(Translated from Bengali Discourse)
We are very fortunate today to be in the presence of Guru and Vaisnavas celebrating Nandotsava. What have the guru-varga and the gosvāmīs told about this day? The conditioned souls are absorbed in material life. It is not so easy to bring them to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. They need help and great mercy. Wicked sinners, ignorant people, hypocrites and cheaters full of bad qualities fill this material world.
Śrī Vidyāpati prays—
gaṇaite doṣa, guṇaleśa nā pāobi, yab tuhū korobi vicāra tuhū jagannātha, jagate kahāosi, jaga-bāhir nahi mui chāra
[“While considering this appeal, You will only be able to count my faults. You will not find even a trace of good qualities in me. You are known throughout the creation as Jagannātha. Therefore do I, a worthless soul living within this universe, not have the right to accept You as my master?”] Bhagavān Jagannātha sees all living entities. He knows if we lie or if we speak truth. He knows if we show cruelty to others and if we have envy or hate in our hearts. He knows everything that we do. The living entities are controlled by their senses and the modes of nature. They have been taking bad association for millions of lives. We come to the dhāma but still do not develop good tendencies. When a serpent drinks milk the milk only increases the serpent’s poison. We come to the dhāma but softness and other qualities of bhakti do not come within us. Our wicked nature increases. Now we are moving throughout the 84 lakhs of species in the cycle of birth and death. In the animal species we do not have the ability to perform karma. We only experience the results of our previous karma. If a violent animal like a tiger or a snake harms another animal, it does not incur sin. Animal bodies are only for tasting the fruits of past karma. Only in human life does one have the opportunity to perform that activity which can free one from the cycle of karma and the ocean of birth and death. There is no other means to escape saṁsāra. No other body offers this opportunity. All living beings are the children of the Supreme Lord. They receive temporary mothers in this world. A farmer plants seeds in a field and the seeds sprout up, and when ripe, the farmer comes and takes back his crop. The produce of the field does not belong to the field. So much sin is performed by thinking the property of the Supreme Lord to be one’s own. Out of arrogance conditioned souls think that they are the mothers, fathers, brothers and relatives of people and the owners of property in this world, while in truth the owner and maintainer of all is the Supreme Lord. We perform so many sinful activities as human beings that the 8,000,000 animal, insect and plant species are not enough to receive the fruits of them all. We do everything for our own happiness, giving great pain to others to fulfill our selfish motives. We want to receive love from our children, but we steal the children of animals and cook and eat them. Then how can we expect to deserve peace and happiness in our lives? The jīvas must suffer the results of these actions. What then can we do? Who will take this karma away from us? Therefore, Bhagavān appeared in this world. That day on which He appears is supremely pure. We can see in this world that when an important person, like the president or the prime minister comes to a certain district, then that entire district is decorated and there is a big festival. Then that president or prime minister will do something beneficial for that area. This is seen in modern society. Parameśvara Śrī Bhagavān is the true father of all beings and we are His children. He knows how much we suffer due to our sinful activities. Therefore, He has come to this world to free us from our suffering caused by our own actions. The day He appears is thus supremely pure. If anyone follows this day, remembers Him and perform kīrtana of Him on this day, then he will be purified and filled with all good qualities. It is said in śāstra that Bhagavān is extremely merciful. So merciful, that He appears Himself in this world of death. This world is known as mṛtyu-loka, or the world of death. No one here can live for long. This realm is under the jurisdiction of Yamarāja, who gives bodies that cause us suffering experienced through the senses. But if anyone remembers their Supreme Father Bhagavān, has love for Him and does even just a little service for Him, then he will be relieved from his misery and will not have to suffer the results of his sin. If a son has done wrong, but humbly submits his guilt to his father, touching his father’s feet and begging for forgiveness, saying, “Dear father, I have done great wrong,” a loving father will surely forgive the sin of his sincere son. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Father. He will forgive His children if they surrender to Him. He says, “Oh, do not do these things. Follow a good path. I will help you in all ways.” By humbly praying for forgiveness and offering respect to the Lord, His devotees and His dhāma, then one can be freed from material entanglement. However, those who are most unfortunate will not adopt this mood of humility and sincere prayer. They will continue to slander others and endeavor to gratify their senses. He who is most unfortunate in this world will never bow His head to Hari, Guru or the Vaiṣṇavas. He will bow to some mundane person in this world for the sake of filling his belly, but not to the Lord. But the stomach cannot keep anything. It will all to have come out. And when it does not come out, one goes to the doctor and asks for a medicine to help his digestion. Simply for filling the stomach so many kinds of sinful activities are performed, but it can never give satisfaction to the self. The stomach or any of the senses are never satisfied by whatever amount of gratification you may give them. Bhagavān mercifully appears along with His associates—aṅga-upāṅga-astra-pārṣada saṅge nāco-i bhāva-mūrati gorā raṅge
gāota kali-yuga-pāvana nāma bhrama-i śacī-suta nadīyā dhāma
(hare) haraye namaḥ krṣna yādavāya namaḥ gopāla govinda rāma śrī-madhusūdana
“Lord Gaurāṅga, the personification of ecstatic love of God, dances in the company of His plenary portions, along with the parts and parcels of His plenary portions, with His divine weapons, and with His personal associates. That son of Mother Śacī wanders throughout the abode of Nadīyā singing the holy names of Kṛṣṇa, which are the deliverer of all living beings imprisoned within the age of Kali, as follows: ‘O Lord Hari! Obeisances unto You who are known as Hari, Krsna, Yādava. You are the herder of the cows, the pleasure of the cows, gopas and gopīs, the Supreme Enjoyer, and the blessed killer of the demon named Madhu.’” Mahāprabhu came with His expansions, weapons and personal associates. And how did Śyāmasundara Vrajendra-nandana come?nandas tv ātmaja utpanne jātāhlādo mahā-manāḥ
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.5.1
[“Nanda Mahārāja was naturally very magnanimous, and when Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared as his son, he was overwhelmed by bliss.”] Kṛṣṇa appeared as the son of Nanda Mahārāja. Any children that we may have are embodiments of kāla, or death. They come to us to inflict all the suffering we gave to our fathers, mothers and others. But Nanda Mahāraja’s son was not like this. He was the Supreme Lord Himself and the embodiment of ānanda, transcendental bliss. This ānanda was born to Nanda. A good son will come to a good father and will be the friend of all. If a bad son comes, then he only increases the suffering of this world and will be harmful to all beings. When Kṛṣṇa was born, all were singing—nanda ke ānanda bhayo jaya kanhaiyā-lāla ki!
The Vrajavāsīs called Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva ‘Kaluā’ and ‘Baluā’. The Vrajavāsīs said, “Oh, this Kaluā is so sweet. Just seeing Him my heart is filled with bliss. I have never experienced such ānanda. I have never seen such a festival.” Generally in a feast, people eat so much until they cannot stand up. They have to roll onto their sides and take medicine for their digestion. But when Kṛṣṇa was born, He brought ānanda-cinmaya-rasa, spiritual bliss, which He distributed to all. He is raso vai saḥ, and He bestowed this rasa and ānanda to all. He is ānandamaya Parabrahma. Simply by remembering Him, performing kīrtana of Him, observing His festival days and taking darśana of Him, no one will have to drown in the ocean of misery. All of one’s suffering will end. The Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa came to distribute ānanda-cinmaya-rasa. How is that Govinda?premāṣjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
Śrī Brahma-Samhitā 38
[“The saintly personalities, whose eyes of bhakti are smeared with the kājala of prema, always behold Śrī Kṛṣṇa within their hearts as Śyāmasundara, the embodiment of inconceivable qualities. I worship that ādi-puruṣa, Govinda.”] Aho! Just have a little love for Him. We take mundane people into our hearts with our eyes, thinking, “Oh! How beautiful this person is.” And bringing these he-monkeys and she-monkeys into our hearts, we only experience pain. But Govinda is yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ. He is the most beautiful. Why do we not bring Him into our hearts? He is our life, our all-in-all. No one else is really ours. They stay for one or two days and then leave. But Kṛṣṇa will never leave us. Why don’t we have love for Him? Why don’t we feel affection for that Śyāmasundara? Our lives are full of misery, lamentation and illusion and no one is there to share our suffering with us. But if we bring that Parameśvara into our hearts, we will immediately cross far beyond the realm of pain and death. He is parama-dayālu, supremely merciful. We are His. We are not the children of any demigods or goddesses. We are the children of Bhagavān. He has said this Himself and only He has the right to do so. No one else can claim to be our father, relative or anything. Others come and go. No one can stay with each other for very long. But Nandanandana Śyāmasundara never gives up anyone. He has so much love for us and will never reject us. If we also have love for Him, then we will no longer suffer. Parjanya and Variyasi had five sons, Upānanda, Abhinanda, Nanda, Sunanda and Nandana. All them were married and had children, but Nanda and Yaśodā were childless. One day, Nanda Mahāraja went to Yasoda and said, “My father is very upset. He says that all my brothers have children, while I do not. He is performing a putreṣṭhi-yajṣa, so that we may have a son.” “No, no,” said Yaśodā, “never. The putras of this world are not putras, sons that liberate their forefathers, they are duṣṭātmās, wicked souls that come to acquire one’s heart and break it into many pieces. They are evil and impure. They do not allow one to have love for Bhagavān and the sādhus. They steal the heart and mind and bind one in illusory affection. It is better that I have love for Bhagavān and serve all the sādhus and His devotees. I want no son.” Hearing Yaśodā’s words, Nanda Mahārāja became surprised and pleased. “Truly you are Yaśodā,” he said. “Your yaśa, fame, will spread throughout the three worlds. You have no illusory attachment to this world.” Nanda Mahārāja asked her, “But what to do? My father wants us to sit in the yajṣa.” “We will sit there,” said Yaśodā, “But we will not say svāhā for an ordinary son. Let us say only ‘kṛṣṇāyā svāhā, dāmodaya svāhā, gopī-jana-vallabhāya svāhā.’ I will not say any other’s name. If our Lord wants to come than He may come. But I do not want any ordinary soul to come and disturb my life. I do not want the association of a wicked soul. If anyone is to come to my home and into my life, then let it be the Supreme Lord.” Those who know the nature of materially based relationships will not distribute their love to ordinary souls. They will reserve all their love for the Supreme Lord. Yaśodā said, “I only have love for that Govinda. I will not take any ordinary soul.” A great fire sacrifice was held and blessed with the presence of great ṛṣis such as Śāṇḍilya, Bhāgurī and others. All the while, Yaśodā said only, “Govindāya svāhā, gopī-jana-vallabhāya svāhā.” When the sacrifice was completed, a brilliant devī appeared in Vraja. Her body shone like gold and she wore a saffron sārī. Holding the hand of a small boy named Kusumāsava, she asked, “Where is the house of Nanda Mahārāja?” The Vrajavāsīs directed her to Nanda-bhavana, where she met with Nanda. Nanda Mahārāja wore a charmingly decorated turban as the king of Vraja. Normally the eldest brother would have been the king, yet all of Nanda Mahārāja’s brothers had come together and agreed that he was most qualified to be the king of Vraja. If one cannot please and capture the hearts of all his subjects with his love towards them, then he is not qualified to be king. Everyone had love for Nanda and thus made him their king. The effulgent goddess asked, “Are you Nanda Mahārāja?” “Yes,” he said. “Nanda, I have come from Goloka Vṛndāvana. You have done a great yajṣa. I have been sent by Govinda, who told me to give you the news that you have greatly pleased Him and He is coming.” “When is He coming?” “He did not say this. But He is surely coming. He told me to prepare Vraja for His arrival.” “What is your name?” “My name is Paurṇamāsī.” “Where will you reside? Shall I make you an opulent palace?” “No. I will stay in I hut on the bank of the Yamunā.” “I will arrange many nice dishes for you to take.” “I will not take cooked foods,” she said. “I will take milk, fruits and roots. I do need nothing else. This boy, Kusumasava, will stay with me.” Nanda Mahārāja built a cottage for Paurṇamāsī near the Yamunā. As soon as Paurṇamāsī arrived in Vraja, all the houses, fields and streets were decorated with natural beauty. The udders of the cows became heavy with sweet milk, the groves filled with flowers, the fields with lush grass; everything became vibrant with beauty and vitality. The meaning of Vraja is va-raja, the raja, dust of Vraja, is very special, va. Jei sthane vaiṣṇava-gaṇa, sei sthāna vṛndāvana, sei sthāne ānanda aśeṣa—wherever the bhaktas are present, that place is Vṛndāvana and the abode of bliss. What is the use of going to the holy places if the devotees are not there? Wherever the devotees are, that is Vṛndāvana and that place is full of bliss. Nanda Mahārāja noticed that as soon as Paurṇamāsī had come, Vraja’s beauty had become unparalleled. The trees were filled with fruits and flowers dripping nectar. The rivers were full and crystal clear. The bodies of the Vrajavāsīs were all very healthy and beautiful. Now, the Vrajavāsīs started kīrtana of Kṛṣṇa’s glories. Wherever there is kīrtana, Bhagavana has vowed to appear there—nāhaṁ tiṣṭhāmi vaikuṇṭhe yogināṁ hṛdayeṣu vā tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada yatra gāyanti mad-bhaktāḥ
[“O Nārada, I do not reside in Vaikuṇṭha, or in the hearts of the yogis, wherever My devotees are singing My glories, I am present there. I am unable to leave that place and go anywhere else.”] Before Kṛṣṇa appeared, He filled Vraja and its inhabitants with rasa. Then, on the eighth day of the dark moon, during the Rohiṇī-nakṣatra constellation, He was born to the womb of Yaśodā, bringing bliss to the universe. Prior to this, all the Vrajavāsīs could see that Yaśodā was filled with dazzling effulgence. She had been slightly aged, yet now she was a young woman and her breasts were heavy with milk. Seeing these signs in the body of Yaśodā, Paurṇamāsī Devī said, “The time has certainly come. Let there be kīrtana and dancing.” When Kṛṣṇa appeared, Nanda Mahārāja began to give endless amounts of charity. The Vrajavāsīs flocked to Nanda-bhavana without invitation, being summoned by their hearts. Many musicians, dancers, sages, sādhus, and the demigods in human form came to witness Śrī Kṛṣṇa. “Who has called them all?” Nanda Mahārāja thought. Paramātmā was calling them in their hearts, saying, “My master has arrived. Come, come.” If you have seen Mathurā or Vṛndāvana on this day then you must remember the crowds that block the streets and fill up the temples in hopes for a morsel of prasāda. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims assembly in Mathurā and Vṛndāvana for the festival of Kṛṣṇa’s appearance. Even all the demigods came to the home of Nanda Mahārāja, for he was distributing this ānanda cinmaya-rasa, spiritual bliss. This ānanda-utsava is not only the distribution of pūrīs, sweets, and sabjis. Nanda Mahārāja distributes ānanda-rasa. If one drinks this ānanda-rasa, he becomes like Pariksita Mahārāja, who for seven day and nights drank only this transcendental nectar and nothing material. One who drinks ānanda-cinmaya rasa becomes liberated from all objects of this world of suffering. Thus everyone came to Nanda Mahārāja to receive this ānanda-rasa. Today, people go the sādhus who have an overflowing storehouse of love and bliss to distribute. The sādhus have Bhagavān in their hearts and Bhagavān has everything. Therefore the sādhus can distribute this bliss. This Janmāṣṭhamī comes to us once a year. It is a great opportunity for all humankind. Nanda Mahārāja puts on this festival. That person who takes share in the ānanda-rasa can understand how sweet it is. Having tasted this ānanda-rasa, you will not run after material sweets. No matter how many sweets you eat, you will soon have to be parted with them, but if one drinks this ānanda-rasa through his ears and love for Kṛṣṇa manifests in his heart, he will never be deprived of this transcendental sweetness. Then everyday will be Nandotsava—ānanda-utsava, a celebration of bliss. Then you will no longer have to suffer in this hell-like existence, imprisoned in the material body. Some criticize the temples’ grand arrangements on this occasion, saying, “The devotees are wasting money.” They do not understand that keeping money, artha, brings about anarthas, while using it for Kṛṣṇa’s service is in the category of paramārtha, the supreme transcendental treasure. Otherwise, this wealth becomes one’s death. The sādhus make temples and collect from all corners for these festivals. By doing so they engage materialistic people in Kṛṣṇa’s service, thus giving them supreme benefit. If they do not do this for Bhagavān and the Vaiṣṇavas then they are not sādhus at all but asādhus. They will suffer so much. Whatever you receive must be used for Kṛṣṇa—patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ
[“If one offers Me a leaf, a flower, fruit or water with devotion, I will accept it.”] Whatever you have, give to Kṛṣṇa. Then it will become nectar and you can distribute it to all the devotees. Jagannātha’s eyes are wide open looking at all that we do. We must understand that all living entities are Kṛṣṇa’s, and thus show them affection by giving them spiritual help. Tens of thousands of people would come for Navadvīpa-dhāma Parikramā and Śrīla Gurudeva would feed and serve them all, giving them mahā-praśadam. Śrīla Gurudeva was asked, “You are a sādhu. Why are you serving all these ordinary people?” Śrīla Gurudeva said, “They are ignorant. I have to bring them back onto the right path. If I do not give them some opportunity, how will they ever become pure Vaiṣṇavas? They must be gradually purified with affection. If we show them contempt then they will never be purified.” Out of vast compassion, the sādhus collect from here and there and hold these great festivals. So we are extremely fortunate. We have come to the dhāma and are celebrating this day in the presence of the guru-varga. This Cakra-tīrtha is the original Janmasthāna of Jagannātha. We will hear more in the evening. Gaura premānande hari hari bol! Hari-katha spoken by Sripada Premananda Prabhu; rendition by Rasik Mohan Das This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.