Srila Gurudeva:
I am so happy to again come here in New Braj, that is Badger. Also I am happy to see the devotees here are so energetic. Because of Swamiji, very, very far away, about ten-thousand miles from India and Vrndavan, how a devotee village has been established here. I think this is the miracle of His Divine Grace Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja. Not only here, but in the whole world, wherever I went; in the west or east. A very remote place in Canada. I went there in a very deep forest among mountains. What is that place? Saranagati. I became so happy. Varnasrama dharma is there. So many devotees are there. It is only due to Swamiji. I went to Australia in a remote village. That place was also among the hills. So beautiful, it was always raining, vasanta-ritu. Very far away from India, in the east, but there I also saw a very big devotee village there. All were so inspired there also. Women, men, old, and little boys like here, having tilak and kanti-mala, all dancing, chanting, and remembering. Even in India, we cannot see like this. Not so much in India, it is not so energetic. But here everywhere I am seeing. This is a miracle. By the mercy of Swamiji. That in very remote places from India, he has established these things. No one can believe this without coming to these places. I had very strong faith in him, but when I came here to all the places in the west and east, my faith in him became more stronger, the strongest. But you should see that behind him, all disciplic guru-varga is there. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Thakura, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakura, Krsnadas Kaviraj Gosvami, Rupa Gosvami, Svarupa Damodara, Raya Ramananda and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Only as a hand he came. What to give? Not any of his own thing. But his beloved Radha-Krsna and Gaura Nityananda Prabhu’s mission, especially Svarupa Damodara, Raya Ramananda and Rupa Gosvami’s mission to all these countries.
Once I told something, but general devotees could not understand my view. I told that Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself is Srimati Radhika and Krsna. After a long period, Anarpita-cirim-cirat karunayavatirnah kalau. After a very long period, one day of brahma, about a thousand kali-yugas and all the yugas coming, Caitanya Mahaprabhu came. Who was He? He was Himself Krsna but having the beauty and mood of Srimati Radhika that is combined Srimati Radhika and Sri Krsna. That is maha-bhava rasa-raj. Perhaps you have heard this word. It is a very special thing in Caitanya-caritamrta. In the shape of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Saci-nandana Gaurahari, He came in Sri Navadvipa Dham Mayapura, only to give a very hidden thing for Sanaka, Sanadana and Sanatana, and even for Prahlada Maharaja, and it is very mysterious for even Narada and Uddhava--that thing He came to distribute with two hands. Not just two hands but lakhs and lakhs of hands. All the devotees at that time were all the hands of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They did not look at the qualification of anyone. Even tigers, bears, servants, creepers, trees who came and saw the lovely appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, hearing them calling, “O Krsna. Where are you! O Radhike! Where are you?” All became devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They began to weep and sing these things. They had krsna-prema.
So Caitanya Mahaprabh has come for this. He has not come to establish yuga-dharma, or to protect the bhaktas from demons, or for any other reason. Only to establish this anarpita-cirim-cirat karunayavatirnah kalua, samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam-sva-bhakti-sriyam. He has only come for this. What is this unnatojjvala-rasa? It is the gopis’ mood, especially of Srimati Radhika. Not anything else. Only Radhika’s mood. How to serve Krsna. For this He has come. This is of two kinds: the mood of Radhika and the gopis, and the mood of the palya dasi maidservants of Srimati Radhika. The palya dasis of Radhika do not want to serve Krsna alone. If Krsna is calling them, they will not go. So there are two moods of gopis. One mood is like Radhika, Lalita, Vishaka, Citra and all others. And another mood is of the palya-dasis, the maidservants, especially of Srimati Radhika. They don’t want to taste Krsna in anyway alone. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu has come to distribute this mood. How Rupa manjari, Lavanga manjari and all served Krsna? With Srimati Radhika and Krsna. This mood. Not to give the mood of Srimati Radhika. It cannot be given. It is only for Radhika. So He tasted this. To taste the three moods of Radhika.
sri-radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayaiva
svadyo yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah
saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrisam veti lobhat
tad-bhavadhyah samajani saci-garbha-sindhau harinduh
“Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani’s love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appeared from the womb of Srimati Saci-devi, as the mood appeared from the ocean.” (CC Adi 1.6)
For this reason only. The mood of Sri Radha cannot be given. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu has not come to give the mood of Srimati Radhika, how She serves Krsna, how She feels pleasure serving Krsna, and seeing Krsna. It cannot be given to anyone. But this mood of the gopis can be given. So Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came only to give this thing. How to serve Srimati Radhika, bending more to Srimati Radhika, but serving both. He has come to give this. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu was not in this world, Ramanuja, Madhva and so many Vaisnava acaryas were there and before that Rama came, Nrsingadeva came--all came. They had something special to give to this world, but they never gave this thing. Caitanya Mahaprabhu came and gave bhakti-rasa. That is called bhakti-rasa. So Rupa Gosvami:
sri-caitanya-mano ‘bistam sthapitam yena bhutale
svayam rupah kada mahyam dadati sva-padantikam
“When will Srila Rupa Gosvami, who established within this world the mission to fulfill the dearmost desires of the heart of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, personally give me the shelter of his feet?”
There were so many Gosvamis, and Svarupa Damodara and Raya Ramananda but this sloka is especially for Srila Rupa Gosvami. Why? Because Svarupa Damodara and Raya Ramananda are Lalita and Vishak. Their moods cannot be given. No, they cannot be given in any way. No one can give this. This is for Krsna to taste only. They are the gurus of Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami and all six Gosvamis. Svarupa Damodara and Raya Ramananda are the gurus. Only they have given special mercy to Rupa Gosvami. Svarupa Damodara, Raya Ramananda Nityananda Prabhu and all the associates of Mahaprabhu gave because Caitanya Mahaprahu requested them that, “You should give special mercy to him so that he may realize My heart and that should be given to the whole world.” So they all gave their special mercy to Srila Rupa Gosvami, and that is why he has written everything to please Caitanya Mahaprabhu. [He gave] only the moods of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, what he wanted to distribute in this world. None has done this in this world. Because there was especially an order for Rupa Gosvami to do this. So he has done. Where? In Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, in Ujjvala-nilamani, and also he has taken something which was not in Srimad-Bhagavtam also or any Puranas or anywhere. So he had to write Vidagdha Madhava, Lalita Madhava and so many special books, and from there, he could quoted slokas for all those things for Radha’s mood and all the gopis’ mood. What is called vraja-rasa.
All of our acaryas, beginning from Svarupa Damodara and Raya Ramananda, up to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami and his disciples—none have come to establish vaidhi-bhakti. None have come for this, to establish vaidhi-bhakti, because they are special acaryas. They have not come to preach the theory, mood and teachings of Ramanuja and Madhva. They have preached those things. If they are preaching these things, then they should have gone in the sampradaya of Sri sampradaya, Madhva sampradaya, Visnu sampradaya, Nimbaditya sampradaya or any other sampradaya. All from Svarupa Damodara and Raya Ramananda, or beginning from Madhavendra Puripada, Isvara Puripada, and from there, up to the last [acaryas], Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Thakura, our gurudeva and Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja. They have not come only to establish vaidhi-bhakti, but they have preached it. Like Caitanya Mahaprabhu, when He came, He only came to distribute that prema, that vraja-bhakti, that vraja-rasa, but He has preached nama-sankirtana also and the yuga-dharma He has established.
Maha-visnu, Narayana, Nrsinghadeva—all the avatars were in Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He has given mercy to Jagai-Madai. All avatars were in Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Any other incarnation of Krsna was not needed. Caitanya Mahaprabhu did it all by Himself. He has established yuga-dharma, gave mercy to Jagai-Madhai, He has fulfilled the wish of Advaita-Acarya to come very soon; also He has come to preach and give krsna-prema and also to taste the moods of Srimati Radhika. So many reasons there are. But His most [important] two things to give are krsna-prema and to taste the mood of Srimati Radhika. Two things were prominent. Because in Caitanya-caritamrta it has been told rasika sekhara krsna parama karuna. Krsna is rasika-sekhara. What is rasika? Do you know what is rasika? He is the taster of all rasas. He is an ocean of prema-rasa. Also, Rama has some rasa, but He is not an ocean, not unlimited. Nrsinghadeva has one rasa, but He adbhuta and when He appeared all the world was fearful. He has this. But Krsna is an endless ocean; no depth, nothing is there, no limit. He is rasika-sekhara. Srimad-Bhagavatam was only done for the gopis, the glory of the gopis and Srimati Radhika, not for Krsna. Because so many Puranas were there to glorify Krsna. Our supreme object is not Krsna, not Caitanya Mahaprabhu. What? Their prema. Kamsa also had darsana of Krsna but he had no prema, so he could not satisfy Krsna, he could not serve. So, in Caitanya-caritamrta, it has been told that krsna-prema is the supreme object of any jiva, and among them radha-prema is supermost. Caitanya Mahaprabhu came only to taste that and to give the moods of Rupa manjari, Rati manjari and all the palya dasis of Srimati Radhika. The jiva cannot take the mood of Srimati Radhika, so Caitanya Mahaprabhu came and in this way Srila Rupa Gosvami, Raghunnatha das Gosvami and all Gosvamis [were doing]:
sankhya-purvaka-nama gana-natibhi h kalavasani-krtau
nidrahara-viharakadi-vijitau catyanta-dinau ca yau
radha-krsna-guna-smrter madhurimanandena sammohitau
vande rupa-sanatana raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau
“They would pass their time by daily chanting a fixed number of holy names, singing particular songs, and offering regulated obeisances [to saints, deities, and the Lord’s pastime places]. Thus they fully conquered the urges of eating, sleeping, recreation, and so forth. Always considering themselves to be unlimitedly lowly and insignificant, they became enchated in sweet rapture by remembering Sri Sri Radha-Krsna’s qualities. I worship Sri Rupa, Sanatana, Raghunnatha Bhatta, Raghunnatha dasa, Jiva and Gopala Bhatta Goswamis.” Sri Sad-gosvamyastakam (6)
Very beautiful sloka. So beautiful sloka. Srila Rupa Gosvami, Santana Gosvami and all Gosvamis roll down on the earth in Vrndavan, somewhere in Radha-kunda, sometimes in Shyama-kunda, sometimes in Bandhirvana, Nanda gaon, Varsna and everywhere, calling out, weeping and weeping, “O Radhike! Where are you?” Chanting not less than one lakh harinama with so much regard, absorbed in thinking of Krsna’s names and Krsna’s pastimes, doing lakhs and lakhs of dandavat and pranams. All were praying like, “He Radhe! He Radhe! He krsna karuna sindhu dina bandhu.” Praying with all these slokas and weeping like this.
Srila Rupa Gosvami was in the line of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, giving only His moods that He wanted to preach. From there Jiva Gosvami, Raghunnatha das Gosvami, Krsnadas Kaviraja Gosvami, Shyamananda Prabhu, Narottama Thakura, Srinivasa Acarya and after that, Visvannatha Cakravarti Thakura, Baladeva Vidyabusana Prabhu, Jaganntha das Babaji Maharaja, Srila Gaur Kishor das Babaji Maharaja, Bhaktivinod Thakura and all have not come to preach vaidhi-bhakti or anything else, but they had to cut jungles. And then to establish yuga-dharma and then to give these things, otherwise no one can take this. Swamiji has also come to give this most supreme thing to the world. Not only to give harinama, not to give vaidhi-bhakti, but he has cut the jungle of mayavada, sahajiya, sakhi-bheki, and all others. He has purified all the hearts wherever he went, but his object was to give this supreme prema. Have you read the Upadesamrta explained by Swamiji, The Nectar of Instruction? In that sloka, first sloka, vaco vegam, this first sloka, first we will have to do like this. What is this? This is like vaidhi-bhakti that Rupa Gosvami has given. No harm. These are cutting the jungles. We have so many desires. After the age of eighteen, nineteen or twenty, we think whether we should marry or not marry. This is a very big problem. “Swamiji has married so we should also marry and then after seventy, we should take the renounced order or anything.” What to do? In dilemma always.
On the other hand, we see that Srila Sukadeva Gosvami and Narada have not obeyed their fathers. The father of Sukadeva Gosvami was Vyasadeva. Vyasadev was calling “Come on my son! My son!” He was running towards the very dense forest. He never returned. Vyasa wanted that, “He should be with me.” Narada’s mother was dead and he did not do anything and he ran away in the forest. Brahma told Narada. “You are my son. Your elder brothers have not obeyed me.” Who were his elder brothers? Sanaka, Sanadana, Sanatana, Sanat Kumar. “They have not obeyed my order and they have gone to do austerities for their ista-deva, but now you have come from me so you must obey. In your mature days, you should have any marriage and be like me. I have two wives. You should have more than that, no harm.” But he did not obey. He left his home. So what to do? We are not marrying only in this life. For lakhs and lakhs lives we have done this. Not only in this life we are doing this. And among lakhs and lakhs of lives, if you are not marrying, then what harm? If you’ll be an ass, pig or hog or anything then you can marry also. Let it remain for this human body.
So Rupa Gosvami is telling:
vaco vegam manasah krodha-vegam
jihva vegam udaropastha-vegam
etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah
sarvam apimam prthvim sa sisyat
“A wise and self-composed person who can control the impetys to speak, the agitation of the mind, the onset of anger, the vehemence of the tongue, the urge of the belly, and the agitation of the genitals can instruct the entire world.” Upadesamrta (1)
He is jagad guru if he is controlling this. He is telling for whom? Rupa Gosvami. For whom are these instructions for? For those who want krsna-prema. Those who want to serve Krsna. He is telling this for them. “First you make a ground, this is ground making.” Swamiji has told to do this and follow this. After that is:
atyaharah prayasas ca
prajalpo niyamagrahah
jana-sangas ca laulyam ca
sadbhir bhaktir vinasyati
“ (1) Over-collecting and over-eating, (2) endeavoring for material enjoyment, (3) useless chatter, (4) enthusiasm for practices not benefitting one’s qualification and lack of enthusiasm to adopt essential regulations [for spiritual progress], (5) mundane association, and (6) restlessness or unsteadiness of the mind—by these six faults bhakti is destroyed.”
Upadesamrta (2)
These six things if you are not giving up, then your bhakti will go off. Your life will be destroyed. Don’t do. I don’t have so much time to explain all these things. I am telling [briefly] Then third sloka.
utsahan niscayad dhairyat
tat-tat-karma-pravatanat
sanga-tyagat sato vrtteh
sadbhir bhaktih prasidhyati
“(1) Enthusiasm (for performing bhakti-sadhana), (2) firm faith and determination, (3) patience, (4) performing activities favorable for bhakti, (5) giving up bad association, and (6) adopting the pure behavior of sahus—by these six qualities bhakti is nourished and accomplished.” Upadesamrta (3)
A devotee who is chanting name since last fifteen or ten years, but he cannot fix his mind. His mind is so upset. “I am doing since a long time but desires for tasting the world is not going.” Coming, coming more coming. What to do? It means he has no belief. So he is telling, “What should I do? Should I give up all these things.” In vain doing, don’t think like this. Utsahan. All beings, jivas are qualified to do bhajan. It is a very easy thing. If Ajamila, Jagai-Madhai and more wretched persons than them, Bilvamangala Thakura, so many persons very easily received the service of Krsna. So uttsahan nischayad. Nischayad means, “Surely we will have that Krsna prema.” Dhairyat. It is not like a laddu or rasagulla that will give in your mouth and once. You will have to do something. For one farthing, one penny or one dollar you will have to work so hard day and night, and for krsna-prema, nothing to do and as-it-is it will come in your mouth? No you will have to do. Utsahan…pravartanat. Go on doing all these things. Tat-tat-karma-pravartanat sanga tyagat sato vrtteh sadbhir bhaktih prasidhyati. What our previous acaryas have done, being in householder life or renounced order, we will have to follow, but we are actually not following. We should try to follow all these things. Then six kinds of sanga.
dadati pratigrhnati
guhyam akhyati prcchati
bhunkte bhojayate caiva
sad-vidham priti laksanam
“(1) Giving to devotees, (2) accepting what they give, (3) revealing to them confidential matters [concerning one’s bhajan], (4) inquiring from them, (5) honoring their food-remnants, and (6) feeding them—these are the six symptoms of love [among devotees].” Upadesamrta (4)
We should follow this. After that, how we can honor Vaisnavas. If you have no taste in harinama, you will have to do repeatedly all these things. And in the last he is telling,
tan-nama-rupa-caritadi-sukirtananu
smrtyoh kramena rasana-manasi-niyojya
tisthan vraje tad-anuragi-jananugami
kalam nayed akhilam ity upadesa-saram
“Follring the [proper] sequence (established by sadhus and sastra), one should spend all his time engaging his tongue and mind in nicely perfomring kirtana and smarana of the names, form, qualities and pastimes, and so on of Sri Krsna, while residing in Vraja under the guidance of one with deep affection for Him. This is the quintessence of all instruction.” Upadesamrta (8)
You should read the explanation of Swamiji of this very sloka. Very splendid. Certainly you should read it. He has told that we have come to have krsna-prema, [for] that Caitanya Mahaprabhu has come. So if you want to have this you will have to follow this sloka. Very briefly he has told. The substance of whole teachings of Caitanya Mahaprabhu is this sloka.
Tan nama rupa caritadi sukirtananu. If you want to have krsna-prema, then tan nama rupa caritadi. The best names of krsna. What are the best names of Krsna? He krsna karuna sindhu, Three names. First Krsna, then karuna-sindhau. More prominent, going up. Dina bandhu jagat-pate. Meaning you are Jagannatha, jagat-pate. Devotees are telling, “He Krsna. You are very kind, You are very merciful. I pray to You to bestow Your mercy because You are very charming, very beautiful, so you should bestow Your mercy unto me.” But sometimes he is thinking, “If anyone is so dina-hina, humble then His mercy will be had.” Otherwise not. Rainfall falls on the top of hills, but on the top, water is not collected. It comes in a pitha anywhere. If we are not humble, mercy is always everywhere, but we cannot realize. Then he tells, “O Dina-bandhu!” I am not qualified but You Yourself are so merciful that You have so much mercy to all the dina-hina, fallen persons. I am one of the fallen. I am so much false ego, so I don’t think myself a very wretched person. I am in this world, but you are jagat-pate. You are the master of the whole world. You take care and support all, so I am one of them. After that he says gopesa. “You are only Gopesa. Gopa isa. Those who are in Vrndavan Vraja. I am not with them. You are the very beloved of the gopas. But more than that is gopika-kanta. He is the beloved of the gopis so He is gopika-kanta. This name is more prominent. And a more prominent name than gopika-kanta is radha-kanta. In the last, he has done. He is Radha-kanta, controlled by Radhika.
So these names chanting by tana, and remembering the pastimes of Krsna connected with that name. Like Radha-Damodara. What will you remember there? Yasoda Ma is binding Krsna to the grinding mortar, and He is weeping. Yasoda is chastising and controlling Krsna. Also another Damodara. Radha-Damodara. Controlled by Radhika. So He is Radha-Damodara. So remembering all these pastimes, how Srimati Yasoda is controlling Krsna, or Srimati Radhika is controlling. Remembering these pastimes of Vraja. Being in Vrndavan only, not here and there. Where these pastimes were. If you cannot do, cannot be in Vrndavan, then you can go byyour mind even. But it will not do. There are some more rules. You will have to be under the guidance of any rasika tattvajna Vaisnava being in Vrndavan also. Like Rupa Gosvami, or he is a rupanuga Vaisnava. Otherwise he is not.
Tisthan vraje tad anuragi jananugami. This is the essence of all the Upadesa of Srila Rupa Gosvami and Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So Swamiji has come to give these things, but he had to preach name, and vaidhi-bhakti also for unqualified persons. But his innermost mood was to give this krsna-prema. I told this in Vrndavan. He was not in the line of Advaita Acarya, Maha-visnu. He has come to establish name, but Caitanya Mahaprahbu established name with prema. This is the specialty. So I have glorified Swamiji; that he has come in the line of Mahaprabhu and Rupa Gosvami to give this thing but he has also done this. So he was a rupanuga Vaisnava. Some devotees could not understand, “Oh you are not glorfying my gurudeva.” He is my gurudeva, not only yours. I have divided my gurudeva to you only to sprinkle some mercy. He was my Gurudeva, so you cannot glorify more than myself. He has given opportunity to serve him. I am offering my heartfelt puspanjali to the lotus feet of Swamiji here. He is my siksa guru.
You should try to obey all his priniciples and try to have the most internal motive of Swamiji, and that is vraja-prema, gopi-prema and begin from the very lower stage. Anyabhilasita-sunyam. That sloka. Today I am finishing my class and offering my dandavat pranams to Swamiji, seeing that such a beautiful garden is also here in New Braj. So much thanks to you, all the devotees. Glory to all the devotees of Badger, New Braj.
One kirtan. Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
[CC-by-NDNC Bhakta Bandhav]