana kirtana-range
pujala raga-patha gaurava-bhange

"From afar we shall worship the raga-patha, the path of spontaneous affectionate service, while we ourselves shall live within the Vedic guideline."

* * *

Forging Fortune

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 7
Translated from Bengali

Our Param Guru Maharaj Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, the Founder Acharya of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, was very strict. One time, he turned Srila Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj out from the temple because the latter only went to listen to some melodious sahajiya kirtans. Srila Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj was the one who composed our Sri Gaudiya Gitanjali (the Kirtan Guide); his samadhi is in Vrindavan, if you go to Vrindavan, you can find his samadhi near Pavan Sarovar (Nandagram), where Srila Sridhar Maharaj practised bhajan during some time. When this Srila Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj went to listen to some lila-kirtan that were chanted near the temple and Srila Sridhar Maharaj got to hear about it, Srila Sridhar Maharaj told him to leave. Srila Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj left and was about to cross the Ganges to go to Mayapur when he met a disciple of Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur who asked him, "Maharaj, where are you hurrying off to?" Srila Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj said, "Srila Sridhar Maharaj has turned me out." The devotee said, "Srila Srihdar Maharaj? I heard he never turns anyone out... You must have done something." Srila Babaji Maharaj said, "Yes, I went to listen to lila-kirtan." Then, the disciple of Srila Prabhupad said, "Oh! You are a tin-lakhiya babaji (a great babaji chanting 300,000 Holy Names every day), but you are not getting taste for the Holy Name, so you went to get that taste from a boys' and girls' kirtan?!" Gurudev told this story very nicely.

One time, I told Gurudev, "Gurudev, one devotee has left because of some problem." Gurudev replied, "This is not the cause. Yaowata-i svabhavik, thakata-i asvabhavik. It is natural one will leave; rather, it is unnatural (uncommon) that one would stay." How many people can stay at the temple? Who can tolerate the austerities and practise Krishna consciousness, do service? Who has such a fortune?

alpa-bhagye seva nahi haya
koti janma thakle bhagya
visaya chhede haya vairagya

"Service does not come by just a little fortune. Only after ten million births of good fortune, can you leave this material world behind."

That is why, not everybody gets this kind of fortune.

One time, somebody complained to Gurudev, "Gurudev, I sit and chant kirtan every day at 6 o'clock. I play the mridanga and that fellow comes and plays karatals completely out of tune!" Gurudev replied, "Yata chila nadabune haye gela kirtane ara kaste bhenge gadano kattala. Lit. all the foolish peasants come to do kirtan with broken scythes as kartals (Clodhoppers have turned artists; fools have turned leaders)." Gurudev's words were like that. He said, "I am living in a family with the children whom fathers or mothers have kicked out of the house. So many people come here from all kinds of walks of life—somebody will play in this way, somebody will play in that way. Why are you complaining to me? Everybody is not right here, but slowly they will come right." I still remember Gurudev's words. I always remember his words...

Gurudev told many things. He told me many things about the history of Gaudiya Vaishnavs, I do not say those things so much openly.... My Gurudev spoke in this way—"Sada hasya mista bhasi susila kavitva: you always smile and speak sweet words, and your poetry is perfect." He always chanted the Holy Name laughing and speaking sweetly.

* * *

Concentrate Your Mind on Nityananda Prabhu's Service

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 8
Translated from Bengali

Gurudev told many things. He told me many things about the history of Gaudiya Vaishnavs, and I do not say those things so much openly.... My Gurudev spoke in this way—"sada hasya mista bhasi susila kavitva: always smiling and speaking sweet words, producing perfect poetry." He always chanted the Holy Name laughing and speaking sweetly. Gurudev said, "People brag, 'I chant 100,000 Holy Names!' but when I chant four rounds, I start sweating so much!" One time, a servant told Param Guru Maharaj (Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj), who had become virtually blind by that time, "Maharaj, shall I give you your mala?" Param Guru Maharaj replied, "Give the mala to Govinda Maharaj. I will not chant on the mala any more." He did not chant on his mala during last two years—he withdrew into his internal bhajan and only kept saying, "Nitai Gaura Hari bol, Nitai Gaura Hari bol, Nitai Gaura Hari bol. Doyal Nitai, Doyal Nitai." He chanted in this way. He did not know anything except Nitai. Srila Sridhar Maharaj appeared in this world on the same day that Sri Virachandra Prabhu, Nityananda Prabhu's son, appeared (navami tithi, ninth lunar day). His name at first was Ramendra Bhattacharya. Param Guru Maharaj forcefully took Gurudev by hand and made him the acharya. At the temple, many criticised Gurudev and spoke many bad things about Gurudev, saying that Guru Maharaj's decision was wrong. They criticised Srila Guru Maharaj's decision... Where are they now? Now everyone can understand who was the recipient of Srila Guru Maharaj's mercy. There has never been a Guru like our Gurudev in this world. He could chastise you, he could also treat you with affection...

Gurudev is always merciful. This is what a Guru must be like. He always thinks about everyone's spiritual benefit—he always thinks how we can get attachment to and love for Lord Krishna, how we can practise Krishna consciousness...

'samsara' 'samsara' kari' michhe gela kala
labha na ha-ila kichhu, ghatila janjala

"Time has passed as I have been busy in my material life, and I have got nothing—only became burdened."

They do not understand what the Guru's mercy is. When you are given a service, that is mercy, and if you can do it, that should be your joy. Austerity will come, it must come, but:

tomara sevaya, duhkha haya yata,
seo ta' parama sukha

"All the distress I encounter in Your service is also my greatest happiness."

(Saranagati 16.4)

If you can do your service, that is your source of joy.

Many think, "I will leave my family"—they say this by mouth, but in the meantime, the poison of material life is slowly growing... but if you listen to what the Guru and sadhus say and can put aside material desires—if Nitaichand gives His mercy—then all desires will become trifle. Therefore, concentrate your mind on the service of Nityananda Prabhu, always serve Nityananda Prabhu.

* * *

Direct Your Mind to Bhagavatam

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 9
Translated from Bengali

You have been listening to the glories of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu for several days already. Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami said, "I am lower than warms in stool, but I am speaking about the glories of Sriman Nityananda Prabhu." Guru and Vaishnavs rescued such fallen souls as us, who are lower than worms in stool (if you take those worms out of stool, they always go back to the stool), from illusory environment and engaged in the service of the Lord, but our minds still always go to maya. Such is our sad position. That is why, Gurudev is always merciful:

durdaive sevaka yadi yaya anya sthane
sei thakura dhanya tare chule dhari' ane

“If by chance a servant falls down and goes somewhere else, glorious is that master who captures him and brings him back by the hair.”

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 4.47)

It is loving search for the lost servant. We are lost children, and the Lord is searching for us. When a son is lost, the father searches for him—he gives an advertisement on TV, in newspapers, declares the boy missing, etc. In the same way, the Lord has lost His children—us, the fallen souls—and He is searching for us everywhere, "When will these souls start practising Krishna consciousness and come back to Me?" Such is Krishna consciousness. "Tava nija-jana kona mahajane pathaiya dile tumi. The Lord sends His own man to tell me about Him."

If you send a letter to the Lord, you will not get any reply; but if you give your letter to Gurudev and ask him, then you will get a reply, you will get the news about the Lord. That is why, it is not necessary to go to the Lord directly—the Lord's very own associate has come to this world as a guru, as an acharya, and you can come to him and make your honest enquiry. Honest enquiry means asking, "Who am I? Why am I suffering? How can I get benefit? What is the goal? How can I achieve the goal?" We must make honest enquiry (pariprasna). How can we get spiritual benefit?

Pariksit Maharaj asked a sixteen-year-old naked young boy, Sukadev Goswami, "How can I get spiritual benefit?" The answer that this sixteen-year-old boy spoke during seven days is what later became Srimad Bhagavatam. Nobody composed Bhagavatam. Later, at Naimisaranya (Uttar Pradesh), sixty thousand rishis asked Suta Goswami to repeat what Sukadev Goswami had told Pariksit Maharaj, and this is how Bhagavatam appeared.

prthivite yaha kichu dharma name chale
bhagavata kahe taha paripurna chhale

"Bhagavatam says that what is happening in this world in the name of religion, is complete cheating."

You must listen to Srimad Bhagavatam as it is all about devotion only. However, there is no mention of Srimati Radharani in Srimad Bhagavatam—this is such a high topic that there is no mention of it in Srimad Bhagavatam. That is why, Sri Vasu Ghosh wrote:

yadi gaura na ha'ta tabe ki ha-ita
kemane dharitam de
radhara mahima, prema-rasa-sima
jagate janata ke?

"If Gaura had not come, then what would have happened? How would we have maintained our lives? Who would have revealed to the world Radha's glory and the extremes of Her ecstatic divine love?"

(Srila Vasudev Ghosh Thakur)

If Gauranga had not come, who would have revealed Srimati Radharani in this world? Krishna has taken the heart and halo of Srimati Radharani and appeared as Gauranga. In Sri Puri Dham, Gauranga Mahaprabhu revealed that form in front of Sri Svarup Damodar and Sri Ramananda Ray. Sivji Maharaj said, "Aham vetti, Suka vetti, Vyasa vetti na vetti va. I know it, Sukadev Goswami knows it, but I do not know whether Vyasadev knows it or not." Therefore, if Vyasadev (Guru) gives his mercy to somebody, that person must certainly know it. When Srila Raghunath Das Goswami came to Vrindavan, he said, "I have got from Rupa and Sanatan even more than I have got from my Guru, from Svarup Damodar, and even more than I have got from Mahaprabhu Himself!" Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami also wrote at the end of every single chapter of Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita,

sri-rupa-raghunatha-pade yara asa
chaitanya-charitamrta kahe krsnadasa

Praying at the lotus feet of Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunatha, always desiring their mercy, I, Krishna Das, narrate Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, following in their footsteps.

"By the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, I have got Vrindavan. By the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, I have got Rupa and Raghunath. By the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, I have got Mahaprabhu." These are very beautiful words.

* * *

Keep Yourself On Track

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 10
Translated from Bengali

Srila Prabhupad left this world on 1 January, 1937, and so many days later, his desire was fulfilled here, in Sri Nityananda Prabhu's dham, through Gurudev.

When we were on the parikrama today, a lady recognised me and came up to me to pay obeisance. I bought bamboo from her for fifty rupees when I had just come to Ekachakra for the first time. I remember it was a Sunday, and it is prohibited to cut bamboo on Sundays, but I explained everything to that lady, I spoke some Hari-katha to her and brought her to this path, and in this way I managed to bring bamboo (I gave her fifty rupees because she had to pay a worker to cut it). With that bamboo and some tin sheets that I had got before, I made a small hut at the place where the generator is kept now. Soon after that, we made a festival, and then some bamboo man filed a case against me claiming that I had taken his land. I told him, "Why will I take your land? Our temple's land is to this side of the road." Before, there was no road here—I made the road leading to the Pancha Pandava's place nearby (before that, there were fields all around it). Santosh Prabhu from Nadanghat knew a man who used to be the PM in Siuri, Birbhum District. When that bamboo man filed a case, I spoke to the ex-PM and he agreed to fight the case. He spoke to the man who had filed the case, "What is this? You are filing a case against a sadhu? Stop it!" The man withdrew the case, and after Gaura Purnima I started the construction works here. I bought the land in 2008, and in 2009 Gurudev saw that the four-storey building was completed in just one year. Gurudev saw the building and could leave peacefully. At that time, the temple and the nat mandir had not even been started—Gurudev left this world...

Anyway, much has happened, there is so much history. That is why, I always tell you—if any of you wants to stay in the holy dham, come. We have temples in many dhams—there is a temple in Tarakeshwar, in the dham of Lord Siva, where Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur received Sivji Maharaj's mercy (he was thinking to go to Vrindavan, but having received the mercy of Taraknath Sivji Maharaj, he then cancelled his plan and went to Nabadwip instead). We have a temple there, you can come and stay there. There are facilities here in Ekachakra also. We have a temple in Nrisingha Palli also, in Bankura district also, where Srila Sridhar Maharaj went to bring Srila Bhakti Saranga Goswami Maharaj back. After the disappearance of Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, Srila Goswami Maharaj was very sad and pained: he went back to his family and got married. Srila Sridhar Maharaj went to his house to bring him back, saying, "You are a senior preacher, you should be preaching Prabhupad's teaching, but instead you are sitting here at home with your family. Who will preach Prabhupad's teaching then?" Srila Goswami Maharaj replied, "If you give me sannyas, then I will leave my family and come back to the temple." Srila Sridhar Maharaj gave him sannyas. Later, Srila Goswami Maharaj established Gaura Nityananda's temple at Sri Nandan Acharya Bhavan. Near his temple is also Srila Madhusundan Maharaj's temple. Srila Madhusudan Maharaj always did parikrama together with Srila Sridhar Maharaj. When devotee brought our Gurudev from Nadanghat in 1947, Srila Madhusudan Maharaj was also there at that time. Srila Vaibhav Puri Maharaj (at that time, his name was Nrisigha Brahmachari) was there too—he spoke Hari-katha, hearing which Gurudev came to the Math.

So, who comes, how and through whom one comes to the temple, who has it written in his destiny, nobody can say this. Therefore, I am praying to you all—you have taken initiation from a Guru (yesterday also many took initiation), but do not think that you take initiation and that is it, you have got everything. It is not like that. You are only admitted to a school. Please always practise when you go to your homes, always try to serve your Guru. Those who have wealth should serve with wealth; those who have a body should serve with their body; those who have a mind should serve with their mind; those who have life in them should serve with their life. Whatever your capacity is, whatever your qualification is, everyone must serve your Guru in that capacity.

Actually, we have no qualification: "Yogyata vichare kichu nahi pai—tomara koruna-sara! If you judge my qualifications, you will find I have no qualification, your mercy is everything." How can we get that mercy? Gurudev has given you service, but you are neglecting that service, you are slacking in that service. Gurudev says, "Sit here," then this is what service is, but we go in another direction—our mind carries on going wherever it fancies...

* * *

Are You Getting Off?

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 11
Translated from Bengali

Srila Sridhar Maharaj told very nicely, "Start the fire, and wind will come. Even if your boat is sinking, keep on rowing—do not leave the boat." Gurudev is the captain of the boat (the helmsman)—we sing in one of the kirtans (Ke yabi ke yabi re bhai) also,

hari-namera tarikhani sri-guru-kandari
sankirtana-keroyala du'bahu pasari

The Lord's Names are the ferryboat, Sri Guru is the captain, and the arms raised in the sankirtan are the oars.

So, if you can stay in the boat that Gurudev drives, then you will be able to reach the destination where that boat is going. If, however, you jump off that boat, you will never be able to take that boat again. Gurudev has got you a ticket to Vrindavan, but you get off half way to Vrindavan and go to Kashi. Your ticket was to Vrindavan, but you get off in Kashi... You must understand what I am saying. Gurudev has given you a ticket to Vrindavan, but you get off in Kashi. In another case, you come to the Howrah station to go to Vrindavan, but you do not look carefully which train is going to Vrindavan—you just get on some train that looks beautiful, but it turns out that train is going to Mumbai or some other place, not to Vrindavan! It is necessary to understand these things. You must not take any other train—we must get on the train that Gurudev is taking us in. You must go with your Guru.

Many people travel to various places, but Srila Sridhar Maharaj calls it 'eye exercise'. People disregard what Gurudev says and go for a walk or go travelling. Some come here and go to Tarapith—that is 'jay Ma kara maina dhara' (a joking rhyme, 'Glorifying Mother Kali and getting income') [devotees laugh out loud]. What do the devotees do there? They all take ganja; not only that, the 'sadhus' there actually eat from dead people's skulls! I have seen it with my own eyes when I was passing the place. Can a sane person do that? One time, my karatals got stolen there. I was sad—we are going to do a parikrama, but now we had no karatals. So, I went to buy some karatals. An old lady came to me and said, "I have two pairs of karatals! Will you buy them?" I said, "Yes, I will. How much are they?" I gave her four hundred rupees, and when I saw the karatals, I realised those were my karatals (the one that had been stolen)!

People come to practise Krishna consciousness at a temple and when it comes to winter, you give them a hundred-rupee blanket, and they run away with that blanket! Where will they run from their fate? What is it to me? I started from the scratch with nothing in my hand. I have no problem. This year, I see nobody has complained their mobile phones, etc. had got lost—I have told you to be careful with your mobile phones, gold chains, etc.

You know, one time, I told one man to come for Nabadwip Dham parikrama, but he did not go with me. He said, "What is the point going for the parikrama? I can just bathe in the Ganges!" We sing in one of the kirtans,

gangara-parasa ha-ile paschate pavana
darsane pavitra kara—ei tomara guna

If the Ganges touches someone, he is later purified, but you purify souls simply by seeing them—such is your power.

One becomes pure by getting the darshan of a Vaishnav, and he says he will bathe in the Ganges! One time, a Muslim man came to another man and asked him to give him something, addressing him as "mesho" (mother's sister's husband). The man was surprised, but the Muslim man said, "Yes, you are my mesho, can you not recognise me?" The man believed him and gave him what he had been asked for, and after he took bath in the Ganges, he came out and went around shouting, "Whose mesho am I? Whose mesho am I? Who took the things from me saying I was his mesho?" [His Divine Grace laughs.]

So, we must understand what devotion to the Guru is. If you want to receive Gurudev's mercy, you must take birth in his family. What does it mean to be born in Gurudev's family, or lineage? It means taking shelter of Gurudev and serving Gurudev. Gurudev's wealth is not temples, great buildings, etc. Gurudev's wealth is divine love. If you can get this kind of wealth, then there will remain nothing else to be attained. What is the use of all the temples, buildings, etc.? If you have money, you can make them, and if you do not have money, you do not need all that. Srila Jagadananda Pandit wrote that if anyone comes to the temple, you must give them prasad with affection, and if you have no prasad, you must serve them sweet words and affection. Give affection and sweet words.

* * *

Gentle Clean Hearts

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 12
Translated from Bengali

So many devotees come to the holy dham of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. It is necessary to be wise. When you run a temple, you do not have to worry about money. If you behave gently with the devotees, then money will come automatically—money will not be leaving, money will be coming. So, it is not necessary to think how to force anyone. All this is not necessary.

Sridhar Prabhu told the Lord, "Why do You not go to somebody else? I am a poor brahman, and You are coming to steal my thor (banana stem). You always come and bargain with me!" Mahaprabhu said, "No matter what you say, I will always be taking from your shop!"

We must understand what this means. In some lila-kirtan, they sing, "Yar hate khai, tar hate khai, yar tar hate khai na. Krishna says that He does not take food from anyone and everyone—He eats from the hand of those whose hand He wishes to eat from."

bhakter jinish prabhu lutiputi khay
abhakter jinish prabhu ulti nahi khay

"The Lord eats anything and everything when a devotee offers it, but He does not take anything from a non-devotee."

The Lord never takes anything from the hand of a non-devotee. The Lord never took Duryodhan's raja-bhoga (royal opulent food), but He took banana skin from Vidura's wife, He took chipped rice from Sudama Vipra! When Sudama Vipra came to Krishna, Krishna Himself massaged his feet and told others (His queens, Satyabhauma, Rukmini, and others) also to massage his feet, "Sudama has come from so far, his feet must be hurting. Let us massage his feet! I am massaging, and you must massage his feet too!" Krishna Himself served His devotee.

That is why, service to devotees is the highest. We do not know anything except service to devotees. We have nothing else to aspire for. We must serve devotees.

Many say with their mouth, "I will leave my family! I will leave my material life!" but you must get there to feel with all your being, all your heart that your family (your material life) is trifling. You must make so that all material desires become insignificant. May only attachment and devotion to the Lord come to you. Our Param Guru Maharaj said, "We are looking for the Lord, and in the meantime the Lord is also looking for us." We are lost sons, and the Lord is looking for us! What sort of pull is there! The Lord looks for us and calls us, "Come back to your home! Back to God, back to home!" We lost our home so long ago! We have lost our address! To bring us to our real home, real address, sadhus come to this world:

mahanta-svabhava ei tarite pamara
nija karya nahi tabu yana tara ghara

"It is the general practice of all saintly people to deliver the fallen. Therefore they go to people's houses, although they have no personal business there."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 8.39)

Sadhus have no business of their own. Why do they go house to house? For some sort of personal interest? No! Because they do not have enough food or clothes? No! Sadhus have no eyes—they do not know anything about food and clothes! They only know to bestow mercy onto you—to bring you to this path, to make it so that you can practise Krishna consciousness nicely. If you think only about the big buildings, temples, etc. you can never become your Guru's devotee like that. If you can get your Guru's affection, love, this is all for us. Even if your Guru beats you with a stick, you must continue serving him. Your Guru can chastise you, he can scold you. I told you yesterday how Nityananda Prabhu bestowed His mercy unto Sivananda Sen, how Nityananda Prabhu bestowed His mercy onto Raghunath Das Goswami. Even Advaita Prabhu is a very elderly person, but Nityananda Prabhu threw rice into his face! Advaita Prabhu said, "Yes, right. How can You possibly fill Your stomach? I am only a poor brahman." What he said is right—can we, mere poor brahmans, possibly serve the Lord? The Lord is the master of the entire world, and we cook some boiled potato and rice for Him—even if you give everything to Him, He will eat everything! We must give everything to the Lord...

* * *

Do Not Give Up

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 13
Translated from Bengali

Param Guru Maharaj (Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj) always said, "Start the fire, and the wind will come on its own," "Even if your boat is sinking, keep rowing!" Srila Prabhupad also said, "When you go to preach, you must sweat and fight to preach about the Lord! And if you run out of money, then you will have to go to householder's homes and preach more!"

One time, Srila Bon Maharaj went out for collection. As he went begging and collecting, he accidentally came to a quarter where fallen women lived. Realising where he was, he lamented, "I am finished! I have been practising Krishna consciousness for so long, but today I have come to the quarter of these fallen people!" The women gave him some money, one-two or five-ten rupees, and Srila Bon Maharaj came back to the temple. He gave that money to Srila Prabhupad, saying with tears in his eyes, "Prabhupad, my spiritual life has been ruined today!" Srila Prabhupad asked him, "What has happened to you today?" Srila Bon Maharaj replied, "I have accidentally come to a place where fallen women live..." In reply, Srila Prabhupad said, "If you think you have done wrong, then I am also doing wrong! I bring all these brahmacharis from their homes so that they can practise Krishna consciousness, and after that I send them back to gross householders. What for? To bring them to this path. Am I doing wrong too?" Gross materialists are not better than prostitutes. "Those prostitutes gave you the money they got by selling their bodies, and you can use that money for the service of the Lord. So, what is the problem? I send brahmacharis to the householder's homes, and they do not lose their spiritual life, and householders are intoxicated with their material life—they do so many bad things!"

The other day, a devotee phoned me and said, "Gurudev, you have told me to go preaching house to house, and I went to fifty houses today—they opened the door to me only in one house!" I told him to go house to house and preach the Holy Name to everyone. It is not good for a brahmachari to sit at home—go out, go house to house! So, when he said that only one out of fifty houses opened the door, I told him, "So what? Tomorrow two houses will open the door. Even if they kick you out, even if they beat you, you must still go to them. Go to them, preach to them and bring them slowly to this path! Even if you bring a little rice from them, even if you bring one plate from them, even if you bring one flower from them, you can use it in service. Go again! Go again and again, and one day they will understand that no matter how much they chase you away, no matter how much they scold you, you do not go away, you are not listening. Srila Prabhupad said, 'To create one brahmachari, to create one sannyasi, to create one devotee, you must shed gallons of blood!'"

Our country is also like that. Srila Sridhar Maharaj said, "You are taking the Holy Name, but you can buy the beads in any shop. Is that one and the same? If you go to a homeopathic shop and say you have some disease, they will measure the potency and give you the medicine in globules; and if you buy some empty globules on the street, will such globules cure your disease? Gurudev must place his power within the Holy Name."

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

Having travelled throughout the universe and got the mercy of Guru, Krishna, a fortunate soul receives a seed of the devotional creeper.

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 19.151)

You must receive Guru's prasad (mercy); otherwise, without the mercy of the Guru, without faith in your Guru, there is no use in chanting on beads. Even if you chant on the beads for a million of lifetimes, you will not get the Lord because there is too much offence in such chanting.

hena krnsa-nama yadi laya bahu-bara
tabu yadi prema nahe, nahe asrudhara
tabe jani, aparadha tahate prachura
krsna-nama-bija tahe na kare ankura

"If you chant this Name of Krishna so many times but still there is no love, there are no tears streaming from your eyes, then as I understand there are too many offences and the seed of Krishna's Name does not sprout."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 8.29-30)

* * *

False Attachments

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance, evening class
Sri Ekachakra Dham, 25 February 2021, part 14
Translated from Bengali

In Sri Bhakti Raksak Harikathamrita, Srila Guru Maharaj wrote about one story. Once, there were two sadhus sitting on the bank of the Ganges in Haridwar. You must have seen how fast the current is in Haridwar—the river is not deep, you can see the stones, but the current is very fast. Suddenly, one sadhu says to the other one, "Look, a blanket is floating!" They thought it would be nice to take it out, dry, and use. One of them jumped into the river to get the blanket, but when he caught it, he realised it was a bear! The bear was going down the current and could not get out—it too wanted to live, so when he saw a man, he grasp onto him. The sadhu and the bear started struggling in the water. The sadhu who stayed on the bank saw the first sadhu struggling in the water and cried to him, "Hey, leave the blanket! Leave it!" The first sadhu replied, "I have left the blanket, but the blanket is not leaving me!"

So, we want to leave the material life, but the material life does not want to leave us. It is not so easy to practise Krishna consciousness. These days, be it a brahmachari or a sannyasi, everybody keeps in touch with their home and thinks about material things, about their material family house. Srila Raghunath Das Goswami was sent 400 rupees (coins) from his house, and he arranged Vaishnav-seva with that money, but Mahaprabhu did not like it. Mahaprabhu said that pratistha was coming to Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Prabhu through that, and He did not like it. All the Vaishnavs thought and spoke among each other, "When will Raghunath make Vaishnav-seva? When will I get pranami?" Mahaprabhu said it was not good. When Srila Raghunath Das Goswami Prabhu understood it, he sent a message to his house, saying, "Do not send any money! You do not need to send all this."

visayira anna khaile malina haya mana
malina mana haile, nahe krsna-nama grahana

"If you take food that comes from materialistic people, your mind becomes contaminated. When your mind is contaminated, you cannot chant the Name of Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.278)

After that, he did not take money from anyone. Yet, these days sannyasis keep in touch with their homes. I had not given any news to my family for fourteen years, and they had even made my sraddha ceremony, offered pindu, etc., thinking I was dead. Very good! So what? I am still alive. In Gurudev's time also, there was someone who did not know much and would say, "Astottara-sata-sri nitya-lila pravistha [who has entered his eternal pastimes]..." When Gurudev heard it, he said jokingly, "I am alive! I am alive! I am not nitya-lila pravistha! I am still alive!" That is why, Gurudev said, "This is my family..." The person had taken sannyas but did not understand the meaning of "nitya-lila pravistha"...

[His Divine Grace chants "Hari Haraye Nama Krsna," recites Jaya Dhavani, and completes the evening class.]

* * *

Come to Give, Come to Take

Two days before Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Vyasa Puja
Nrisingha Palli, 30 December 2020, evening, part 1

[His Divine Grace recites 'Jaya Dhvani' and then chants 'Sri Guru Parampara' kirtan, stopping to make a brief speech before starting the next kirtan.]

We are present here, at Sri Godrumdwip, and Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur wrote a very beautiful kirtan in glorification of Sri Guru. Every temple chants Sri Guru-charana-padma, but Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur composed another song. It is not included in our Gaudiya Gitanjali, but this song can be found in Saranagati.

Everybody knows also 'Gurudev, kripa bindu diya', 'Sri Guru-charana-padma', but Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur wrote a kirtan sitting here in Godrumdwip, at his bhajan kutir in Sri Svananda Sukhada Kunja. Nabadwip means nine (nava) islands (dwip), and there are nine kinds of devotion that are practised on these nine islands. What are the nine kinds of devotion? Sravanam, kirtanam, smaranam, pada-sevanam, archanam, vandanam, dasyam, sakhyam, atma-nivedanam: hearing, chanting, remembering the Lord, serving the Lord's lotus feet, worshipping the Deity of the Lord, offering obeisance, rendering service as a servitor, as a friend, and self-submission. The island where our first main temple was, is pada-sevanam. Mayapur is atma-nivedanam. Godrumdwip is kirtanam. This is a holy dham (abode) where kirtan is practised. 330 million demigods reside in this Devapalli, where the Nrisingha Palli temple is—that is why this place's name is Deva (demigod) palli (village, place).

Champahati, which is now in Bardhaman district, is Ritudwip; Vidyanagar is Janhudwip; and Mamgachhi, where we always go last during the parikrama, is Modadrumdwip. The first island where we go is Antardwip, Mayapur. From there, we go to Simantadwip (Jagannath Mandir), after that Rudradwip (the abode of Lord Siva). Here nearby is Kadigachha, it is Madhyadwip; and here, where we are at present, is Godrumdwip. These are the nine islands. Always remember this; try to remember these islands by heart. You come to Nabadwip, but you must not only come, take prasad, and go. Learn something. Take something with you from here. When you come here, you must take something—what should you take? The dust from the devotees' feet and devotees' Hari-katha. You must remember devotees' words in your heart. Listen to what I will tell you with your heart. Listening with your ears is another matter. You listen to gramya-katha, gramya-varta, all kinds of nonsense, idle talks, gossiping, criticising, etc. If you always talk and hear such things, you will have a problem. There are no other talks. Except the talks about the Lord, everything else is gramya-katha! You must keep quiet and not engage in such talks. You must not speak about anything else except about the Lord. Never speak gramya-katha.

If you spend all your life involved with all your aunties and uncles, friends, relatives, brothers and sisters, then next life you will be like that—like what? You will not get a human birth. You will be born as a dog, cat, goat, sheep, pig, and then you can live in that body and enjoy your family life. This is what awaits those who have too much attachment to their family. You worry about your food, clothes, house, sleep, etc. (How will I eat? How will I sleep? How will I dress? How will I live?), but the Lord has sent us to this body, and He arranges our food, etc. The Lord has created so many things on this planet—there is no scarcity of anything. Everything belongs to the Lord, and the Lord has arranged and kept everything here. It is only a matter of faith.

No matter what your religion is (Christianity, Hinduism, etc.), faith is always the main thing. In Vaishnavsim, our religion is jaiva-dharma, the primeval religion. We do not follow Hinduism, we follow Vaishnav dharma. Jaiva-dharma means the religion of the soul (jiva). The problem is that we have forgotten the religion of our soul. The religion of every single soul is service to the Lord. Many jiva souls cannot understand this—can dogs, goats, sheep, cats, etc. understand this? Can you think of a dog that will decide, "I will serve the Lord"? Their mind is extremely fickle, but humans have will power.

There are different degrees of consciousness, or chetan sakti: achchhadita-chetan (fully covered consciousness), sankuchita-chetan (closed, subdued consciousness), mukulita-chetan (budding consciousness), vikachita-chetan (blooming consciousness), and purna-vikachita-chetan (fully blossomed consciousness). Everybody's consciousness is not the same. For example, you wear clothes and arrange for a place to sleep, for food to eat, but trees, dogs, etc. live naked and never think of these things. At the places where people cut goats one by one, the goats are eating grass and do not know anything. Yet, if it was you, you would not be able to take anything in your mouth seeing how other people are being killed one after another and understanding that you are going to be next. The consciousness of the trees, grass, etc. is fully covered, but our consciousness is fully blown, but we always live worrying about money—can material life, money, buildings, cars, etc. give you happiness? Then why do foreign devotees leave all their money and come here? In India, people try to go abroad so hard, but foreigners come here leaving behind all their wealth and comfort. What do they come for? All the material values and so-called happiness are temporary—when you die, you will have to leave everything here. They have understood it, and they are now serving heart and soul; they make a sacrifice in their life...

* * *

Beyond Enshrouded Life

Two days before Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Vyasa Puja
Nrisingha Palli, 30 December 2020, evening, part 2

It is necessary to make some sacrifice in your life. Gurudev always said me, "If you think about the Lord, the Lord will think about you and take care of you." If you always think about yourself, why will the Lord think about you? He will say, "I do not have to think about you, you can take care of yourself!"

You are always running behind food, clothes, money, wealth, etc. Think about it. When I came to the temple and was a brahmachari, I slept on a simple bed and did not even think about anything. I came to the room only to use the bathroom, take bath, and sleep. Now people come and want comfort in their rooms, but it is necessary to make some sacrifice in your life. People do not think, "People out there sleep on the street, but I have been given a room," such mood does not come. Very few have service mood. I have never in my life asked Gurudev for anything; I never asked Gurudev even for a piece of soup. I served others, I served the temple: Gurudev's devotees come and I serve them, this is my happiness, and Gurudev always took care of everything. He provided whatever was needed—oil, soap, etc. These days, brahmacharis always need so many things and fight with each other, but I have never asked for anything, and Gurudev always arranged everything so nicely. I always think about serving devotees, serving Gurudev. Every time it came to Gurudev's appearance day, I did everything heart and soul, and Gurudev was very pleased. This is why he gave me this responsibility in the end [to run the mission]. I always thought and still always think about how I can please my Guru. Many think, "Oh, Gurudev is not here," and they do not think it is necessary to arrange any worship. It means that they have not got any devotion to Gurudev or any knowledge of the relationship with Gurudev.

"Sambandha janiya bhajite bhajite abhimana hau dura: if we practise Krishna consciousness with proper decorum (understanding the relationship), then our ego will be removed." If you worship understanding the relationship, then your ego will go away, but the problem is that we do not have this knowledge of the relationship... Even now, when Gurudev has left, he can still see everything, he can know everything... You can see so many people are coming even now—all rooms are full, and we are making a new four-storey building. When the lockdown started, the workers worked secretly, and by and by the building got completed. Now devotees can stay here comfortably. I serve devotees, and the Lord is doing everything for me. I do not lack anything. That is why, the Lord Himself says, "If you serve My devotees, I will serve you—I will always be there behind you (I will always have your back)."

We are sitting here in front of Prahlad Maharaj. You can remember his life. We have been on a tour to South India and visited the places of his pastimes. Having slain Hiranyakasipu, Lord Nrisinghadev came here, to Nrisingha Palli, to wash His hands and take rest. If you went with me that time, you saw Hiranyakasipu's house. When Hiranyakasipu hit one of the pillars of his house, the pillar cracked (that pillar was three-four kilometres long!!) and Nrisinghadev appeared from it. We saw that pillar when we went on the tour. We saw the school where Prahlad Maharaj studied. Not only that, there is a place there where Lord Nrisinghadev tore Hiranyakasipu's chest apart with His claws—there is red (blood-coloured) water flowing in that place to this day! Can you imagine what kind of pastimes the Lord manifests! It happened in Satya-yuga—how many years, thousands and thousands of years, have passed since then, but the Lord's pastimes are still going on.

So, practise Krishna consciousness nicely. Many do not want to practise Krishna consciousness because of all kinds of circumstances, but how many more days you are going to live like that?

'samsara' 'samsara' ka're michhe gela kala
labha na ha-ila kichhu ghatila janjala
kisera samsara ei, chhayabaji praya
ihate mamata kari' vrtha dina yaya

"Time has passed in the affairs of material household life, and I have got nothing—only became burdened... As if spellbound, I was attracted to this pointless material life, and being so much engrossed into it I pass my days in vain."

(Kalyan-kalpataru, 3.2.4)

When I was coming here today, I told my driver, "Brother, do you not understand it? You are sleeping till eight but moment after moment, hour after hour, day after day, year after year, our time is passing. Our life is going away..."

dina jaya michha kaje nisa nidra-base
nahi bhavi marana nikate achhe base

My days are passed in useless work and nights are wasted on sleeping. It never occurs to me that there is death sitting next to me.

(Kalyan-kalpataru, 3.2.4)

jivana anitya janaha sara
tahe nana-vidha vipada-bhara
namasraya kari' yatane tumi
thakaha apana kaje

"Understand the essence: life is temporary and filled with all sorts of adversity. Carefully taking shelter of the Name, engage in your work."

(Gitavali, Arunodaya kirtan, 1.3, by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

Continue your work. What is your work? Serving the Lord. You are living your material life (living in the family), but you must practise Krishna consciousness. We have not come to this world to become brick-layers and carpenters (to run behind money and wealth). What have we come to this world for? We are only Mahaprabhu's messengers. Messengers go everywhere delivering letters; in the same, our Guru-varga, Vaishnavs go house to house distributing the nectar of the holy talks about the Lord (Hari-kathamrita).

mathera vaisnava-gana kare sada vitarana
hari-guna-kathamrta bhave

"The Vaishnav residents of these temples incessantly spread the nectar of the glories of the Lord."

Mahaprabhu Himself said,

prthivite yata achhe nagaradi grama
sarvatra prachara haibe mora nama

"My Name will be spread in every town and village of the world."

Who actually fulfilled this prophecy? Jagad Guru Srila Prabhupad, our Guru-varga, our Param Guru Maharaj, Gurudev preaching about all this all over the world. Therefore, we must be Mahaprabhu's messengers. Srila Prabhupad said: if you send a letter to the Lord, you will not get a reply; but if you write a letter to a close associate of the Lord, to the Lord's very own, then you will get news from the Lord—so much so that you can merely make a phone call to that person and you can find out where and how you can get the Lord...

Now we will chant another kirtan, and I will continue speaking after that.

[His Divine Grace then chants 'Gurudev bada krpa kari...']

* * *

 Fatal Procrastination

Two days before Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Vyasa Puja
Nrisingha Palli, 30 December 2020, evening, part 3

gurudeva!
bada krpa kari', gauda-vana-majhe
godrume diyacha sthana
ajna dila more, ei vraje vasi',
harinama kara gana

Gurudev! You have very mercifully given me a place in Sri Godrumdwip amid the forests of Gauda, and ordered me: "Reside in this abode which is non-different from Vraja and chant the Lord's Name."

kintu kabe prabho, yogyata arpibe,
e dasere daya kari'
chitta sthira habe, sakala sahiba,
ekante bhajiba hari [2]

But when, O master, will you mercifully grant this servant the qualification to do this? Then my heart will become steadfast, I will tolerate everything, and I will serve the Lord sincerely.

You must pray to Gurudev every day, "Gurudev, when will my heart become steady? My mind, my heart are always fickle! My mind never knows any peace. When will I be able to tolerate everything? Sadness, austerity, pain, suffering—come what may, I will never leave you. Whatever comes in my life, even if I die, I will never leave your lotus feet!" We must understand this. "My heart will become steady, I will be able to tolerate everything, and I will worship you with exclusively." When will my mind become good? My mind is always fickle, and I cannot tolerate so many things.

It is written so beautifully.

saisava-yauvane, jada-sukha-sange,
abhyasa ha-ila manda
nija-karma-dose, e deha ha-ila,
bhajanera pratibandha [3]

In my childhood and youth, I always indulged in material happiness and I have become habituated to bad things. Because of my own sins, this body has become an impediment to spiritual practice.

People say, "Come on! To practise Krishna consciousness at this young age? No way!" What does it say here though? "Saisava-yauvane, jada-sukha-sange, abhyasa ha-ila manda." When we were young, we did not practise Krishna consciousness, and our mind went in a bad direction. How many things we did! If you do not come to Krishna consciousness in your youth—if you come in your old age, you will not be able to do service. You will feel all sorts of aches and pains in your back, legs, arms, etc. and will not be able to do anything. The Lord does not like this. Yet, if you come to Krishna consciousness in your young age, you can do so much—you can work much more. In your old age, you will not even be able to chant so much on your mala—your hands will pain. You will not even be able to take prasadam—you will eat and always suffer from gas. You will have headaches, your legs will ache, your eyes will not see, your ears will not hear. The other day, an old person came to me and asked, "Maharaj, I do not understand kirtans. What should I do?" I said, "What will you do now in your old age? If I tell you to read a book, you will not be able to do it..."

We enjoy with material happiness during our youth—we enjoy with food, money, wife, family... This is how we end up being unable to practise with this body: this body has become an obstacle for practising Krishna consciousness...

vardhakye ekhana, pancha-roge hata,
kemane bhajiba bala'
kandiya kandiya, tomara charane
padiyachhi suvihvala [4]

Now aged, I am afflicted by five-fold diseases. Tell me, how shall I serve? Crying incessantly, I have fallen at your feet, utterly bewildered.

In our old age, we become sick with five diseases. These five diseases are described in the (Bengali) calendars. If you read it, it is good for you. (1) Avidya (ignorance)—everything else except service to the Lord (except Krishna consciousness) is ignorance. It means forgetting that I am a jiva soul, an eternal servant of Lord Krishna: this here is body, and the thing in me which makes the body speak and do everything is the soul. People think that this body and the soul is one and the same thing. Great scientists are inventing a vaccine against the coronavirus, but they cannot even invent a grain of wheat—they cannot give life. If you cut somebody's neck and try to put it back together, it is not possible—life is already gone. All this is forgetfulness and ignorance, avidya. (2) Asmita means identifying yourself with the gross material body. People say, "This is my house," "This is my room," "This is my wife," "This is my family," etc. (3) Raga means material attachment and love for the body and material world. (4) Dvesa means desiring that which is unfavourable to devotion. (5) Abhinives means not being able to give up such desires (a lack of tolerance).

So, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur is saying, "Now, in old age, I am overcome by five diseases, how will I practise Krishna consciousness?..."

* * *

Be Conscious

Two days before Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Vyasa Puja
Nrisingha Palli, 30 December 2020, evening, part 4

mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim
yat krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

"The dumb can speak, the lame can climb a hill—all it takes is mercy from Gurudev."

(Bhavartha Dipika)

First of all, I am offering my full obeisance at the holy lotus feet of Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, begging him for his causeless mercy, after that I am offering my obeisance to all Guru-varga, to all my God-brothers and sisters, to all the listeners, to all the motherly lady devotees, to all devotees, and I am praying to you all for your mercy to this low soul.

After many days, despite the pandemic situation, you have come for the first time since March. You have been passing your days since then amidst all kinds of difficulties, and you have come here, feeling apprehensive. You have been waiting for the trains to start running again, and as soon as the trains started running and you have got an invitation, you have again come to Sri Nabadwip Dham.

Everyone should use masks, it will be good. I am keeping some distance and speaking from afar, but you are sitting close to each other, so please use masks. If you do not have a mask, we will give new masks tomorrow to everyone. I have brought them from Kolkata. You should be very careful with your own health and the health of others. Remember to wear masks.

Do not go out so much. I have heard that many are going to Mayapur and Nabadwip. Try to be careful. You have come for the festival, and you will spend the time happily, but if later some complications comes, then it is a problem. Therefore, I am requesting everyone to please use masks. If you do not have a mask, we are bringing masks here and will give them to everyone.

Tomorrow is the eve of our Gurudev's appearance. This year, my Gurupadpadma Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's appearance day is on 1 January 2020...

We are also bringing sanitiser. Everybody must use it, it will be good. Always wash your hands with soap; when you come from outside, always wash your hands. Many people in the world have died in this pandemic. More than 100,000 people have died in India, perhaps 150,000 already. Such pandemic happens every hundred years. There was a pandemic in 1920, and now too, in 2020... We are all praying to the Lord, praying to Gurudev, to Lord Nrisinghadev that 2021 will be good for everyone. 1 January is Gurudev's appearance day. We will spend the first day of the new year with joy, celebrating Gurudev's appearance day, and we pray that we may spend every day like that. Remember this.

You all know that "janma-mrtyu-biye tin Vidhatar niye." There are three things—janma means birth, mrityu means death, and biye means marriage—and these three things are not in the hand of anybody, they are only in the hands of the Lord, they come through the Lord. These things—birth, death, marriage—do not happen without the will of the Lord. Although it is not in our hands, we must always be careful. Nobody can save us from death, but scientists have given some ways that can help us avoid it, then it is good if we take advantage of that. Actually, considering the pollution of the air, it is good for everyone to wear masks. When I saw my doctor, the doctor told me that there is a lot of problem that comes through dust. When we go for Nabadwip Dham parikrama, I stand on the cart and so much dust enters my lungs through nose. After that, I went to rice mills for rice collection and inviting people (there are 200-300 rice mills in Bardhaman). I went to every mill, and there is much dust. My doctor told me to be careful with dust. When I am in Kolkata, I always wear a mask, and here too. I try to keep distance. There is much space here, and if you keep sit with some distance from each other, it will be good for everyone.

I want good for everyone—I want everyone to be healthy because if your health is not good, then how will you serve the Lord? It is necessary to take a good care of your health...

From the time immemorial we have become averse to Lord Krishna—we have forgotten the Lord. We are suffering in the agony of three-fold miseries, and the only way to get relief from this suffering is to practise Krishna consciousness. During the lockdown, we have got time to write books, to chant the Holy Name, to practise spiritual life. I did not go so much door to door, but I gave classes online in zoom, facebook, etc. I have not been to so many places. After the situation had stabilised, I did some small programmes in a few places. I thought that the Lord was testing us in that kind of situation, "Will they leave Krishna consciousness? Will they leave the Lord and spiritual life in this situation or not? Will they stop their service or not? What will they do?" But everything is still running—money, eating, sleeping, etc. Everything is running. Everybody found themselves locked in their houses, not being able to go outside so much. Those who work may have gone to work, but those who have government jobs did not have to go to work—schools, colleges are still closed, and children are studying now online. However, we have many temples and services, and we cannot close our temples. Our temples have been open all this time. Those who live at the temple continued their regular daily service and practice—they served the Deities and did everything as before.

Time will pass...

jivana anitya janaha sara
tahe nana-vidha vipada-bhara
namasraya kari' yatane tumi
thakaha apana kaje

"Understand the essence: life is temporary and filled with all sorts of adversity. Carefully taking shelter of the Name, engage in your work."

(Gitavali, Arunodaya kirtan, 1.3, by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

Life is passing and we can leave at any moment, but we must think what is the purpose of getting this human birth? What is the meaning of this human life? If we do not practise Krishna consciousness, if we do not serve the Lord, then such a life devoid of religion is an animal life (dharmena hinah pasubhih samanah).

ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam cha
samanyam etat pasubhir naranam
dharmo hi tesam adhiko viseso
dharmena hinah pasubhih samanah

"Eating, sleeping, sex, and defence—these four principles are common to both human beings and animals. The distinction between human life and animal life is that a man can search after God but an animal cannot. Therefore a man without that urge for searching after God is no better than an animal."

We are spending all our days worrying only about eating, sleeping, fearing, and copulating, but what living entity do not do that? All trees, all grass also eat. We are busy only with these gross needs of eating, sleeping, fearing, and copulating—we work the whole day and sleep at night, then wake up and again spend the whole day in the same way, then again sleep—we spend moment after moment, hour after hour, day after day in this way, but life is finishing. If you never think about life, "What should I do in this life? What should I do to get supreme benefit? What is good for me to do? What can I do to reach the Lord?" If you can practise Krishna consciousness from a young age, it is good. I also think, "If I had come when I was younger, it would have been so good." I came to the temple when I was 28-30 years old. Days are passing, but I am thinking, "I have not been able to do anything. What have I managed to do for the Lord? I could not do anything..."

* * *

Resting on Illusory Laurels

Two days before Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Vyasa Puja
Nrisingha Palli, 30 December 2020, evening, part 5

You have got this human birth, but if your whole life passes in pursuit of money, food, material life, sleep, then even if you have been touristing Nabadwip every year, you have not understood the relationship—it means you have yet not created a relationship with your Guru, with the Lord. You took initiation and went home, and you do not keep in touch. You think you have got initiation and now you are free, you have no duty. Taking initiation means getting admitted to a school. So when you take initiation, it means you have got admission to this school, but when the final exam comes, you will not pass it because you have not been studying the whole year. What have you been doing the whole year? Have you been practising Krishna consciousness the whole year? The Lord will test you. How much have you done for the Lord? What have you done during this life? After death—when you leave this body—you will have to account for it.

bhajibo boliya ese samsara-bhitare
bhuliya rohile tumi avidyara bhare

"You came into this world saying, 'O Lord, I will serve You', but, having forgotten this promise, you have remained in ignorance."

('Jiva Jago Jiva Jago' by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

"Because of your ignorance (avidya), you have forgotten Me. What have I sent you here for?" Do you know why we forget? We know our friends and family very well—we know our father, mother, sister, brother, friends, relatives, in-laws very well—but we do not know our Lord, we do not know our Guru. We have not entered into any relationship with the Lord, we do not know our Guru, we do not understand them so well. It is necessary to understand them well, it is necessary to keep a good connection with them. You must keep connection with Vaishnavs. This is what we forget—we forget this knowledge about our relationship with the Lord and our Guru.

So, you think you have taken initiation and everything is complete. It is not like that. If you do not practise, if you do not live in Krishna consciousness, you will not get any result. How much time do you give to the Lord? How much time do you give to chanting the Holy Name? How many times do you think about your Guru during the day? How many times a day do you think about the Lord? You can ask yourself this. When you are sad (for example, when you get admitted to a hospital), you suffer, and then you remember the Lord; but when you are happy, when you spend your days in material happiness, when everything is going well in your family, then you forget the Lord. When we are unhappy, when we are sick, then we call out to the Lord. This is not right. "Sukhe duhkhe bhule nako vadane Harinam koro re: in happiness or sadness, never forget it, always chant the Holy Name." Whether you are happy or sad, you must always call out to the Lord. If you call out to the Lord only when you are sad, and when you are happy, you do not call out to the Lord, it will not do.

We are eternal servants of Lord Krishna; then why do we forget? The cause is Maya, illusion. We fall into the clutches of Maya and forget everything. Maya makes us forget everything. You know, sometimes people become possessed by a ghost—they start talking gibberish and forget everything, they cannot even remember their own name: they call themselves the name of the ghost. In the same way, we have forgotten that we are sons of the Lord: we are children of nectar, and we must go back to nectar. Gurudev spoke about it very beautifully—we are children of nectar (amritasya putra). Come, search for that nectar.

There is a sloka in Srimad Bhagavad-gita (15.6) where Lord Sri Krishna says, "Yad gatva na nivartante, tad dhama paramam mama. If you enter that place, you will not have to ever come back from there. You will be very pleased to be there."

I can give you an example, and you can understand it yourself. I do not know how many of you live in a rented house, but if you do not have a permanent address and stay in a rented place, you stay in one place for two months—after that, you can be cheated or there can be some problem, and you go to another house; in the new place, you again get cheated or have some other problem, and you again move to another place. If you keep changing places like this, you will end up thinking one day, "Tsk, I do not want to live like that! If I can buy some land and make even a mud house or a tin shed, I will live there happily. I will not have all these problems." Our situation is also like that. That is why, Lord Krishna says, "Yad gatva na nivartante, tad dhama paramam mama. If you come to My place, you will not have to come back." If you stay in your own house, do you need to go to any rented place? The place where we are staying now is a rented place! Remember this. You can only stay here as long as you are paying the 'rent.' Do you agree or not? Is it right or wrong? So, if you realise you are staying in a rented place, you will know that you will not be able to stay here forever—one day I will have to leave this place.

You know, some women apply a lot of sindoor on their heads, but they feel shy to apply tilaks. They are attached to that which is temporary. After a few days, your husband will leave and you will rub your sindoor off with a thumb; there will be no trace of it. Yet, you cannot put a tilak on, you feel shy. You are scared to use tilaks, but you are not scared to use other things. That is why, it is said, "Nija sukha lagi' pape nahi dari. For my own happiness, I am not afraid to do any sinful work." Whatever, as long as I am happy! People kill jiva souls, kill people, fight, bully and harass others, people can do so many things—anything for their own happiness; for their own happiness, they are not afraid to commit a sin. That is why, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur says, "Daya-hina, svartha-para: we are unkind and selfish."

nija sukha lagi' pape nahi dari
daya-hina svartha-para
para-sukhe duhkhi sada mithya-bhasi
para-duhkha sukha-kara

"I am never afraid to engage in sinful activities for the sake of my own happiness. I am unkind and selfish. I always tell lies. I am unhappy when others are happy, and happy when others are unhappy."

We do not know anything except our own interest. We think only about ourselves, we do not think about others—we never think about others, we never worry whether somebody is doing well or not. Moreover, when we see others happy, we feel sad, we cannot stand it. Yet, when we see others unhappy, we feel very happy.

asesa kamana hrdi majhe mora
krodhi, dambha-parayana
mada-matta sada visaye mohita
himsa-garva vibhusana

"There are unlimited sinful desires within the core of my heart. I am angry and arrogant, always maddened with vanity, infatuated with mundanity, and malice and pride are my ornaments."

We have endless desires—we want to do this, we want to do that, but if it is the Lord’s desire, then you will be thrown into the Ganges tomorrow. Nobody can save you then. You have so many desires, but do you have the power to do anything? You do not surrender everything to the Lord; instead, you rely on your own power, "I will do this, I will do that." But if the Lord wishes, your life will end the same moment—everyone will have to go to collect patal [a Bengali euphemism for 'die']...

* * *

The Way Out

Two days before Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Vyasa Puja
Nrisingha Palli, 30 December 2020, evening, part 6

If you do not understand what I am reading, buy the book and read it yourself. It is written in a difficult language. Guru Maharaj (Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj) spoke in English (In Search of the Original Source), and I translated it into Bengali. The book is already sold, buy it. What does he say to you here? Guru Maharaj explains how Maya attacks us. It is said in Srimad Bhagavad-gita:

daivi hy esa gunamayi, mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante, mayam etam taranti te

"My alluring, 'trimodal,' illusory potency is practically insurmountable. However, those who take shelter in Me can overcome this powerful obstacle."

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 7.14)

The Lord is saying, "I am the master of Maya. I have created Maya." If you heat a piece of iron in fire and then touch it to somebody's cloth or skin, the iron will burn it. Could the iron burn before? It could not. If you touch yourself with a piece of iron, nothing happens, but if you place that iron into fire, it will burn—the iron gets the power to burn us from fire. In the same way, Maya also gets power from the Lord and does her job. People cry, shout, sleep, walk around, live a family life—what makes them do all this? Maya. Everyone is living within Maya's family. So, people think, "This is my house," "This is my son," etc. So, the Lord is saying, "I have created Maya, and you cannot overcome her. Yet, there is a way out: although I have created Maya, I remove Maya from those who surrender to Me. When a jiva soul surrenders to Me, I tell Maya, 'Go away from here. Do not attack this soul. This is My friend, this soul has become surrendered to My feet. Do not touch them any more. This is My person.'

You know, there are (political) party people. If a man becomes a party member, then even if he steals something and the police catches him, the party says, "All right. This is our man, let him go." In the same way, the Lord say, "He is My man, let him go. Maya, you must leave."

* * *

A Long Journey

Two days before Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Vyasa Puja
Nrisingha Palli, 30 December 2020, evening, part 7

We have wondered throughout 8,400,000 species. It means we have been born 8,400,000 times. It is written in the scriptures, especially in Srimad Bhagavatam. Vishnu Purana says,

jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati
krmayo rudra-sankhyakah paksinam dasa-laksanam
trimsal-laksani pasavah chatur-laksani manusah

"There are 900,000 species living in the water. There are also 2,000,000 nonmoving living entities, such as trees and plants. There are also 1,100,000 species of insects and reptiles, and there are 1,000,000 species of birds. As far as quadrupeds are concerned, there are 3,000,000 varieties, and there are 400,000 human species."

(Padma Purana)

Remember this. We have been born 900,000 times in water—there are so many living entities in water! You can see so many kinds fish. If you watch TV sometimes, you can see how many species live in water. 2,000,000 times as trees, grass, mountains, etc. There are so many species on earth—so many bugs, spiders, fish, dolphins, crocodiles. We have been born as all kinds of insects 1,100,000 times. You can see so many birds flying in the sky—we have been born 1,000,000 times as birds. Finally, we have been born 3,000,000 times as beasts, and 400,000 times as human beings. Not only that, you have been born here in India. There are countries where people eat human meat. You may have heard that here in India also, there are Andaman Islands where cannibals live. When some foreigner tried to go there, the police prohibited the man to go there; the man still went there, and the local people on the island ate him! They took the man's clothes and things, and ate the man himself! The government forbids to go there, but if somebody still goes there following their own whim, what can you do? Not only that, there are also plants that eat humans! They grow in some forests—such plants have some power to attract humans, and when somebody comes close, they eat the person!

When you think of Africa, you think Africa is a bad place, but Gurudev has many disciples in South Africa, and I also have some disciples there. There are two-four temples there. You think Africa is just a jungle, but besides the jungle there are also good people there. There are many disciples of Math there...

* * *

Foul Feast

Two days before Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Vyasa Puja
Nrisingha Palli, 30 December 2020, evening, part 8

There are many bizarre places in India—Garo, Khasi, Naga. In Nagaland, people eat cats and dogs! We were such people before, but now we have got wiser—we have taken birth in India... I remember one time a cow had died and I went to dump its body in some place. As soon as we left the cow's body, vultures, jackals, and dogs ran there and started fighting over that cow's dead body. I had never seen vultures before... We too have been born in all these kinds of species.

I remember I went out in the car to visit some places—I remember I went to 24 Parganas, Uluberia, Kolkata (Raja Bazar), and Mednipore. Suddenly, I saw on the road jackals fightings over dogs' bodies! Next to that, in the middle of the road, all the dead bodies were burnt. I often go different roads and I saw in some place an advertisement, "Five rupees for a dead chicken." Drivers steal also—if ten chickens die, the driver will say twelve died, and he will sell those dead chickens to some hotel.

I have also heard another story. It is happening in Dum Dum area also. They have made furnace for animals. They did well because before people used to dump dead animals in gardens. When somebody dumped an animal, the local people would come and take the body, and mix the animal's meat with some good meat, pack it and sell to hotels, etc. This is what they serve. They hang big sign board saying, "Dada Boudir Hotel. Meat and rice for Rs.300 When I saw it, I thought to myself, "They charge Rs.300 for meat and rice, but they must be serving dead chicken meat. Another time, I saw some people queuing for meat and fighting. Somebody cut the line and a man said, "I am buying a lot! I need 2 kg! Why are you giving to him first? What will there be left for?!" When I saw this, I thought: when a cow, a cat or a chicken dies on the street, all the dogs come to fight over the dead body; these people are just like that—they start biting and shouting. Such are people in our country. Bengali people cannot live without their meat and rice.

The other day, I spoke to a man. I asked him, "Why are you distributing prasadam?!" He said, "I have taken initiation!" I told him, "What initiation did you take?! You eat fish!" He said, "Well, fish, yes." And they wear neckbeads and put on big tilaks... If you go to Bangladesh, you will see even more. There, people say, "Jay Nitai!" but there is no question of giving up eating goat meat or chicken meat. They used to eat turtles before, but now turtles finished. If you went to Vrindavan before, you could see many turtles on the bank of the Yamuna, but this time I went there, I did not see any turtles. I asked somebody at Brahmanda Ghat where they had all gone (when we went there for the first time, there so many beautiful turtles there!). The man told me that many Bengalis had been coming and secretly eating all the turtles. It is prohibited to eat fish and meat in Vrindavan... I have tried to make the same in Nabadwip, I even went to High Court for that! Wait and see, I will succeed; it is only a matter of time. I have tried so much for thirty years. I have stopped picnics in Mayapur, but I could not stop anything else. But wait and see—the time will come and they will stop all nonsense: they must stop selling and eating meat and fish in Nabadwip. People think, "Oh, if I stay in a temple and eat meat, it will be a sin, but if I stay in a hotel and eat meat, fish there, it will not be a sin." People come with this idea...

So, you have been born as a human 400,000 times, but this time:

bharata-bhumite haila manusya janma yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara

"One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India should take advantage of his birth and bring benefit to all other people."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 9.41)

* * *

What Is Good for Me?

Two days before Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj's Vyasa Puja
Nrisingha Palli, 30 December 2020, evening, part 9

bharata-bhumite haila manusya janma yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara

"One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India should take advantage of his birth and bring benefit to all other people."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 9.41)

What is benefit to others? Does it mean giving money to others? No, this is not what helping others is. This is only temporary help. If you give somebody winter clothes, will that decrease the person's desires? Give somebody winter clothes, a blanket, today, but a month or four months later, they will come to you and ask for a coat or a jacket! You give somebody 1 kg of rice, but they come to you another day and say, "You gave me rice the other day, can you give me some again?" On Guru Maharaj's festival, I once gave saris to poor people, and next time they came and asked, "Will you not give sari this time too?" People's greed is never satisfied. That is why it is said that we are ruined by five types of diseases (pancha-roga: avidya, asmita, raga, dvesa, abhinivesa). People always hope to get more and more. When there was a flood in Nabadwip in 2000, people stood on the bridge, and the government threw packets of chida (chipped rice) and gur (molasses) to them from a helicopter or a plane. How much people are grief-stricken! The government gives food as it is, ISKCON distributes kitchuri, we also give kitchuri, everybody can get food, but when that helicopter came with food aid, people started fighting so much that three people died in the crowd! Such is the state of this world. Is there any end to people's desires? It is a pandemic time now, and you are distributing 'corona relief'—if you give somebody two or five kg rice, people complain, "Oh, you are giving so little!", "You are stealing from us!", "You are giving bad rice!" So many problems comes. This is the situation in the society now. However, Param Guru Maharaj (Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj) said: give this world that by getting which one will not have any desires left— give that by getting which all desires will go away! Our devotees all over the world do not have any desires left—they only know to give, they live by serving Gurudev. They do not take from Gurudev, they only keep giving. They are serving with their entire being. This is how they serve Gurudev, this is how they serve the Lord. With their heart and soul, with their entire being.

When you get taste for good food, you will want to eat it again and again; in the same way, those who have got taste for chanting the Holy Name of the Lord, who have got real taste for practising Krishna consciousness, they will not like to do or take anything else—they will not like to enjoy anything, all material enjoyment becomes trifle for them. You must always remember this.

We turned away from Lord Krishna a very long time ago, but if we really practise Krishna consciousness, then we will have no other desires. Therefore, I am praying to you all: read this book of Guru Maharaj (the Bengali book 'Parama-ananda-maya Dhamer Dhan' [Gift of Transcendental Abode]), take it with you home. It is a small book, we are selling it for ten rupees only. There are also other holy books at our bookstore. What is written in these books is the truth. You will find there what I have spoken about.

How can we get the Lord? We must practise genuine sadhu-sanga. Who did that? Pariksit Maharaj. He received such sadhu-sanga. Pariksit Maharaj was a king. Neither you nor I will get a notice, but Pariksit Maharaj received a notice—he was cursed by a brahman that he would die in seven days. Then, great rishis, great maha-rishis, including Parasara Muni, came to Pariksit Maharaj and started giving him advice. Someone said, "If you do this, it will be good," another person said, "If you do that, it will be good," somebody else said, "Place this person in charge of this," "Place that person in charge of your household," etc. That is what we all do—if a man gets old and knows that he is not going to live long, he divides and distributes his money and property among his children. We all do that, but Pariksit Maharaj did not feel any peace at heart when he heard all the advice of the rishis.

Some time before that, Vyasadev thought, "I have composed so many things—Mahabharata, so many scriptures, so many books, Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, Atharva Veda, Garuda Purana, Agni Purana, but I do not feel any peace or happiness inside." After that, Narad Muni came to Vyasadev. We sang today in the kirtan,

krsna haite chatur-mukha, hana krsna-sevonmukha,
brahma haite naradera mati
narada haite vyasa, madhva kahe vyasa-dasa,
purnaprajna padmanabha gati

"By Krishna's association, Brahma became devoted to Krishna's service. By Brahma's association, Narad Muni became devoted. After Narad came Krishna Dvaipayan Vedavyas. Purnaprajna Madhva Acharya declared he was Vyasa's servant. He was Padmanabha Tirtha's Guru."

Vyasadev received diksa (initiation) from Narad Muni. So, when Vyasadev told Narad Goswami about his feelings, Narad Muni said, "Yes, what you are saying is right. How will you feel happy? You have to distribute everything you have made, but how are you distributing it? Somebody cooks dal, somebody cooks chutney, somebody cooks paramanna, somebody cooks subji, somebody cooks puspanna, etc. but you take everything, mix it together, and give it to people. Will they understand what taste is there? So, you have composed so many different scriptures, but you must compose such a scripture that would be only about bhakti-yoga. For example, you composed Srimad Bhagavad-gita, but there is karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, sankya-yoga, bhakti-yoga, etc. There are so many kinds of yoga in it. You must write a scripture about bhakti-yoga only." Many say that Srimad Bhagavatam was written by a man, but it is not so. No ordinary man wrote Srimad Bhagavatam with a pen. How did Srimad Bhagavatam appear? People argue that Srimad Bhagavatam is man-made, there are people who also argue saying what is the proof that Mahaprabhu is God. All the great scriptures explain it. When we are born, are we born wearing clothes? When Krishna appeared, He appeared wearing tilaks, a garland, earrings, etc. Not only that, when Krishna was born, He had four arms, holding a conch, a disc, a club, and a lotus flower. When Vasudev (the father of Lord Krishna in Dvapar-yuga) saw Krishna born in the prison cell in His four-armed form, he understood that the Lord Himself had taken birth, so he paid obeisance to the child, but then Krishna left His four-armed form and appeared as in His two-armed form, and Vasudev felt He was His son. After that, Vasudev took Krishna to Gokula despite the torrential rain that night... Anyway, it is a long story. So, when Narad Goswami told Vasudev (the composer of all the scriptures) to create an exclusive scripture about bhakti-yoga, Vasudev thought, "Who will be able to present this scripture to the world?" Then he remembered Sukadev.

Sukadev stayed in his mother's womb during twelve years. All the rishis told Vyasadev that Sukadev must come out, but when Vyasadev came to Sukadev, who was still in his mother's womb, and said, "Sukadev, come out!" Sukadev answered from the womb, "I will not come out!" Can any of us do that, tell me? "Come out of the womb!" "No, I will not!" "Why not?" "Because if I come out, Maya will attack me." Vyasadev was in trouble. Then, all the rishis told him, "Vyasadev, you have the power to stop Maya. Krishna has created Maya, but you can stop her power." Vyasadev said, "How will I do that? Well, I suppose I can stop her for five minutes..." Then, Vyasadev asked Sukadev again, "If I stop Maya's action for five minutes, will you come out?" Then Sukadev Goswami agreed to come out. When children are born, they can only lie, but Sukadev came out of his mother's womb and ran to the forest! Vyasadev ran after him, "O Sukadev! Listen, listen!" But Sukadev was not conscious of anything. He could not even see anything around him—he knew only the Lord, he did not see anything or anyone else except the Lord. When Sukadev was in the Himalayas, there were some girls bathing naked in the river, but he did not see even them, and the girls too did not feel any need to put on their clothes—they knew Sukadev was like a madman, he had no sense, so they did not even feel shy in front of him; but when they saw Vyasadev coming behind Sukadev, then they quickly covered themselves with clothes...

Then, Pariksit Maharaj's assembly started, and Sukadev came there. When he came, everyone (including Parasara Muni, who was Vyasadev's father and therefore Sukadev's grandfather, and who was a great expert of all scriptures) said, "Pariksit Maharaj, you are very fortunate because Sukadev has come to your assembly. Whatever he says, that is the ultimate news." Sukadev Goswami was only a fourteen-year-old boy, but all the great rishis said, "Whatever he says, we will accept it." When Sukadev Goswami came, he did not give obeisance to anyone, he did not greet anyone—he came and sat on the asan. Then, he asked Pariksit Maharaj, "What do you want to know?" Pariksit Maharaj said, "What is good for me?" He asked only one question: what is good for me? Hearing Pariksit Maharaj's question, Sukadev said, "Yes, there is only one question, and there is only one answer." Those who ask many questions, they want to know so many things, but if you ask just one question and genuinely understand the answer to it, then there is only one question, and there is only one answer. After that, Sukadev Goswami spoke Srimad Bhagavatam—he spoke the entire twelve-canto Bhagavatam at that assembly. Later, when 60,000 rishis gathered at Naimisaranya, they heard this Bhagavatam from Suta Goswami, and then Srimad Bhagavatam was composed (recorded in a book form).

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.
Gaura premanande Hari bol.

[His Divine Grace then chants Hari Haraye Namah Krsna and recites Jaya Dhvani, finishing thus the class.]

* * *

Be Serious

Basirhat, noon programme, 28 February 2021, part 1
Translated from Bengali

You only say with your mouth, "I am a devotee of Gopal," but you do not know what Gopal eats, where Gopal sleeps, where Gopal lives. You think you will fan Gopal, offer some fruit, Tulasi leaf, and that is Gopal-seva. Many keep Gopal at their homes, but very few treat Gopal with affection. Yet, what does it mean to take responsibility for feeding Gopal? You think Gopal is like your son, but does Gopal eat what your children, husband, or wife eat? Gopal does not eat like them. You must give Gopal that which He likes. You must feed Gopal minimum five times—Gopal eats 56 times (chapana-bhoga), but you must feed Gopal minimum five times...

Srila Prabhupad explained what is called asat-sanga (inauspicious association). Bad association is the association of those who do not practise even one of the nine kinds of devotion. If somebody does not practise even one of the nine kinds of devotion, their association is called bad, or inauspicious.

We are eternal servants of Krishna, but we come to serve Gopal once a year. You dance with your Gopal today, and the rest of the year—364 days a year—you forget everything and worship Maya. What result do you think that gives? Many chant kirtans, but not many come to help others chant kirtans—they chant kirtans, get money for it, and go away. We do not appreciate Nityananda Prabhu's devotees, we do not know what Nityananda Prabhu's mercy is...

If you love your son, you will think about him a lot: you will always pay attention to what he eats, to how he feels, whether he needs any medicine or a doctor, whether he eats well or not, whether he sleeps well or not, whether he needs a fan or not if it is hot, whether he needs warm clothes or not if it is cold. You will always worry about all this. You do not only say, "I love my son" with your mouth; you always take care of your son if you really love him. It is the same with the Guru. People of Kali-yuga, who have fallen within illusory environment, know very well who their mother, father, brother, sister, relatives, friends, etc. are, but they do not know who their Guru is, they do not know who the Lord is.

I see that mostly people call Gurudev "baba" (father), but Srila Prabhupad said, "Baba badha Radha: seeing Bhaktivinod Thakur as a father is an obstacle to seeing him as Radharani." He told this to his brother. Srila Prabhupad had received all mercy from Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, but one of his brothers thought, "I am also entitled to my father's wealth, I am also his son!" He called Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur "father" and he only knew him as his father. All this "father-mother" is a relationship of this world, it is mundane; but Gurudev is spiritual.

You will get a father, a mother, friends, etc. in any birth. When I was a dog, a sheep, a pig, I did not come to the world without parents—I also had parents (dogs, sheep, and pigs). In the same way, I did not come to this world without parents. Parents give us our bodies, but we do not know who we are—we do not know our own identity. We become so proud of ourselves. "Ahankare matta haina, Nitai-pada pasariya: intoxicated by ego we forget the lotus feet of Nitai." Overcome with pride, we think, "I am such-and-such Maharaj," "I am such-and-such Ray," "I am such-and-such Chowdhury," etc. Jiva souls are eternal servants of Krishna, but those souls who have forgotten everything have no memory or knowledge of Krishna. You must keep the Lord in centre of your heart, and this must not be lip-deep only:

"gorara ami, gorara ami" mukhe balile nahi chale
gorara achara, gorara vichara la-ile phala phale

Just saying, "I am Gora's! I am Gora's!" does not do. Only when you follow Gora's practices and Gora's conception will you get the proper result.

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 8.6)

You say you keep the Lord in your heart, but you must actually do that, not only say it. How will you keep the Lord in your heart? You must have space in your heart for that, but your hearts are full of other things—kanak, kamini, pratistha (desire for money, women, and fame), kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya (lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness, envy), rupa, rasa, gandha, sabda, sparsa (desire for enjoyment through eyes, tongue, nose, ears, and skin). All these enemies are there in your heart. You call Gurudev, "Can you come to my house, please?" but if you have no place to seat in your house, then where will your Gurudev sit? In the same way, you must give some place in your heart for the Lord, but you must first clean your heart. You cannot clean your heart with soap or by bathing in the Ganges. You must clean your heart through sadhu-sanga and chanting the Holy Name.

You cannot only dress as a sadhu—you must become a sadhu. Gurudev told that there are many who dress as sadhus, but how many genuine sadhus are there in this world? There are many who dress as sadhus, but we do not see them practising Krishna consciousness. If you are to practise Krishna consciousness, you must surrender at the lotus feet of the Lord.

Many blame the Lord, "Oh, the Lord is not taking care of Me!" Why will the Lord take care of you? The Lord says in the scriptures, "I will not take care of you, but if you become My devotee, if you become surrendered to Me, then:

tad viddhi pranipatena, pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam, jnaninas tattva-darsinah

"You will be able to attain knowledge by satisfying the divine master with submission, relevant inquiry, and sincere service. The enlightened souls who are learned in scriptural knowledge and endowed with direct realisation of the Supreme Absolute Truth will impart divine knowledge to you."

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 4.34)

You must become surrendered, you must make honest enquiry... We all read this in Srimad Bhagavad-gita—many pretend they read Gita—but we do not understand the meaning of what is written in Gita. The ultimate meaning of Gita is this:

sarva-dharman parityajya, mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo, moksayisyami ma suchah

"Give up all kinds of religion and surrender to Me alone. I will liberate you from all sins, do not despair."

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 18.66)

Leave all religions. There is a religion of a father; there is a religion of a mother; there is a religion of a friend; there is a religion of a wife; there is a religion of a daughter. The Lord says, "Leave all these religions and surrender to Me! I will take care of you!" But how do you become surrendered? You have sold your head to some other place! If you sell your head to Krishna, if you sell your head to Gurudev, then you will not be able to keep your head in any other place. "I have sold my head to Krishna, I cannot give my head to any other person. I have given my head to Gurudev, and can I cannot give this head to any other person. I have given my heart, my mind to Gurudev, I have given this body for Gurudev." You have got this body, but what have you got it for? You must all practise Krishna consciousness. Krishna consciousness is not some tradition. You must take it seriously.

* * *

Quality Is Not Cheap

Basirhat, noon programme, 28 February 2021, part 2
Translated from Bengali

Krishna consciousness is not some tradition or custom. You must take it seriously. You think you wake up in the morning at leisure, give some flowers, do some puja at 10 o'clock, then go to work, come back home in the evening, blow a conch, and that is puja. This is not Krishna consciousness (Hari-bhajan).

One time, somebody asked Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur a question. (I have written "108 Questions and Answers" in Guidance 3. If you buy the book, you can find it there.) Many people blow the conch, put some flowers at Gurudev's feet, is this what Krishna consciousness is? No, it is not. This is not Krishna consciousness; it is mano-dharma (mental concoction)

"dvaite bhadra-abhara jnana, saba mano-dharma
'ei bhala', 'ei manda'—ei saba bhrama"

"In the material world, conceptions of good and bad are all mental speculations. Therefore, saying 'This is good' and 'This is bad' is all a mistake."

"I have prayed to the Lord now, and then I forget the Lord and worship Maya." This is what people think Krishna consciousness is about. However, sadhus, Guru, and surrendered souls always think about the Lord—whether they work, run their business, etc., they always think about the Lord.

There is another question also that Srila Prabhupad was asked: What is the duty of man? Srila Prabhupad replied:

Mahaprabhu teaches:

trnanad api sunichena taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

"One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more forbearing than a tree, who gives honour to others without desiring it for himself, is qualified to always chant the Holy Name of Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta, Antya-lila, 6.239)

Hari-kirtan is the only duty. If you always, constantly chant the Holy Name, then all other works (enjoyment, etc.) will stop. If you do not stay always on the path of remembrance of the Lord, then you will be enjoying your material life. If you do not know how every single thing is related to the Lord, then there will be no need for divine love. Foolish people pray to get some material religion, things, money, lust, liberation. In the words of Sri Gaurasundar, these are basic things taught to children—He taught higher and the highest things. Upanisads, Gita are taught in the infant class, if one wants to enter higher study, then they must discuss Srimad Bhagavatam.

Who can chant kirtan? Those who can sing well? No. Those who have the right to chant kirtan. How does one earn that right? Those who can become humble, tolerant, and give honour to others, will get the right to chant kirtan; nobody else has this right.

There is also another question: Are Kali, Krishna, Ganesh, et al. one and the same? No, they are not. One is jagat (world), and the other is Jagannath (master of the world). Jagat and Jagannath are not one and the same. Jagat is the material, mundane world, and Jagannath is the Lord. How can they be one and the same? You can make yoghurt, curd, condensed milk from milk, but you can never make milk from yoghurt. So, Krishna can become Kali, but Kali, Ganesh, or Durga can never become Krishna. You must always remember this.

Many people do not understand this. Many think that Krishna consciousness is like a fair. When people celebrate Durga-puja, they make a four-day festival (sasthi, saptami, astami, navami), bring Durga and then throw her away; and here they are making Gopal-puja now—you bring Gopal, do puja, and finished! Devotion cannot come like this; this only destroys devotion. There is no use doing such 'puja'. Even if you practise this your whole life, even if you practise this for ten million lifetimes, you will not get any result through that.

Devotees go district to district and make devotees from others, this is how large nat mandirs become full. Have you been to Ekachakra this year? This is how devotees practise Krishna consciousness; they take Krishna consciousness seriously. They give up jungles and come here.

prema vanyaya nadiya bhasaila
ninduka-pasandi-gana dhaiya palaiya

"When the Lord flooded Nadiya with divine love, all offenders and faithless people fled at once!"

All faithless people will run away, and those who are pure will stay.

It is necessary to give up pretence and insincerity.

* * *

Tie Your Mind

Basirhat, noon programme, 28 February 2021, part 3
Translated from Bengali

All of us have gone to primary school. When you study in primary school, there are one-two hundred students (now even more), but when you progress to high school, only half of the students stay there. When you go to college, then you may not find more than ten of the old students there. When you go to university, only one person is there from your old schoolmates. Many people come to dance and chant, but how many people are there who would come to hear Hari-katha, who are thirsty for Hari-katha? Yet, until and unless you are thirsty for Hari-katha, you cannot get true benefit. Just as mental hunger causes mental stress, in the same way spiritual hunger causes stress for the soul. So, those who will listen to Hari-katha listen to it for the benefit of their souls. Srila Prabhupad also said: so many people come to the temple—when you chant kirtans, the hall is full, or when you make festivals, the place becomes filled with people (you will cook twenty quintal of rice [2 tones], and everything will be finished), but who of them are hungry for food (bhojan), and who of them are hungry for spiritual life (bhajan)?

[His Divine Grace gets distracted:] You must listen carefully, leave your phone. If you listen attentively, you can get benefit, what is the need to use your phone? You must leave all this in the drain! What is the use of your phone? I have written my Hari-katha in books—if you just read these books, you will get Hari-katha.

So, there is another questions here (Guidance 3, "108 Questions and Answers"): Is it devotion to imagine some idol of a God, offer Him flowers, Tulasi, ring the bell, recite verses in His praise and sit in front of Him and do japa, meditate? No, it is not. Have you heard it? All this is not devotion! You come to the Lord because you want something for your body, for your health or family. People come to the Lord, offer some flowers, and recite some prayers for the well-fare of their family, but the main thing should be devotion—you cannot get the Lord through fruitive actions (selfish work), knowledge, or any austerities or mystic practices. It is said in Srimad Bhagavad-gita, "How can you get the Lord? Through devotion." How does one get devotion? Through the pure association of pure devotees. If you associate with devotees, you will get devotion. If you keep listening to Hari-katha, you will gradually attain devotion. Ringing a bell, offering flowers, etc.—this is not devotion. Devotion comes from the heart. We sing in one of the kirtans when we wake up every morning:

suddha bhakta-palana suska-jnana-tadana,
chhala-bhakti-dusana-rama

He is the maintainer of the pure devotees and the dispeller of dry knowledge. He is the eradicator of pseudo-devotion and the reservoir of all pleasure.

What people do in this world is pseudo-devotion, it is a pretence. There are such people in our country also. There are such people in Mednipore, and there are such people here, in Basirhat, also. People will grab your feet and wash them with tons of water, with tears dropped from their eyes into the pots with water. Do they cry for the Lord or is it a show to impress others? All this is crocodile tears! When I went to Mednipore, people actually queued in a long line to wash my feet, and when I became thirsty and asked them for one glass of water, one hour had passed and no water came. Is that devotion? You can understand it yourself. Therefore, it is said: Is it devotion to imagine some idol of a God, offer Him flowers, Tulasi, ring the bell, recite verses in His praise and sit in front of Him and do japa, meditate? No, it is not. All this is not devotion.

Devotion means you must feed the Lord with much affection and care. You have nothing, you do not know any mantras (how many of us know anything about the right or wrong pronunciation?), but when you feed your husband, you feed him with much affection and much care—you do not ring a bell to feed your husband, you do not recite any mantras to feed him. It is the same with the Lord. The Lord is your own. This is what you must think, this is how you must love the Lord. The Lord is the master of your house—without offering first to Him, we cannot even drink a glass of water. You must do arati at 4 o'clock, so wake up at 3 o'clock every day, but people sleep till 8 or 6 o'clock—they do not have time to wake up the Lord. People wake up at 6, take bath, and leaving all work aside, they send their husbands to work and children to school, then they go to the prayer room at 10 to ring the bell. Is that what you call devotion? This is not devotion!

"gorara ami, gorara ami" mukhe balile nahi chale
gorara achara, gorara vichara la-ile phala phale

Just saying, "I am Gora's! I am Gora's!" does not do. Only when you follow Gora's practices and Gora's conception will you get the proper result.

loka dekhana gora bhaja tilaka matra dhari'
gopanete atyachara gora dhare churi

You show the world you serve Gora simply by wearing tilak but secretly you misbehave. Gora will catch you, you thief!

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 8.6-7)

"If you behave bad stealthily, thinking nobody will know about it, Gora will catch up with you!"

We have unwanted, bad elements within us (anarthas). How will these elements go away? Why do we not feel any taste for chanting the Holy Name? Because we do not chant the pure Holy Name. When we chant the Holy Name on our beads, no matter how much we chant, other thoughts always come to our minds. "My son went out, is he all right or not?", "My husband went to work, is he all right or not?", "This person went to see a doctor, are they all right or not?", "Where will I get money to buy food tomorrow? I must think of something." Is it so or not? You can never chant the Holy Name like this. However, Srila Prabhupad said that if you chant the Holy Name loudly, forcefully, then your mind will not go in a bad direction. You can chant loudly on your beads or without. If you chant loudly, you will see that other thoughts will not be coming to your mind so much (this bad tendency will slowly go away). That is why, Srila Prabhupad advised to chant the Holy Name loudly. We get shy that others will hear us chanting, that we will disturb others. You must not get shy because of this—you must be firm, "No! I will chant loudly!" Then, your mind will not be scattered everywhere, your mind will not go in any other direction.

* * *

Satiating Hunger

Sri Vyasa Puja of Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Sri Nrisingha Palli, the main festival programme
1 January 2021, part 1, translated from Bengali

Jay Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Tandiya subha avirbhav tithi-bara maha-mahotsav ki jay
Om Vishnupad Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay
Jay saparikara Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Govinda Sundarjiu ki jay
Jay saparikara Sri Sri Guru Gaura Nityananda, Laksmi Nrisinghadev, Prahlad Maharaj ki jay
Jay Om Vishnupad Bhagavan Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupad ki jay
Rupanuga-guru-varga ki jay
Namacharya Haridas Thakur ki jay
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math ki jay
Tandiya sakha Math samuha ki jay
Chaitanya Saraswat Math Nrisingha Palli ki jay
All the assembled devotees ki jay
All the worldwide devotees ki jay

[Noise in the audience.] Say together with me: "Hare Krishna! Hare Krishna!" No other word should be coming out of your mouths. "Dinera madhye abala-tabala kata pachala parite para, tara madhye ki eka-bara govinda bolate nara! How many idle talks we have during the day, how much we talk during the day! We talk all sorts of nonsense and cannot even one time take the Name of Govinda!" How much we talk! Come, say with me:

hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

Jay!
Samagata Sri Gaura bhakta-vrinda ki jay
Harinam sankirtan ki jay
Nitai Gaura premanande Hari bol

Devotee: Jay Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa Parivrajakacharya Jagad-Guru Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj ki jay. Harinam sankirtan ki jay. Gaura premanande Hari bol.

When Srila Gurudev went to Mexico, he gave a very beautiful lecture. I have printed a new (Bengali) book from this lecture, you can all get a copy. In that book, I have also wrote a short lecture by Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. There was a festival going on at the temple, and a man came there and asked, "When are they going to give food for beggars?" I will read you from there. Srila Prabhupad gave a very beautiful answer: you can get so many things at the temple, you can hear Hari-katha! What pauper are you? Are you poor because you need food (bhojan), or are you poor because you need spiritual life (bhajan)? When you tell people water and food will be given here, then so many crowds come, but tell me dear, are you poor because you lack food, or are you poor because you lack spiritual life? We are all hungry for food—if you say there will be no prasad, the nat mandir will never become full. Now you can see that the nat mandir is full, there is no free place. We are all beggars for food. Srila Prabhupad said it very beautifully. Read it. The language is different, but you must try to read it. Not everybody has the capacity to understand Srila Prabhupad's language. Dear mind, what kind of pauper are you? Do you need only food? Are you tongue-poor? Have you come to this world just to satisfy your desires and senses, or have you come only to bring benefit to your soul? Which one? We do not think about the benefit of our souls—we always think about satisfying our senses (giving pleasure to our tongues, mouth, mind, etc.). We have no attachment or love for what the great souls say. We only want food! What is the need to come to the temple for that? If you want to come to the temple for the benefit of your soul, then you can come, but do not come as a beggar for food—come as a beggar for spiritual life! Always remember this.

Anyhow, the time is short, I will not take much time. There are other sannyasis present here, and I would like to request them to speak about the glories of Srila Gurudev first.

[After the honourable sannyasis of Sri Mayapur Dham speak, His Divine Grace continues his address:]

I thought at first that because of the lockdown, we will lose so many devotees, but I can see now that there is no space in the nat mandir—the entire hall is filled. I know some of you cannot even enter or get a seat behind. What to do? On the one hand, by my misfortune, I left our temple and came here, but, on the other hand, you have all come here to give me your mercy, and that is my great fortune. I am praying to you all: I will speak briefly about Srila Gurudev; there are so many things that can be said about Gurudev, and it is not possible for such a low souls as myself to speak about his glories and qualities...

There is a pranam-mantra of our Gurudev—our Param Gurudev, Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, composed it. It is never seen that Gurudev writes his own disciple's pranam-mantra, but Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj did that—he personally composed my Gurudev's pranam-mantra. He wrote:

gurvvabhista-supurakam guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam
chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam
govindabhidham ujjvalam vara-tanum bhakty anvitam-sundaram
vande visva-gurun cha divya-bhagavat-premno hi bija-pradam

"I offer my obeisance unto he who perfectly fulfils his Gurudev's most cherished desires; who is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev’s associates; who is expert in all aspects of Vedic knowledge, both conceivable and inconceivable; who is the pre-eminent follower of Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu's line; who is known as 'Govinda'—Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj; whose beautiful, effulgent, exalted form is infused with pure devotion; who is the Guru of the entire universe; and who is the giver of the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord."

"Guru-ganair asisa-sambhusitam": he is completely adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev and the entire Guru-varga. "Chintyachintya-samasta-veda-nipunam": he is expert in all conceivable and inconceivable knowledge, his knowledge is beyond even the Vedas. "Sri-rupa-panthanugam": he preaches the conception of Sri Rupanuga Sampradaya. "Govindabhidham ujjvalam": he is manifest in a very radiant way in this world, bearing the name Govinda Dev-Goswami. Srila Sridhar Maharaj said, "I will not be able to go to preach abroad, neither have I ever been able to go there, but Govinda Maharaj will preach my words and the words of Srila Prabhupad in this universe." This is the divine reassurance Srila Sridhar Maharaj gave in Srila Gurudev's pranam-mantra...

* * *

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (1)

Sri Vyasa Puja of Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Sri Nrisingha Palli, the main festival programme
1 January 2021, part 2, translated from Bengali

As you know, my Gurupadpadma came to the Math in 1947. Pujyapad Bhakti Kamal Madhusudan Maharaj, Nrisinghananda Brahmachari (he became Pujyapad Bhakti Vaibhav Puri Maharaj later), and another devotee, who later became Pujyapad Ashram Maharaj went for preaching to Nadan Ghat. You have all heard—I do not want to exaggerate it—that Srila Sridhar Maharaj treated all his godbrothers with parental love and gave them shelter, even though the accommodation at the temple was not so good in those days. At that time, my Gurudev had lost his father and had to support his family, so he was working as a compounder for one ayurvedic doctor, earning about twenty rupees. Then, one evening, after collecting door to door the whole day, the devotees came to the house of a zamindar in Nadan Ghat and chanted kirtan, gave class, etc. there. Srila Gurudev said that seeing that programme reminded him of Raja Birhambir's assembly. He listened to Nrisinghananda Brahmachari telling, "This body is nothing, this mind is nothing, the soul is everything" and was astonished; he thought to himself, "What is it that I hear?" Then, when the devotees started kirtan, one of the brahmacharis was playing the mridanga, and Gurudev, who was very young at that time, seventeen years old, said, "He does not know how to play the mridanga; give the mridanga to me, I play better." Then, at some point the sannyasis asked him, "Will you come to the Math with us?" Gurudev said, "Yes, I will come." "Will you go today?" "Yes, I will go today itself!" Then, crossing across the river at Nagan Ghat, Gurudev came to this Math on the day of Nrisingha-chaturdasi. This was the first day he entered the temple.

After that, so many things happened. One time, I asked Gurudev, "You took shelter at the lotus feet of Srila Sridhar Maharaj, then how did you leave and get married?" Gurudev said, "Because I had made a mistake." I asked Gurudev directly, "What mistake did you make?" Gurudev replied, "I was very young and did not know any better—I had planted some onion at the temple. Srila Sridhar Maharaj went to the garden one day to see what I had planted, and when he saw the onion, he said, 'Have you planted this? You are finished! You will stumble and go away.'" After that, Gurudev took sannyas when he was twenty-four, but after that he left. Gurudev said, "I had fallen into a hole, but I did not grasp anyone's hand to get out—like a dog, I fell into a hole and was barking and whining. Then, my Gurudev stretched his hand out to me and pulled me out again."

Srila Sridhar Maharaj gave Srila Gurudev name 'Govinda Maharaj' when he was twenty-four, and even though he was a grihastha with beautiful curly hair and lived in Kolkata, what did he do in Kolkata? He would work and send money to Srila Sridhar Maharaj. When his daughter was born (later, she became a school headmistress; she is retired now), Guru Maharaj [Srila Govinda Maharaj] said, "I did not have money to buy milk for my daughter, I would feed her with barley, but I made sure I sent twenty rupees to my Guru Maharaj every month..."

Srila Gurudev did not study at school so much—he finished the third grade of primary school and was transferred to the fourth grade, and Gurudev said that he was so naughty that whenever he went to school to study, there was not a single day when he would not be flogged by the teacher. Gurudev said, "The teacher would enjoy beating me." So, although Gurudev completed only three-four grades at school, he did the proofreading for Srila Guru Maharaj's printing press! We have studied so much in our life, and even now if we write in Bengali, we will make ten mistakes, but I have seen Guru Maharaj's [Srila Govinda Maharaj's] handwritten cheque in English—his handwriting is so beautiful! I could not write like that. You know, there were times when I would proofread texts so many times, so many times, but when Gurudev looked at it, he would still find a mistake in it. So, when Gurudev stayed in Kolkata, Gurudev not only gave Srila Guru Maharaj money for printing books, but he would also proofread them...

* * *

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (3)

Sri Vyasa Puja of Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Sri Nrisingha Palli, the main festival programme
1 January 2021, part 4, translated from Bengali

...Such was Gurudev. He did not spare anyone, not even his own brother. In Gurudev's time I kept a record of all expenses in a ledger. One time, when Gurudev took this ledger, he asked me about one of the items, and I said I had given that money to some place. What was that? It was two hundred rupees given to Dhananjaya (Srila Gurudev's younger brother). Gurudev asked me why I had given him the money. Then, Gurudev called his brother and asked him, "Why did you take 200 rupees?" Dhananjaya said, "To buy keo-karpin oil for mother." Gurudev became angry and said, "Your mother used to live on muri, and now she is buying keo-karpin oil with the Deties' money?!" He said even harsher things, it would not be good to say it here. Gurudev did not spare even his own mother when it came to service. Gurudev told me personally, "You must not go to the house of this woman." Thakur Ma (Srila Gurudev's mother) said after that, "Oh, Acharya Maharaj is big now, he does not come to my room any more," but Gurudev prohibited me to go there, then how can I go there? Gurudev said, "There is Maya there. If you go there, you will be caught by Maya."

Gurudev told me: when you make some dish for the Lord, or when we offer arati to the Lord, we offer the pancha-pradip lamp and other items, and we always clean those items; in the same way, Gurudev takes us, cleans and polishes us and then uses for the Lord's service.

I also remember one more thing Gurudev said. When Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Srila Prabhupad was a householder (his name was Abhay Babu) and lived in Kolkata, Srila Sridhar Maharaj would stay at his house during several months together with Gurudev (his name was then Gaurendu Brahmachari, he had not taken sannyas yet). You know that Srila Prabhupad preached much about Srimad Bhagavad-gita and knew it by heart, and he would take Gurudev to various places—he told Gurudev, "You are a brahmachari, so you will sit on the vyasa-asan and recite a sloka, and I will give the purport." This is how much Srila Swami Maharaj loved Gurudev. Later, when Srila Prabhupad lived in the Radha-Damodar temple, translating Srimad Bhagavatam into English, Gurudev would publish Gaudiya Darshan from our temple, where he wrote Srila Sridhar Maharaj's lectures and slokas (many things were written by Gurudev himself, but he would sign it with Srila Sridhar Maharaj's name). When Srila Prabhupad read those articles, he said, "I may have many sons, but I consider Govinda Maharaj my true son. I consider him my only son because he is writing such things."

When Gurudev had just come to the temple, within seven days, Srila Sridhar Maharaj decided, "This boy will be my future successor." Why did he say so? Srila Sridhar Maharaj told Gurudev, "Do not listen to what your mind tells you, listen to what I say," and when some time later Gurudev was given some dal that had insects in it, Gurudev ate it. Srila Sridhar Maharaj saw it and asked him, "Why did you eat that dal with insects?" Gurudev said, "I did not want to eat it, but then I remembered that you told me not to listen to my mind, but listen to you, that is why I ate it." Such was Gurudev.

In 1973, Srila Swami Maharaj invited all Gaudiya Maths for the inauguration of ISKCON's Sri Chandradoya Mandir in Mayapur, but many did not come, but Srila Sridhar Maharaj went there together with Gurudev and Srila Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj (there are photographs from the inauguration, you can see them seated there). Gurudev was a householder at that time—he came from Kolkata, and Srila Sridhar Maharaj told him, "Do not leave, let us go to Mayapur, Swami Maharaj has invited us." When they came to Mayapur, Gurudev asked Swami Maharaj, "You are opening a temple, but where is the fire sacrifice, I do not see any paraphernalia." Then, Srila Swami Maharaj said, "Srila Sridhar Maharaj is siksa-guru—when you have come, then my temple is already inaugurated." During the inauguration programme, Srila Swami Maharaj gave a class and then requested Srila Sridhar Maharaj to speak, but Srila Sridhar Maharaj said (as if resorting to trickery), "I am not feeling well, so Govinda Maharaj will say something on my behalf." (Although Gurudev was a grihastha, Srila Sridhar Maharaj always called him Govinda Maharaj.) During his speech, Gurudev recited this sloka,

kam prati kathayitum ise samprati ko va pratitim ayatu
go-pati-tanaya-kunje gopa-vadhude-vidam brahma

"To whom can I speak? Who will believe me when I say that Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is hunting the gopis in the bushes by the banks of the river Yamuna? In this way the Lord demonstrates His pastimes."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 19.98)

The meaning of this sloka is this: Whom can I tell this? Who will understand this? The Supreme Lord Himself is running behind milkmaids in the jungle! Who will believe this? In the same way, whom can I tell this that Abhay Babu, whom we previously knew as an ordinary householder, has now become a great Jagad-Guru and preaches Krishna-katha in this world. Hearing Gurudev recite this sloka, Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj exclaimed, "Hari bol! Hari bol!"

* * *

 Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (2)

Sri Vyasa Puja of Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Sri Nrisingha Palli, the main festival programme
1 January 2021, part 3, translated from Bengali

[His Divine Grace speaks on the pastimes of Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj.]

...Gurudev would also arrange tours. At first, Srila Sridhar Maharaj was alone, and Srila Gurudev would arrange tours: he would send everything they had collected to the temple. Srila Gurudev managed his family and sent everything to the temple.

Srila Sridhar Maharaj made Srila Gurudev [Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj] the secretary of the Mission, and this position of the secretary never changed—only when Srila Sridhar Maharaj declared Srila Govinda Maharaj the next acharya did they appoint somebody else as the secretary, but there were many brahmacharis at the temple who even saw Srila Prabhupad (Sripad Puri Maharaj), who even studied at Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur's school (Krishna Sharan Brahmachari, Srila Gurudev later gave him sannyas, and his name became Bhakti Prashun Aranya Maharaj).

When Srila Sridhar Maharaj gave sannyas to Srila Gurudev, he told him that tridandi-sannyas means three things—to look after the Deities, to look after the temple, and to look after the devotees. Do you want to hear how Gurudev protected and looked after the temple? There are many naughty people in Kolerdanga, but Gurudev had such a tight grip on them that when he would come down from upstairs, people saw him and immediately spread the news among themselves, "Watch out! Govinda Maharaj is coming! Run for your life!" They were very afraid of Guru Maharaj [Srila Govinda Maharaj].

There was also another story that Gurudev told me.

One time, a clerk came from the municipality to measure the kitchen building to count the tax. Guru Maharaj [Srila Govinda Maharaj] said, "This is the Lordships' kitchen, you cannot come inside to take the measurements." There were no pillars at that time, so if the man measured outside, he would get twenty inches more, and Gurudev said, "You cannot enter inside. Measure outside, and even if you get twenty inches more, I do not mind it." The man became indignant, "Why cannot I enter inside?!" "Because this is the Deities' kitchen." The man claimed, "So what? I am a brahman!" and was going to go inside with his shoes on. Then, Gurudev said, "If you try to go inside, I will cut your leg." The man got furious and went to Srila Sridhar Maharaj, "What sort of man do you keep downstairs? He says he will cut my leg!" Srila Sridhar Maharaj said, "You must have done something. Call the boy." Then, Gurudev came, and Srila Sridhar Maharaj asked him, "What has happened? This man, a brahman, says you want to cut his leg?" Gurudev said, "He wants to go to the Deities' kitchen with his shoes on. What else will I say to him?"

Such was Gurudev.

* * *

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (4)

Sri Vyasa Puja of Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Sri Nrisingha Palli, the main festival programme
1 January 2021, part 5, translated from Bengali

Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Prabhupad came to Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Moreover, Pujyapad Bhakti Hriday Bon Goswami Maharaj, Pujyapad Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj, Pujyapad Bhakti Prajnan Keshav Maharaj and others affirmed, "If you want to hear Hari-katha, you must go to Sridhar Maharaj." Gurudev also said that he had learnt everything from his Guru Maharaj—Gurudev always did what his Guru Maharaj told him to do, he always lived in whichever way his Guru Maharaj arranged for him.

Many of you are older than me, and you have seen there was a big flood in 1978 (there was an even a greater flood later, in 2000). I had not yet come to the temple in 1978, so I did not see that flood, but I heard at that time there was no bamboo at the temple—the temple was poor, you know all know it. That year, Gurudev came to Nabadwip from Kolkata specially to protect the temple—he made a raft from some banana tree trunks and would go around the Math in that raft the whole day (to guard the temple). At that time, some thief came to the temple to cut banana trees for their cows' food. Gurudev noticed the man and asked him, "Hey, what are you doing here behind the temple?" The man explained, "I wanted to take some banana trees. Will you give them to me?" Gurudev said, "No, I will not. Why must you take these banana trees? I am the guard now, and you have entered as a thief—you came from behind to steal! Let me see if you dare take these trees forcefully! If you are to take these trees, you have to steal them, but you must do that in front of me! If you had come to me directly and asked, I would have given you these trees, but if you come to steal, then I must guard and we shall see how you take them!"

This is how Guru Maharaj [Srila Govinda Maharaj] protected the temple...

* * *

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (5)

Sri Vyasa Puja of Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Sri Nrisingha Palli, the main festival programme
1 January 2021, part 6, translated from Bengali

You can see now that Srila Gurudev travelled all over the world and established temples in more than 130 places, having travelled twenty-four times on world tours, having visited over a hundred countries total. Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj travelled abroad many times, and Gurudev travelled twenty-four times, sometimes visiting 25-30 countries at a time. I have also gone with him, and I have visited even such places where there is no daylight—the whole day there is night (the sun does not rise); when I went there at another time, I saw that there was no night—the whole day is daylight (the sun is in the sky the whole day and night). People from these kinds of countries became attracted to Guru Maharaj [Srila Govinda Maharaj].

Gurudev also went for preaching to Colombia—when he came there, he was guarded by people with machine guns and pistols! Guru Maharaj spoke in English, and devotees translated in Spanish. After the lecture, one man, armed with a pistol and wearing big boots, came and fell at Guru Maharaj's feet, asking him, "Can you please give me beads? I will chant the Holy Name." I still keep a photograph taken of that man on that day. When we went to Russia, Gurudev told me, "Have you packed the luggage?" I said yes, and Gurudev said, "Keep some beads with you, do not pack everything into the [check-in] luggage. Keep some beads with you at hand." I thought, "What should one keep beads on the plane for?" but Guru Maharaj told to keep, so I had to keep some beads with me. In the end, it turned out that when we were on the plane, some Russians came to Guru Maharaj and said, "We have been looking for Guru Maharaj for such a long time. We have heard about him, but we did not know where he was. We want to take shelter of Maharaj." And Guru Maharaj gave initiation in this kind of situation! They have no culture, nothing, but they have a heart.

That is why, I always remember what Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, "Is everyone who takes initiation a disciple?"

In his last days, Guru Maharaj [Srila Govinda Maharaj] became upset and left Nabadwip. He declared my name on 4 December, 2009, and I went for preaching in Australia. After Australia, I went to Malaysia, and there I received a phone called from Guru Maharaj, saying, "Can you come back?" I said, "I have just arrived in Malaysia." Guru Maharaj said, "Come back within seven days." I was supposed to have an eleven-day tour in Malaysia, but I cut it short and returned directly to Nabadwip within seven days. As soon as I came, I went straight to Guru Maharaj's room. When I came, Guru Maharaj showed me a letter he had been given (somebody wrote a long one-page letter to Guru Maharaj, which upset Guru Maharaj very much). Guru Maharaj said, "I am going away from here tomorrow. Guru Maharaj, protect this temple. I will not stay here any more. There is no more anugatya (devotional adherence) in this world. I do not want to stay in this world." Leaving Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Nabadwip, Guru Maharaj came to Dum Dum Park, Kolkata. Some time later, I came to Dum Dum Park too. I sat by Guru Maharaj's side, and Guru Maharaj said, "You have brought many people. I have given initiation to many people, but how many people have actually become disciples?" Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, "One does not become a disciple just by taking the mantra or initiation. A disciple is one who can take disciplining [who can tolerate, digest, and follow, chastisement], who can accept strict adherence to the Guru." These days, people think, "If I take initiation, I will get this big temple, big building, big room..."

This is what Gurudev said...

* * *

Srila Gurudev's Pastimes (6)

Sri Vyasa Puja of Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Sri Nrisingha Palli, the main festival programme
1 January 2021, part 7, translated from Bengali

I still remember what Sripad Bhakti Kumud Shanta Goswami Maharaj once told about Guru's wealth in his speech in 1995. I remember that day there were so many people at the temple that I could not handle the crowd. I had gone to Mayapur in our old ambassador car to bring Pujyapad Bhakti Kumud Shanta Goswami Maharaj and Pujyapad Bhakti Suhrid Akinchan Goswami Maharaj to the temple on the occasion of Srila Sridhar Maharaj's centenary anniversary. And I remember Sripad Shanta Goswami Maharaj told a very nice story about a Guru and disciples. The situation is actually like that everywhere these days...

At one temple, there lived a Guru and two disciples. All temples look more or less the same—there are very few people staying at temples. Mahaprabhu sent away even Sri Raghunath Das Goswami, saying,

sthira hana ghare yao, na hao batula

"Go back to your home, do not become crazy."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 16.237)

markata-vairagya na kara loka dekhana
yatha-yogya visaya bhunja' anasakta hana

"Do not show your false renunciation to people. Serve accepting material things, but without attachment."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 16.238)

Mahaprabhu told him, "Do not show monkey renunciation. Go back to your home." He sent him to stay as a grihastha. Here too in this story, we can see that there were only two disciples staying at the temple, but they always fought and competed because of the service to their Guru. One day, the Guru said, "If you are always fighting so much because of service, I will divide the service then. One will massage my left leg, and the other one will massage my right leg." One day, the disciple who was supposed to massage the Guru's left leg got sick and could not do his service. The other disciple massaged the Guru's right leg and carried on massaging only his right leg. The Guru asked him, "What is wrong? Why are you not massaging my left leg?" The disciple said, "It is his leg! It is not my leg."

I see this mood in the disciples now. Everyone thinks, "It is his service!" Somebody washes the dishes, and they do not want to do anything else—if someone steals something and runs away, they say, "The security guard will take care of it! It is not my matter. I wash the dishes!" Such is our mood. All the disciples that there are now have enjoyment mood. Gurudev told one very nice story. We go by car now, but in the olden days they used to go by bullock or horse carts. So, one day Gurudev and his disciple were travelling by a cart. Gurudev told his disciple, "Listen, there are my clothes, stick, umbrella, tilak, etc. in this bag. Take care of all things and make sure nothing falls off. If anything falls, pick it up." They started their way—the Guru climbed on the horseback, and the disciple sat at the back, guarding the things. Whatever fell from the cart, the disciple carefully put back, and even when some stool fell off from the horse's backside, the disciple picked that too! The Guru scolded him, "What are you doing?!" The disciple said, "You said I must pick up whatever falls!" Then, the disciple made a list of all the things his Gurudev had (1 - umbrella, 2 - comb, 3 - stick, etc.). They continued their way. On their way, there was some hole in the road, and the horse jumped over it. As the horse made the jump, the Guru fell off the horse, shouting, "Help! Help! Hold me!" The disciple took the list out of his pocket and started checking the list. His Guru shouts, "Save me!" but he does not care. We are also such servants... We only worry about our Guru's material property. Gurudev's wealth, or property, is not a great temple or house. Gurudev's wealth is faith, devotion, and divine love.

People think: the bigger temple one makes, the bigger guru they are (Visva Math—Visva Guru), and if somebody makes a small temple, then they are a small guru. We must always want to be small, we want to be servants of Vaishnavs—this is what we must always remember. We must listen to what Gurudev says; otherwise, there is no way for us. We are always engrossed in material things—Pujyapad Bhakti Kumud Shanta Goswami Maharaj said, "It is very difficult to become a sadhu, but it is very easy to dress as a sadhu." There are so many of such sadhus who only dress as such. That is why, Sri Jagadananda Pandit said,

"gorara ami, gorara ami" mukhe balile nahi chale
gorara achara, gorara vichara la-ile phala phale

Just saying, "I am Gora's! I am Gora's!" does not do. Only when you follow Gora's practices and Gora's conception will you get the proper result.

loka dekhana gora bhaja tilaka matra dhari'
gopanete atyachara gora dhare churi

You show the world you serve Gora simply by wearing tilak but secretly you misbehave. Gora will catch you, you thief!

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 8.6-7)

We secretly engage in atrocious matters, but Gora will catch us! He knows everything! Guru is antaryami—he knows everything, he knows what we do and what we do not do.

* * *

Come as a Beggar

Sri Vyasa Puja of Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
Sri Nrisingha Palli, the main festival programme
1 January 2021, part 8, translated from Bengali

Anyhow, much has been said today. I would like to read one article written by Srila Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Actually, no matter how many times I tell about it, it does not help... You must all listen to what Srila Prabhupad says. You can see just now they will be giving prasad—we say,

tava nija-jana, prasada seviya,
uchchhista rakhibe yaha
amara bhojana, parama-anande,
prati-dina habe taha

"Whatever remnants Your devotees leave behind after honouring Your prasad I will eat every day with great joy."

(Saranagati, 19.3)

We say this, but when it comes to prasadam time, everybody goes first saying, "No, I will eat first!" This world is all about eating—people only eat, eat, eat, and if they do not eat once, they think they will die. So, what I wanted to read to you was this:

One time, there started an annual festival at Sri Gaudiya Math. Many preachers of exclusive genuine religion, exemplary sannyasis and brahmacharis came to the temple from all over India. Many invited respectable gentlemen and ladies also came to the festival, yearning to hear about the nectarean devotion to the Lord. Endlessly jubilant and endowed with sincere service mood, all selfless, pious servitors were ready to enrich everyone—the invited, the uninvited, devotees, non-devotees, materialists, and strict renunciates who are averse to service—through Hari-kirtan (glorification of the Lord). There was Krishna-katha heard everywhere, and everyone's hearts rejoiced and soared to hear narrations about Krishna, to hear the songs extolling Krishna's qualities resounding all around them. Even surprised passers-by, attracted by the festival, became stunned and forgot where they were going.

At this time, somebody had the guts to come and ask me, "Oh, listen here! When are they going to give food for beggars here?" What must I reply! Ah, hearing this question, I as if have lost myself. I looked within my own heart, and started to reason with it.

Oh, listen here, foolish mind! Let's see the truth: What kind of a beggar are you? What do you lack? What do you want? Alas! You seem to only wish to gratify your material senses; you feel you lack the capricious pleasures and happiness that your senses have a wayward, mischievous hunger for; and, not being able to attain that sufficiently, you consider youself a beggar! Is that not the truth? "When will they give food for beggars; when will I be able to enjoy with various auspicious paraphernalia and first-class ingredients?" This is all you are looking for! You have come to a very ripe and beautiful juicy fruit, but you end up searching for a ripe amla [Indian gooseberry, very sour]! You know it; your tongue is cheated by amla's sweetness. You thought that your hankering would be satisfied by that—you thought the appetite you had lost because of sickness would go away and as you ate amla, you would slowly recover, but you are wrong! This is a great mistake! Do you not think that this unhealthy bitter juice of amla will only erode your teeth, and you will become even sicker—you will not be able to get the taste of any other foods, you will die! If, overcome by the desire to enjoy, you see maha-prasad as just some food meant to bring you enjoyment or happiness, then you will only get the result of eating! Foolish mind, your search for the end of your poverty is futile here! What you beg for is available even on the street—even animals enjoy that; why do you need to come to the temple for that? Yes! Do the great servitors surrendered to Krishna call you to this temple, a great place of pilgrimage, invite you to this temple, to satisfy your material senses with material flavours? To feed her child the medicine that will cure the disease, a clever loving mother will entice the child with a laddu (sweet ball), but is it about the laddu? It is not, it is really not! The main substance is hidden within it! Here too, that which permeates the maha-prasad food (bhojan)—the nectar from the holy mouth of Sri Gaura—that is found here, in this holy abode of the Supreme Lord, this greatest place of pilgrimage, is the spiritual life in service (bhajan) to Mahaprabhu! This is the main thing for the entire world, the main necessity! So, I am telling you: come, dear mind, come—if you want to get benefit, come—come not as a beggar for food (bhojan), but come as a beggar for spiritual life in service to the Lord (bhajan), and roll at the holy feet of the supremely merciful devotees of the Lord, taking on your head their feet dust, the water that has washed their feet, and the remnants of their food:

bhakta-pada-dhuli ara bhakta-pada-jala
bhakta-bhukta-sesa—ei tina sadhanera bala

"The dust of the devotees' feet, the water that has washed the devotees' feet, and the remnants of devotees' food—these three are the sole strength of one's spiritual life."

* * *

Ask Your Heart

Basirhat, noon programme, 28 February 2021, part 4
Translated from Bengali

One time, somebody asked Prabhupad Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur: Is there difference between service to Krishna, service to Krishna's devotee, and Nama-sankirtan? Srila Prabhupad replied: although they are different, their purpose is one.

You can see many times that you ask somebody to cook, but they say, "No, no! I am doing mala now [chanting on my beads]!" They make an offence. The Lord needs service. It is necessary to cook and offer bhog to the Lord, it is necessary to feed the Lord, but if I sit the whole day and chant on the beads, then who will cook? Who will clean the vegetables? Who will do the dishes? That is why, the purpose is one. If you cook for the Lord, you are doing Nama-sankirtan through that. If you serve devotees, you automatically serve Krishna. What does Krishna Himself say? He says, "If you serve My devotee, you will be automatically serving Me." If you read Srimad Bhagavad-gita, you can find it there. I am not reciting the particular verse now because you will not understand the Sanskrit, but the gist of the Gita is "If you serve My devotee, you will automatically serve Me." There is no problem with that. You must remember this. If you serve devotees today, you automatically serve Krishna.

There are many good questions and answers in Guidance 3. If we do not read them and do not understand them nicely, then we will not be able to do anything. Therefore, Guru Maharaj said: there is quality, and there is quantity. It is necessary to practise Krishna consciousness yourself, properly, genuinely. Even then, Srila Prabhupad said: among ten million of such karmis, you can get one jnani; among ten thousand jnanis, you will get one liberated person; and among ten million liberated souls, you will get only one devotee of Krishna—yet, even if there is only one devotee of Krishna in the entire universe, that one single devotee of Krishna can rescue the entire universe (Visva-brahmanda). However, our heart is not attracted to that—our mind does not go to that, our entire being is not attracted to Krishna consciousness, to devotion.

How many times we have come to this world?!

jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati
krmayo rudra-sankhyakah paksinam dasa-laksanam
trimsal-laksani pasavah chatur-laksani manusah

"There are 900,000 species living in the water. There are also 2,000,000 nonmoving living entities, such as trees and plants. There are also 1,100,000 species of insects and reptiles, and there are 1,000,000 species of birds. As far as quadrupeds are concerned, there are 3,000,000 varieties, and there are 400,000 human species."

(Padma Purana)

You have heard this, I have told you this so many times! We have been born in water 900,000 times (as fish, crocodile, shark, etc.); we have been born as trees, plants, mountains, etc. 2,000,000 times; we have been born as worms, insects, spiders, etc. 1,100,000 times; we have been born as birds, flying in the sky, 1,000,000 times; we have been born as animals (cows, goats, sheep, cats) 3,000,000 time; and we have been born as humans 400,000 times. But:

bharata-bhumite haila manusya janma yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara

"One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India should take advantage of his birth and bring benefit to all other people."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila, 9.41)

What is benefit to others? This is what we do not understand. We say, "Love all souls." Are souls only humans? We do not understand what it means to show compassion, love for the soul. Mahaprabhu told Srila Sanatan Goswami,

jive daya name ruchi vaisnava seva
iha bahi sanatana nahi ara dharma

"Be merciful to the souls, chant the Holy Name, and serve the Vaishnavs. Sanatan, besides this, there is no other religion."

You must be kind to the jiva souls, you must have taste for chanting the Holy Name, and you must serve Vaishnavs. There is no other religion beyond that. It is necessary to bring the souls who have turned away from Krishna, to this path. This is how we must practise Krishna consciousness...

* * *

Tired of Struggling?

Basirhat, noon programme, 28 February 2021, part 5
Translated from Bengali

We must practise Krishna consciousness with religious determination and firmness (nistha), but the problem is that we cannot give up small things and cannot genuinely come to the pure path. We blame the Lord, "Oh, the Lord is not taking care of me! The Lord is giving me hardships!" but the Lord will take us to Himself. Through a little bit of sadness, pain, hardships, suffering, He will wash and clean us and take us to Himself. The more you suffer, the more mercy you have—you will struggle with food, clothes, etc., but the more you will call the Lord, the more austerity He will give you! You must remember this! You will get austerity! However, if I get austerity and pass all the tests successfully, then I can get to the Lord! I can reach my own home! What do sadhus come to you for? Genuine sadhus come to tell you all this and tell you to bring people to this path. If even only one person comes to this path to practise Krishna consciousness, this brings ten million times more benefit.

Prabhupad Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said: instead of making ten million hospitals, instead of tending to ten million patients, you will get ten million times more benefit if you bring just one person who is averse to Krishna to this path. It is necessary to become real sadhus, real devotees. We live only thinking about our own happiness and enjoyment:

krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vanchha kare
nikatastha maya tare japatiya dhare

"When souls become averse to Krishna and desire enjoyment, nearby Maya seizes them."

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 6.2)

Maya is always near, and she slowly, slowly comes and grasps those souls who live enjoying, who desire enjoyment. If you want to enjoy, thinking, "What will I eat? What will I wear? How will I sleep? Where will I live?"—if I always only think about myself, then the Lord says, "I will not think about you, I will not worry about you. Yet, if you leave everything to Me, then I will take care of you." That is why, it is said:

sad-anga saranagati ha-ibe yahara
tahara prarthana sune sri-nanda-kumara

"Sri Krishna hears the prayers of those who surrender in this six-fold way."

When Duhsasan and Duryodhan tried to disrobe Draupadi, Draupadi tried to protect herself by pulling on her clothes and resisting, and the Lord did not protect her. When she saw she could not protect herself alone, she raised one arm in prayer to the Lord and was still trying to keep her clothes on with her other hand. The Lord did not protect her even then. When she finally became hopeless, she called out to the Lord with both her hands upraised, letting off her clothes—she surrendered everything to the Lord, "Prabhu, You are mine, and I am Yours. Only You can protect me, nobody else can." Then, the Lord actually became her clothes and made so that no matter how much Duhsasan and Duryodhan pulled and pulled, the cloth never finished.

In this way, the Lord has sent Kali-yuga to this world, and He has also sent Maya. Maya Devi cheats us and keeps us away from the service of the Lord. She removes us and keeps us away from the Lord! However, if we become genuinely surrendered, then Maya will run far away from us. Krishna created Maya, and it is said,

krsna bhuli' sei jiva anadi-bahirmukha
ataeva maya tare deya samsaradi-duhkha

Having forgotten Krishna, the soul wanders throughout the universe. Being thus covered by illusion, the soul goes through all kinds of material suffering.

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 20.117)

Because we have forgotten the Lord, we are now suffering from the three-fold miseries of this world. The only way for us to save ourselves from this suffering is to take shelter at the holy lotus feet of the Lord. That is why, it is said, "Bhagavata pada Vaisnavera sthane, ekanta asraya kara Chaitanya-charane! Read Bhagavatam under the guidance of bona fide Vaishnavs and take shelter at Mahaprabhu's lotus feet!" We must read Bhagavatam among Vaishnavs, and we must take shelter of Mahaprabhu's lotus feet.

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki jay.

Let us chant some kirtan now.

[His Divine Grace then chants 'Sri Guru-charana-padma' and then continues the class.]

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 Proper Worship

Basirhat, noon programme, 28 February 2021, part 6
Translated from Bengali

sri-krsna-chaitanya prabhu jive daya kari'
svaparsada sviya dhama saha avatari

"Being merciful to the souls, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu descends with His associates and abode."

Sri Krishna Chaitanya means the Supreme Lord. When Nimai Vishvambhar took sannyas, His name became Sri Krishna Chaitanya—Chaitanya means Krishna who has come to this world to awaken jiva souls' consciousness (chetan). To bestow His mercy on the jiva souls, He comes to this world together with His associates (parsada)—all those associates who performed pastimes with Krishna in Dvapar-yuga, came in this Kali-yuga with Mahaprabhu.

Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is a combined form of Sri Sri Radha Krishna—He is Krishna who has taken the heart and halo of Sri Radha. We sing in one of the kirtans,

radha-bhajane yadi mati nahi bhela
krsna-bhajana tava akarana gela

"If you do not worship Srimati Radharani, your worship of Krishna is nothing."

They are making a festival for Gopal here, but if you do not worship Srimati Radharani and just keep saying "Gopal, Gopal," what result will you get? In Mahaprabhu's time, there was a devotee named Vallabha Bhatta Goswami who always chanted the Name of Gopal and worshipped Gopal and was very proud of his commentary on Bhagavatam, but he did not respect Sridhar Swami's commentary on Bhagavatam. Mahaprabhu said,

prabhu hasi' kahe,—"swami na mane yei jana
vesyara bhitare tare kariye ganana"

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu smilingly replied, "One who does not accept the swami [husband] as an authority I consider a prostitute."

(Chaitanya-charitamrta, 3.7.115)

When the wife does not respect and obey her husband, what do you call such a woman? A prostitute. So, when Vallabha Bhatta Goswami said, "My commentary on Bhagavatam is better than Sridhar Swami's!" Mahaprabhu said, "If one does not respect Swami [husband and, in another way, Sridhar Swami], then such a person is like a prostitute." After that conversation with Mahaprabhu, Vallabha Bhatta left his worship of Bala Gopal and started to worship Sri Sri Radha Govinda. If you read Chaitanya-charitamrita, you can find this pastime there. That is why,

radha-bhajane yadi mati nahi bhela
krsna-bhajana tava akarana gela

"If you do not worship Srimati Radharani, your worship of Krishna is nothing."

We must worship Radharani. At the same time, who has taken Radharani's mood (who embodies Her mood)? Gauranga. Therefore, if we do not worship Gauranga, if we do not worship Nityananda ("Nitaiyer karuna habe Vraje Radha Krsna pabe: when Nitai bestows His mercy, you will reach Radha-Krsna in Vraja"), then we can never get Radharani...

The religion of Dvapara-yuga was archan, puja, but the religion of Kali-yuga is Harinama-sankirtan. Therefore, if you do not practise chanting the Holy Name, then what can we say? Nityananda Prabhu is guru-tattva—"Guru bade Gauranga bhaje, sei papi raurave padi maje: the sinner who worships Gauranga without the Guru will fall into a terrible hell."

radha-bhajane yadi mati nahi bhela
krsna-bhajana tava akarana gela

"If you do not worship Srimati Radharani, your worship of Krishna is nothing."

This means that we are devotees of Gauranga. Before you become a devotee of Krishna, you must become a devotee of Gauranga. What does Krishna Himself say? "Those who say they are My devotees, are not My devotees. Those who are My devotees' devotees, are My real devotees." Mahaprabhu Himself, who identified Himself with the ego of a devotees (bhakta-abhiman), said, "I am a devotee of devotees of devotees!"

naham vipro na cha nara-patir napi vaisyo na sudro
naham varni na cha grha-patir no vanastho yatir va
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramananda-purnamrtabdher
gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah

"I am not a brahman, I am not a ksatriya, I am not a vaisya or a sudra. Nor am I a brahmachari, a householder, a vanaprastha or a sannyasi. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna, the maintainer of the gopis. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 13.80)

This is how Mahaprabhu worshipped the Lord. Do you understand?

* * *

 Watch the Road

Basirhat, noon programme, 28 February 2021, part 7
Translated from Bengali

If you do not understand what Krishna consciousness is—if you do not follow the proper line, what happens? If a train derails, what happens? It falls over. So, if we go off track—if we stop following the line of devotion—we too will fall over into a hole. We must follow the proper line that is described by the Bhagavatam.

krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam
sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair
yajanti hi su-medhasah

"Those of sharp intellect will worship Krishna who appears with a non-black bodily hue, who is armed and surrounded by His associates and servants, and who always chants the Holy Names."

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 11.5.32)

This means that Krishna steals Radharani's colour and mood and appears in this Kali-yuga as Gauranga Mahaprabhu. We always say, "Krishna, Krishna," but the worship of Radha Krishna is the highest thing.

matala hari-jana kirtana-range
pujala raga-patha gaurava-bhange

"From afar we shall worship the raga-patha, the path of spontaneous affectionate service, while we ourselves shall live within the Vedic guideline."

If you step into raga-marga first, then the seed of your devotional creeper will be destroyed.

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

"Having travelled throughout the universe and got the mercy of Guru, Krishna, a fortunate soul receives a seed of the devotional creeper."

mali hana kare sei bija aropana
sravana-kirtana-jale karaye sechana

"As a gardener, they must plant that seed and water it with practising: hearing and chanting."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 19.151-152)

You can nourish the seed by watering it with sravan (hearing) and kirtan (chanting, practising); however, if you pour too much water, the seed will rot and die—this is what sahajiyas do: they pour too much water, and their devotion becomes destroyed. There is no devotion in sahajiya (imitation), it is all chhala-bhakti (pretence of devotion).

suddha bhakta-palana suska-jnana-tadana,
chhala-bhakti-dusana-rama

[Gauranga Mahaprabhu] is the maintainer of the pure devotees and the dispeller of dry knowledge. He is the eradicator of pseudo-devotion and the reservoir of all pleasure.

We must know the proper line of Krishna consciousness.

Therefore, it is said in the kirtan we were singing that Mahaprabhu comes together with His associates. Next question is how can we get the Lord?

dainya, atma-nivedana, goptrtve varana
'avasya raksibe krsna'—visvasa palana
bhakti-anukula matra karyera svikara
bhakti-pratikula bhava—varjanangikara

"Humility, self-submission, embracing the Lord's guardianship, maintaining the faith that 'Krishna will certainly protect me', engaging only in activities that are favourable to devotion, rejecting everything unfavourable to devotion."

(Saranagati, 1)

It is necessary to have humility, surrender.

diksa-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krsna tare kare atma-sama

At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders unto the service of the Lord, Krishna accepts him to be as good as Himself.

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 4.192)

We think that initiation is just taking the beads—I have got the mantra, so I have taken initiation. No! It is necessary to surrender yourself. Initiation (diksa) means divine knowledge (divya-jnan). Do we have divine knowledge? We have so much material knowledge, but do we have divine knowledge? Many people have taken initiation, many people have much material knowledge, but how many people actually have divine knowledge?

diksa-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krsna tare kare atma-sama

At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders unto the service of the Lord, Krishna accepts him to be as good as Himself.

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 4.192)

What is initiation? It means surrendering everything—leaving both enjoyment (bhoga-tyaga) and renunciation (tyaga-tyaga). How do you renounce renunciation? For example, you are following Ekadasi and thinking, "I will get this result," or you are practising Krishna consciousness thinking, "I am practising because I will get this result." We must leave such thoughts. Do not do something in the hope of getting something in return. The hope "I will get something" means lust. Devotees never want anything. Genuine devotees want only one thing—they want love for the Lord. They always think, "How can I please the Lord?"...

* * *

Regulated Life

Basirhat, noon programme, 28 February 2021, part 8
Translated from Bengali

[Distracted by something, His Divine Grace comments:] People are so worried about the vaccine now. Some disease comes, they create a vaccine; another disease comes, they again have to create another vaccine. They spend their entire life only talking and thinking about vaccine, vaccine, vaccine; yet, you will not hear "Hare Krishna" come out of their mouth even once...

dainya, atma-nivedana, goptrtve varana
'avasya raksibe krsna'—visvasa palana
bhakti-anukula matra karyera svikara
bhakti-pratikula bhava—varjanangikara

"Humility, self-submission, embracing the Lord's guardianship, maintaining the faith that 'Krishna will certainly protect me', engaging only in activities that are favourable to devotion, rejecting everything unfavourable to devotion."

(Saranagati, 1)

We must do that which is favourable to devotion. You must listen to this carefully. If you listen once nicely and remember it, then you will get a good result. What do you do? You do what is favourable and at the same time you also do what is unfavourable to devotion. People say, "I will eat meat, and I will chant the Holy Name!" It is the same as saying, "I will drink liquor, and I will take medicine!" Will your disease be cured like that? It will not. Suppose you have a problem with bloating or gas in the stomach—if you continue eating spicy food, chilli, etc. thinking, "It is OK, I will take medicine," will that remove your illness? Suppose you have blood sugar—you take medicine and you also eat sweets and potato. Will that help you? It will not. So, when the doctor tells you, "Do not eat this, do not do this, this, and this," you must follow this advice and take medicine. Our medicine is chanting the Holy Name, and we must follow a wholesome, healthy 'diet'.

You think that you can chant the Holy Name and eat meat, but,

asadhu-sange bhai krsna-nama nahi haya
namaksara bahiraya bate tabu nama kabhu naya

"Brother, the Name of Krishna never appears in bad association: the letters of the Name may appear, but the Name never does."

(Sri Sri Prema-vivarta, 7.1)

What you chant may sound like "Hare Krishna," but it is not the Holy Name proper. It is said in the scriptures that we must do that which is favourable to devotion and we must reject that which is unfavourable to devotion.

When you come to a doctor, the doctor will tell you, "Do not eat this." Depending on your disease, the doctor will give recommendations and prescribe the medicine. If you have blood sugar, the doctor will prescribe one medicine; if you have some other disease, the doctor will prescribe another medicine, etc. Why do people these days have a heart attack at a very young age? It means they eat too much oily or fried food, too much paneer, etc. and their cholesterol goes high. People do not walk, do not exercise, do not work hard. This is how cholesterol increases and people end up having a stroke or a heart attack. Anyhow, if you come to a doctor and the doctor gives you recommendations and prescribes medicine, but you do not follow all this properly, if you do not understand the importance of following what the doctor says, then you will end up doing both what is favourable and what is unfavourable. Suppose you are doing a yajna—you are putting ghee into the fire and then you put some water into the fire. You will not be able to do any yajna in this way. So, you think, "I will eat everything," but you all know that every action has an equal opposite reaction, so that which you are eating in this birth will later eat you.

I have told this to you all before. If I were to come here to Basirhat and tell everyone, "Eat whatever your soul wants! Drink liquor! Smoke ganja! Do whatever you want!" then you will see so many people will come to take initiation. There is a system, and it is necessary to follow the system. The scriptures say that when such do-whatever-you-like gurus take disciples, then both the guru and the disciples go to hell. This is written Srimad Bhagavatam. Such gurus clear your path to hell. This is called sahajiya.

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