Bhajan Gauranga Bolite Habe + Prema Dhvani + Auspicious Invocation Prayers
(Not included in transcript)
Gour Govinda Swami: Śrīman Caitanya Mahāprabhu is most wonderfully munificent, wonderfully merciful, wonderfully magnanimous—adbhuta-kāruṇya, adbhuta-vadānya, adbhuta-audārya vigraha... What is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya? One should understand it first. Is there a difference between Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya?
Devotee: Different mood.
Gour Govinda Swami: Mood is different. What is the mood of Kṛṣṇa and what is the mood of Caitanya?
Devotee: The mood of Kṛṣṇa is enjoyer, and the mood of Caitanya is the enjoyed.
Gour Govinda Swami: Enjoyed?
Devotee: Rādhā-bhāva, bhakta-bhāva.
There’s no difference between Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya in tattva, tattvataḥ. In tattva, there is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya. Kṛṣṇa is Caitanya. Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa. But some difference is there. In Kṛṣṇa-līlā, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa have two bodies, whereas in Gaurāṅga-līlā, They are one body. This is the only difference. That is the only difference, Vraja-līlā and Navadvīpa-līlā. All of you understand my language? You try to understand me. Vraja-līlā and Navadvīpa-līlā, there is no difference. Same līlā. Kṛṣṇa-līlā is Gaurāṅga-līlā, Gaurāṅga-līlā is also Kṛṣṇa-līlā. But in Vraja-līlā, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa have two bodies. But in Navadvīpa-līlā, it is one body. This is the only difference.
caitanyera madhura-līlā jāra karṇe praveśilā
hṛdaya nirmala bhela tā'ra
([Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura, Song 38, Prārthanā])
Caitanya’s līlā is very sweet, nectarean līlā.
caitanya-caritra ei—‘amṛtera sindhu’
jagat ānande bhāsāya yāra eka-bindu
Caitanya-caritra, amṛta, ocean of nectar, caitanya-caritāmṛta. Amṛta means nectar, follow my language? It is nectar. It is an ocean of nectar, amṛtera sindhu, unlimited ocean. This ocean of nectar is an unlimited ocean of nectar. Only one drop from that ocean can inundate the whole universe in the inundation of love, prema-vanyāya bhāsāya. Only one drop from that unlimited ocean can inundate the whole universe in love, prema-vanyā, inundation of love.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is known as prema-puruṣottama. He is prema-puruṣottama. Kṛṣṇa is known as līlā-puruṣottama. Lord Rāma is known as maryādā-puruṣottama. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is known as prema-puruṣottama because He gives kṛṣṇa-prema indiscriminately, without any discrimination.
atyanta niguḍha prema karibāre dāna
śikhāya śaraṇāgati bhaktera prāṇa
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung that song.
Why did Mahāprabhu come? Why did Kṛṣṇa come as Mahāprabhu? That is to be understood. Because Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Kṛṣṇa came 5,000 years ago and manifested all these līlās because He is līlā-puruṣottama. In His kurukṣetra-līlā, He became pārtha-sārathi, charioteer of Partha, Arjuna, son of Pritha, Kuntī. He drove the chariot of Arjuna, pārtha-sārathi because Arjuna is His dear devotee, bhakto 'si priyo 'si me: [Bg. 4.3], sakhā si me. Isn’t it? bhakto 'si me, priyo 'si me, sakhā 'si me—O Arjuna, you are My dear devotee, you are My dear friend, you are My dear... bhakto 'si me, you are very dear to Me.
And so He gave His confidential, more confidential, and most confidential instruction through Arjuna to the whole mankind, guhya, guhyataraṁ, guhyatamaṁ—confidential, more confidential, and most confidential instruction He gave, through Arjuna to the whole mankind. What is His most confidential instruction?
Devotee: sarva-dharmān parityajya...
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, bolo!
Devotee: In English?
Gour Govinda Swami: Bolo, Sanskrit first, bolo. Quote the...
Devotee: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam vraja...
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes. sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam vraja. Then?
Devotee: Give up all varieties of religion, dharma, and just surrender unto Me.
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaishyasi satyam te pratijānē priyo 'si me [Bg. 18.65]. This is also the most confidential instruction. He has said repeatedly this verse, at the end of the 9th chapter and towards the end of the 18th chapter also.
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaishyasi satyam te pratijānē priyo 'si me
Think of Me always, constantly, day and night 24 hours. Put Me in your mind. That is man-manā bhava. Mad-bhakta, become My bhakta, My servant, serve Me. Render loving service. It is not ordinary service, it is loving service, prema-mayī sevā, loving service, service based on pure love. Service based on pure love. What do you mean by that? Tell me, what do you mean by that? Service rendered in pure love. What is that? What do you understand by that? Yes?
Devotee: You do what Kṛṣṇa wants, not necessarily what, even if it doesn’t please you...
Gour Govinda Swami: Kṛṣṇa is only to be served. He is the object of love. He is the object of love, pure love. He is to be served, and we are His eternal servants. Always we have to render loving service unto Kṛṣṇa, the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. In exchange, we will ask nothing. That is loving service. We will render service, and in exchange, ask nothing.
na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye
mama janmani janmanīśvare
bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi
([Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4])
Mahāprabhu has taught us this thing. “O Lord, O Jagadīśa, O Lord of the universe, I am Your servant. I will render service, loving service unto Your lotus feet, janmani janmani, life after life. I ask for nothing from You in exchange. In exchange, do you understand my language? I ask nothing from You, na dhana na jana na sundarī kavitā—No material wealth, no material followers, no beautiful woman to enjoy, no liberation. Only life after life, I’ll serve Your lotus feet and give You pleasure. Nothing for me, I ask. That is loving service. Pure love only. In exchange, nothing to ask for. If you, in exchange, ask anything, that is not loving service. That is not loving service because you serve and you ask for something. That is not loving service.
In the material world, that is material service. In the material world, you serve, in exchange you ask something or get something, isn’t it? Isn’t it? Yes. But loving service means asking nothing (in return), only to render service and give Him pleasure. He is the object of love. That is loving service. mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi. That is Mahāprabhu’s teaching. Life after life, I’ll serve Your lotus feet and give You pleasure. I’ll ask nothing for me, nothing for me. Just give me this opportunity, only this prayer, “Just give me this opportunity to serve Your lotus feet, life after life, and give You pleasure.” This is the only prayer. That is loving service. It is a question of pure love.
And this śaraṇāgati, surrender. Śaraṇāgati you understand? If I say śaraṇāgati, you understand? No need of saying in English. This is a very beautiful word. It has its beauty. It has its beauty, this word śaraṇāgati. When you speak of śaraṇāgati, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. Last instruction, most confidential instruction, the concluding, last instruction, most confidential—just surrender unto Me. sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja—“Giving up all varieties of dharma, just surrender unto Me.” This is based on pure love. Without pure love, you cannot surrender. No question of surrender. That may be either artificial, conditional, or partial surrender, not true surrender, not complete surrender without love. No question.
The example is the gopīs. The gopīs are the example, headed by Rādhārāṇī. They have developed pure love. No tinge of lust in that. No tinge of lust. It is pure love. man-manaskā mat-ārthe tyakta-daikhikāḥ. The example is given in the Bhāgavatam [10.46.4]. Kṛṣṇa says theoretically in the Bhagavad-gītā. Follow my language? He said theoretically, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. He said theoretically, “Giving up all varieties of religion, just surrender unto Me.” But where is the example? Who is like that? Who is like that, giving up all varieties of dharma, and just surrendering?
The gopīs, headed by Rādhārāṇī, are the example, man-manaskā. Day and night, 24 hours, they are thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Yes, they are thinking of Kṛṣṇa, day and night, 24 hours, thinking of Kṛṣṇa because they have developed pure love for Kṛṣṇa. Nothing, nothing is there, only pure love. Without that, nobody can think of Kṛṣṇa 24 hours.
A stupid mind cannot think of Kṛṣṇa, isn’t it? A two-legged animal? A stupid mind cannot think of... pretiḥ na yāvan mayi vāsudeve na mucyate deha-yogena tāvat. Bhāgavatam says, pretiḥ na yāvan mayi vāsudeve na mucyate deha-yogena tāvat—as long as you have not developed love for Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa, you cannot be delivered from this bondage of the material body, pretiḥ na yāvan mayi vāsudeve na mucyate deha-yogena tāvat. That is our ultimate goal of human life, human birth. That is the fifth puruṣārtha, pañcama puruṣārtha. That is kṛṣṇa-prema—bhakti. This human life is meant for it. It is meant for it, to develop kṛṣṇa-prema. That is the fifth puruṣārtha, parama puruṣārtha, kṛṣṇa-prema—bhakti. That means to get Kṛṣṇa. That is the success of human life. That is the goal of human life. That is the supreme perfection of human life. pretiḥ na yāvan mayi vāsudeve na mucyate deha-yogena tāvat. Bhāgavatam says, as long as you have not developed preti, love for Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa, you cannot be delivered, freed from the bondage of this material body.
You are a conditioned soul. So in the conditioned stage, have you kept Kṛṣṇa on the platform of love? No. Is the stupid mind thinking of Kṛṣṇa? No. suta-mita-ramanī-ra cintā, isn’t it? suta-mita-ramanī-ra cintā. The stupid mind is thinking of his wife. “My wife left me. I’ll catch another wife.” Yes, the stupid mind is thinking of a woman, wife, suta-mita-ramanī-ra cintā, isn’t it? What is man-manā bhava, thinking of Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa said only theoretically, man-manā bhava, “Think of Me. Put Me in your mind.” Only theoretical. Where is the practical? How will it be possible without love for Kṛṣṇa? The stupid mind thinks of that object or person whom it likes, suta-mita-ramanī. suta-mita-ramanī-ra cintā, thinking of his wife, thinking of his son and daughter, thinking of his so-called friend. Yes. No Kṛṣṇa.
The example is the gopīs, day and night thinking of, man-manaskā mat-ārthe tyakta-daikhikāḥ. And this is reciprocal. This love means it is not one-sided. It has two sides. Is it one-sided love? A two-legged animal, can you love this? Love an ass! Love a dog! Love a cat! Isn’t it? Kṛṣṇa is the only object of love. Nothing [else] is the object of love. Put Kṛṣṇa on the platform of love. Yes. If you think of Kṛṣṇa day and night, Kṛṣṇa thinks of you day and night. That is reciprocal, two sides of love. There are two sides. It is not one-sided. This is a question of reciprocation. Follow my language? Reciprocation. Preti-viṣaya, preti-āśraya. Two sides: viṣaya – āśraya, lover – beloved. Object of love and subject of love. Lover and beloved – preti-viṣaya, preti-āśraya. This is pure love. As you think of Kṛṣṇa, day and night, 24 hours, Kṛṣṇa thinks of you. As the gopīs, headed by Rādhārāṇī, think of Kṛṣṇa day and night, 24 hours, Kṛṣṇa also thinks of [them] day and night.
Kṛṣṇa went to Mathurā, went to Dwārakā, married 16,000 wives, yet those wives—Rukmiṇī, Satyabhāmā, Jāmbavatī—couldn’t give such pleasure to Kṛṣṇa. Though they are serving Kṛṣṇa with much care, affection, and love, still their love is not the pure love of the gopīs.
Kṛṣṇa once manifested that līlā to test. Yes. “Alright, I’ll test you, how do you love Me?” Kṛṣṇa, the līlā-puruṣottama, manifested that līlā, jvāra-līlā, fever. Shivering, [imitates shivering], putting rugs. Nārada Muni came. “What happened?”
“Oh, what happened? Oh, high fever, high fever. Bring thermometer. Put it in the mouth. Measure, measure, measure for fever. Oh! 108 degrees.”
Āre bābā, 108 degrees! Such high fever, bābā. Transcendental body. Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental body, high fever. This is līlā, Kṛṣṇa’s wonderful līlā.
Then Nārada Muni said, “All right, shall I bring some medicine?”
The room is very cold. So, Mahārāja [?] bring heater, put it, make it work. Yes, sevā. Yes, that is sevā. Kṛṣṇa had fever, so we, as servants of Kṛṣṇa, our duty is to give pleasure.
“All right, shall I bring some medicine for You?” Nārada Muni said, “Shall I bring some medicine for You, that Your high fever will come down and You’ll be cured of the fever?”
Kṛṣṇa said, “Nārada Muni, there is no medicine for this body. This medicine that you have available here, that you’ll go to the doctor, kavirāja, no, no, that medicine won’t work.”
“Achhā. Then what medicine is there, you know? Please tell me, I shall bring it.”
“All right, there is one medicine.”
“What is that?”
“If you go to some of My dear devotees and beg some dust from their feet, that is My medicine. Just bring it, I’ll smear it and I’ll be cured of the fever.”
Nārada Muni thought, “All right, I don’t know if it is available here in Dwārakā. Sixteen thousand wives are there. Rukmiṇī, Satyabhāmā, Jāmbavatī, Lakṣmī, so many. Why won’t they give?”
So Nārada Muni went one after another begging, “Please, please, please give me some dust from your feet. Kṛṣṇa has high fever. This is medicine.”
“Bah! Nārada Muni, what are you saying! We’ll give dust to Kṛṣṇa, who is our husband, master, worshipable. Shall we go to hell and suffer there?”
They didn’t give. They didn’t give. So what sort of love is this? Govindananda, what sort of love? Conditional, bābā, conditional—giving and taking. Love based on giving and taking. Follow my language? Giving and taking. Yes. Then I love you. If you give me this thing, then you can take my service. It is giving and taking. Based on this principle of giving and taking. This is not pure love. I said, there is no pure love. Pure love means it is never based on giving and taking principle.
Only to give, only to give. Not taking anything from Kṛṣṇa. That is pure love. In exchange, don’t demand, don’t ask for anything. That is pure love. Rather give everything you have, even your life, your soul. That is pure love. And Kṛṣṇa manifested that līlā to show who loves Me the best and pure love. The love of Rukmiṇī, Jāmbavatī, Satyabhāmā is mixed, bhakti is mixed. It is not pure bhakti. Mixed bhakti. Mixed with what? Mixed with jñāna and aiśvarya. The bhakti of the gopīs, headed by Rādhārānī, is unmixed bhakti, pure love. There is no mixture of jñāna and aiśvarya. Nothing else. Pure love. They don’t want anything for themselves. They only want Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure, Kṛṣṇa’s happiness, Kṛṣṇa’s enjoyment. Nothing for themselves. So Rukmiṇī, Satyabhāmā, they denied. They didn’t give.
Once Kṛṣṇa told Rukmiṇī (Rukmiṇī is the chief of the mahiṣīs, the chief of the queens), “Oh Rukmiṇī, why did you marry Me? You have committed some wrong by marrying Me. Your father, your brother had invited Śiśupāla to hand you over to him in marriage.” But Rukmiṇī wrote a letter to Kṛṣṇa, sent a brāhmaṇa: “Go quickly, quickly. Give this information.” Always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa came and kidnapped Rukmiṇī, took her away. That is there.
So one day, out of fun, Kṛṣṇa was asking Rukmiṇī, “Hey, why did you marry Me? You committed some wrong. Your father and brother had invited Śiśupāla, who was King of Chedī Rājya (kingdom), to give him. I am a cowherd boy. I tend cows in the jungle of Vṛndāvana. Why did you marry Me? You committed some wrong. Now there is some chance to untie. You may go, you may go.”
Yes, as you do here in the West. Give up one husband and accept another husband. Yes, [it is] going on, going on. What is this? This is not love at all. This is kāma, lust. It is not love, it is lust. Yes.
Kṛṣṇa, when He said like that, Rukmiṇī was frightened. “Oh, why is Kṛṣṇa saying like that? Will He leave me?” Yes, rukmiṇīr haila trāsa, Rukmiṇī was afraid. “Will He leave me? Why is He saying this?” This is how love is mixed. But the love of the gopīs, no mixture at all. Pure love.
Nārada became disappointed. He couldn’t get the medicine from them. They didn’t give the dust. So when he returned disappointed, Kṛṣṇa could understand this thing, that Nārada was disappointed. So Kṛṣṇa said, “Oh Nārada Muni, you are disappointed now. Alright, go to Vṛndābhūmi, try there.” Then Nārada went to Vṛndābhūmi.
And the gopīs, headed by Rādhārānī, are always, day and night, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Nārada Muni travels throughout the world, the spiritual world, material world, Vaikuṇṭha, everywhere he goes. He knows. He has all the information. So the gopīs rushed. Because he can give us the information, the message of our most beloved Kṛṣṇa, our prāṇa-nātha. Do you understand my language, prāṇa-nātha? What do you say in English?
Devotee: Lord of my life.
Gour Govinda Swami: Lord of my life, yes, Lord of my life. He says. I don’t know. He says in English. You may understand, Jagad-ātma says. Lord of my life, prāṇa-nātha. So the gopīs rushed. Then Nārada Muni says, “Yes, yes, I have information. I have come to you. Kṛṣṇa..."
Kṛṣṇa has high fever, 108-degree fever. He’ll die. 108-degree fever, very high fever. Shivering, shivering. “I have come to you. You have medicine.”
“Yes, we have medicine. What medicine?”
“Oh, if someone among you can give some dust from your lotus feet, that is the medicine that will cure Kṛṣṇa’s fever.”
“Oh, this medicine you want? Alright.” They made a competition.
“Nārada, take from me.”
“No, no, no. Nārada, take from me.”
“No, no. Nārada, take from...”
“No, no, no. Nārada, take....”
“How many bags have you brought? How many bags of dust will you take? Take it.”
They didn’t deny. “Let Kṛṣṇa be cured. Let Him be happy. If by giving dust from our feet we go to hell and suffer there forever, let us go, we are prepared for it. Go and suffer in hell forever, let our Kṛṣṇa be happy.”
This is pure love. Therefore, man-manaskā mat-arthé tyakta-daihikāḥ. Kṛṣṇa was thinking there in Dvārakā. Though Rukmiṇī, Satyabhāmā, they are rendering so much service, still, at night, like a madman’s delirium, Kṛṣṇa: “Rādhé, Rādhé, Rādhé. Gopī, gopī, gopī.”
Rukmiṇī, Satyabhāmā: “Hey, what is this? Rādhé, Rādhé, gopī, gopī? Who are they? We are taking so much care of our husband. [He is] thinking Rādhé, Rādhé, Rādhé, Rādhé, gopī, gopī.”
This is reciprocation. Do you follow me? This is reciprocation. Pure love. If you think of Kṛṣṇa day and night, 24 hours, Kṛṣṇa thinks of you. That is bhakta-vātsalya.
yo mām paśyati sarvatra sarvaṁ ca mayi paśyati
tasyāhaṁ na pranaśyāmi sa ca me na pranaśyati
Bg. 6.30
sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ sādhūnāṁ hṛdayaṁ tv aham
mad-anyat te na jānanti nāhaṁ tebhyo manāg api
Bhāg. 9.4.68
Ninth Canto of the Bhāgavatam. Gītā says. Bhāgavatam says, yo mām paśyati sarvatra sarvaṁ ca mayi paśyati tasyāhaṁ na pranaśyāmi sa ca me na pranaśyati — "One who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, he has not lost sight of Me. I have not lost sight of him. He sees Me, I see him."
bhakta āmā preme bāndhiyāche hṛdaya-bhitare
yāhāṁ netra paṭe tāhāṁ dekhaye āmāre
Cc. Madhya 25.127
My dear devotee, who has developed pure love for Me, he has bound Me up in his heart with the rope of love. I cannot break that bondage, very strong bondage. Though all-powerful, almighty, Kṛṣṇa says, na paraye, na paraye — "I cannot, I cannot, I cannot, I cannot break this bondage of love, O gopīs." This is the bondage of love, pure love. Even all-powerful, almighty Kṛṣṇa cannot break it. You two-legged animal, you break, he breaks, she breaks, isn’t it? Follow my language? But Kṛṣṇa cannot break. Parameśvara (Das) breaks. Pure love, this bondage is so strong. Almighty, all-powerful Kṛṣṇa cannot break. He says, na paraye, na paraye, na paraye — "I cannot, I cannot, I cannot, cannot break." This is the real bondage, it is the bondage of love, real love, pure love. It cannot be broken.
It cannot be broken. And no love, it is lust. Many times breaking, breaking, breaking, breaking, breaking. What is this? Is this pure love?
So that prema Mahāprabhu gives. That love, pure love Mahāprabhu gives. Even Kṛṣṇa doesn’t give it. When Kṛṣṇa comes here, manifests His līlā, He never gives that prema. Rakṣya lukāiyā, He keeps it hidden. Very strong iron chest, big chest, another chest inside, another chest inside, another chest inside, so many chests inside, inside, inside. With very strong locks, all locked. He has kept it because it is most secret, hidden treasure. But when He comes as Mahāprabhu, He breaks open all the chests and distributes freely, freely, freely. That is prema-puruṣottama, Gaurāṅga, Caitanya, prema-puruṣottama.
brahmār durlabha prema sabākāre jāce
dīna hīna patita pāmara nāhi bāche
[Caitanya Māṅgala, Lochan Dās Ṭhākura]
Never discriminates, patītās pāmaras, whether one is eligible or not, worthy or not, never discriminates. Without discrimination, freely gives it, prema-puruṣottama. We are singing that song: gaurāṅga bolite habe pulaka-śarīra — If you utter the name of Gaurāṅga, your whole body will be ecstatic. The hairs on the body will be erected. Why? Why? Why? Kena? Kena? Why? Bolo! Hari hari bolite nayane bābe néra. He is Lord Hari Himself, but uttering the name of Hari, He sheds tears.
nayanaṁ galad-aśru-dhārayā vadanaṁ gadgadā-ruddhayā girā
pulakair nicitaṁ vapuḥ kadā tava nāma-grahaṇe bhaviṣyati
[Śikṣāṣṭaka 6]
Gour Govinda Swami: These Deities, Rādhā? No Gaura?
Devotee: Yes.
Devotee: Yes, on the right-hand side.
Gour Govinda Swami: Huh?
Devotee: Gaura Nitai.
Devotee: And Chhota Rādhā Kṛṣṇa.
Gour Govinda Swami: Gaura Nitai. Why have you put Gaura Nitai on the same altar? Put it in a separate altar, do you understand? Put it in a separate altar. If you put Gaura Nitai, don’t put Gaura Nitai on the same altar. That is rasābhāsa.
Put on a separate altar or put only Gaura. Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and the combination of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, that is Gaura. If you put on one altar, put only Gaura. Put Gaura Nitāi, make a separate altar. Alright? Now it is not good. It is not our Vaiṣṇava philosophy. There is doṣa, rasābhāsa. Therefore, I cannot see—Oh, this is there, Gaura Nitāi. This is... ? Feeling pain, it is painful. You understand? This is painful, it is painful, feeling pain. Do you understand my point? Vimāna, you make vimāna in wood. In wood, you make a vimāna.
Devotee: Like śinghāsana?
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, vimāna. In wood. In wood, you can make and put there, put Gaura Nitāi there.
Devotee: Like in Sydney. Sydney, they have gold ones.
Yes, if you could. You may not do it in silver or gold, you make it in wood. Yes, vimāna, palanquin, wooden palanquin. Do you understand? Palanquin, we say vimāna. Put there. Alright.
I was saying that thing. Mahāprabhu gives that prema, indiscriminately, which is very difficult for Brahmā to get, the prema in which Kṛṣṇa becomes bound up. man-manā bhava, then one will be able to think of Kṛṣṇa day and night, 24 hours, if he gets that prema. Then the stupid mind will think of Him. Otherwise, the stupid mind cannot think of Kṛṣṇa. This is a question of love, pure love. As the gopīs are thinking, Rādhārāṇī is thinking, day and night, 24 hours. That is man-manā bhava. Mahāprabhu said:
ki śāyane ki bhujane kibā jāgarane
aharniśa cintā kṛṣhṇa balaha vadane
Aharniśa, day and night, 24 hours, think of Kṛṣṇa, and utter the name of Kṛṣṇa. In all conditions: sleeping condition, waking condition, dreaming condition, even while taking food, don’t forget Kṛṣṇa even for a moment. How will it be possible to develop? It is a question of pure love.
So, I was saying, Kṛṣṇa said this thing theoretically, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam vraja. But He never practically demonstrated how to surrender. So He thought in His abode, “Oh, I said theoretically. I have not taught practically how to surrender. The Kali-yuga people cannot understand this thing. The consciousness is low because of these sinful activities. I have to go again.” So He came again as Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu.
yuga-dharma pravartāimu nāma-saṅkīrtana
cāri bhāva-bhakti diyā nācāmu bhuvana
āpani karimu bhakta-bhāva aṅgīkāre
āpani ācari’ bhakti śikhāimu sabāre
āpane nā kaile dharma śikhāna nā yāya
ei tā’ siddhānta gītā-bhāgavate gāya
yuga-dharma-pravartana haya aṁça haite
āmā vinā anye nāre vraja-prema dite
Cc. Ādi 3.19-21, 26
Kṛṣṇa thinks this thing in His abode. After winding up His lilā at the end of Dvāpara-yuga, He went to His abode and thought this thing. Kavirāj Goswāmī has written:
yuga-dharma pravartāimu nāma-saṅkīrtana
cāri bhāva-bhakti diyā nācāmu bhuvana
"I have to go again as a devotee, assume the mood of a bhakta."
āpani karimu bhakta-bhāva aṅgīkāre
āpani ācari’ bhakti śikhāimu sabāre
"I’ll go as a bhakta. His mood is different. As He says, the mood is different. Otherwise, there is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and Gaurā. He is Kṛṣṇa. Gaurā is Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is Gaurā. Gauralīlā is Kṛṣṇalīlā, Kṛṣṇalīlā is Gauralīlā. No difference, but the mood is different."
āpani karimu bhakta-bhāva aṅgīkāre
āpani ācari’ bhakti śikhāimu sabāre
"I’ll go as a bhakta, devotee. Assuming the mood of a bhakta, I’ll observe the principles of bhakti in My own life and teach bhakti."
āpane nā kaile dharma śikhāna nā yāya
ei tā’ siddhānta gītā-bhāgavate gāya
"Unless you observe it in your life, you cannot teach. You have no right to teach. That will only be theoretically saying, ineffective. You should practice then teach."
yuga-dharma-pravartana haya aṁça haite
āmā vinā anye nāre vraja-prema dite
Kṛṣṇa doesn’t come in every Dvāpara. He comes once in a kalpa, in one Dvāpara. Similarly, Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu doesn’t come in every Kali. Once in a kalpa. That kalpa in which Kṛṣṇa comes, in Dvāpara, the next Kali, Gaura comes. Not in all Kali-yugas. This is the special Kali-yuga because Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu came 500 years ago. It is known as special Kali-yuga. It is not ordinary Kali-yuga. It is special Kali-yuga. The name of this Kali-yuga is dhanyā-kali because Mahāprabhu has come. And you are all very fortunate because you were born in this Kali-yuga. Yes. Those who are born in this Kali-yuga are very fortunate because Mahāprabhu has come. He has given Kṛṣṇa-prema. He said:
yuga-dharma-pravartana haya aṁça haite
āmā vinā anye nāre vraja-prema dite
Cc. Ādi 3.26
In other Kali-yugas, His aṁça comes. Do you know aṁsa? Portion, plenary portion of Gaura. He comes. And He introduces the yuga-dharma, nāma-saṅkīrtana.
But he cannot give vraja-prema. He says, āmā vinā anye nāre vraja-prema dite – Nobody can give vraja-prema but Me. So when Gaura comes, when Kṛṣṇa comes in the form of Gaura, He gives vraja-prema. Otherwise aṁsa cannot give. Do you understand? Follow my language?
So this is special Kali-yuga. Gaura Himself has come, who is Kṛṣṇa Himself. So He has given vraja-prema. Nobody else (gives vraja-prema).
So that is Kṛṣṇa’s līlā, the gaurāṅga-līlā. I say, there is no difference between gaura-līlā and Kṛṣṇa-līlā, but, we say, that is one verse, gurv-aparādha. Nāmé, nāma. There is no difference between nāmé and nāma. Nāmé means Kṛṣṇa. Nāma means the name of Kṛṣṇa.
abhinnatvāñ nāma-nāminoḥ – There is no difference between the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself. Is there a difference? No. No difference.
Nāma rūpa vigraha tina cidananda māyā tine bheda nāhi – The name of Kṛṣṇa, the vigraha of Kṛṣṇa (deity form installed by Vaiṣṇavas), and Kṛṣṇa Himself, there is no difference between these three. These three are transcendental.
So, abhinnatvāñ nāma-nāminoḥ, there is no difference between nāma and nāmé, Kṛṣṇa and His holy name. Kṛṣṇa is nāmé, and the name is nāma, nāmé-nāma. No difference between nāmé and nāma. But the latter is more merciful than the former. Latter, former, you understand my language?
Nāmé nāma. Nāmé is former, nāma is latter. So the latter is more merciful than the former. That means the name is more merciful than nāmé. The name of Kṛṣṇa is more merciful than Kṛṣṇa, though there is no difference. Similarly, there is no difference between gaura-līlā and Kṛṣṇa-līlā. But gaura-līlā is more merciful līlā than Kṛṣṇa-līlā. This is the difference. Alright?
gaurāṅgera madhura-līlā
yāṁra karṇe praveśilā
hṛdaya nirmala bhela tāra
‘gaurāṅga’ bolite habe pulaka-śarīra
‘hari hari’ bolite nayane bābe nīra
Uttering the name of Gauranga, the whole body becomes ecstatic. The hairs on the body are erected because He is Hari Himself. By chanting the name of Hari, He sheds tears, with premāśru (tears of love), and teaches us. With this love, feeling pangs of separation from Kṛṣṇa, you’ll chant ‘hare kṛṣhṇa hare kṛṣhṇa kṛṣhṇa kṛṣhṇa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare.’ Kabe tava nāma-grahaṇe bhaviṣyati.
nayanaṁ galad-aśru-dhārayā
vadanaṁ gadgadā-ruddhayā girā
pulakair nicitāṁ vapuḥ kadā
tava nāma-grahaṇe bhaviṣyati
[Śikṣāṣṭaka (6)]
Mahāprabhu says, “O Lord, when will this condition come, by chanting Your holy name, tears will roll down from my two eyes like torrential rain. My voice will be choked up. There will be a faltering voice, gadgadā-ruddhayā girā. My whole body will be ecstatic, pulakair nicitāṁ vapuḥ, the hairs on the body will be erected out of love. When, kabe tava nāma-grahaṇe, when by chanting Your holy name will this happen to me? This is the symptom of love, prema lakṣaṇa."
bhakti-yoga bhakti-yoga bhakti-yoga dhana
bhakti ei Krishna nama smarana kirtana [smarana-krandana]
Caitanya Bhagavata says:
bhakti-yoga bhakti-yoga bhakti-yoga-dhana
‘bhakti’ ei Krishna-nama-smarana-krandana
Smaraṇa-krandana, thinking of the name of Krishna, one cries. Krandana means to cry. This is bhakti. This is an invaluable asset, prema-dhana. That prema, Gauranga gives. And Gauranga Mahaprabhu's lila, transcendental lila, is very nice, sweet, and nectarean. If somebody is fortunate, and if it enters their ear, hṛdaya nirmala bhela tāra, the heart will be completely purified.
So I’ll tell a nice lila katha, a very sweet lila from Caitanya-caritamrita Madhya-lila. Gaura-bhakta, dear devotees of Gauranga Mahaprabhu, they are very merciful. Gauranga is more merciful, wonderfully merciful. Dear devotees are more merciful than that, gaura-bhaktas.
Khandavasi Mukunda, Mukunda Das, one of the very dear devotees of Mahaprabhu, is Khandavasi, living in the village named Khanda in West Bengal. Gaura-bhakta, Gauda, Gaudadesh lila. He had a son, his name was Raghunandan. He was also a very dear devotee of Mahaprabhu.
And I say, every year, the devotees of Bengal, Gaudadesh, used to come to Jagannath Puri when Mahaprabhu was staying there, taking up sannyasa. Every year they used to come. Still, they are coming now. But at that time they were coming with goods, doing padayatra. There was no such communication system—rail, train, bus, no. Groups were doing padayatra, chanting, coming. Shivananda Sena was the leader.
So once they came. Khandavasi Mukunda came. His son Raghunandan came. Once Mahaprabhu asked out of fun to Mukunda: “Alright Mukunda, you are the father. This Raghunandan is your son, isn’t it? You are the father, and Raghunandan is your son. Or, Raghunandan is father and you are his son? What is that? I cannot understand. Will you please say?”
Follow my question? Once Mahaprabhu asked, “Mukunda, you are the father, and this Raghunandan is your son. Or, Raghunandan is father and you are the son? Who is father? Who is son? I don’t know. Please tell me.” This is a funny question, out of fun Mahaprabhu asked. There is a very deep purport behind it, a very deep purport.
Both of them, father and son, were very dear devotees of Mahaprabhu. So Mukunda said, “I am the son. Raghunandan is my father."
Mukunda kahe,—raghunandana mora 'pita' haya
ami tara 'putra',—ei amara niscaya
ämä sabära Krishna-bhakti raghunandana haite
ataeva pitā—raghunandana ämära niścite
Cc. madhya 15.115-6
Do you understand what he says? Mukunda says, “Raghunandan is my father, I am his son. ämä sabära Krishna-bhakti raghunandana haite – We have received Krishna-bhakti from Raghunandan. He is such a great devotee. Therefore, Raghunandan is my father. I am his son.” He is amānī mānada.
tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā
amānīnāmānadeṇa kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
Cc. ādi 17.31
That is Mahaprabhu’s teaching. Think of yourself as much humbler than a blade of grass lying on the street. Be as tolerant as a tree. Then, amānī mānada, do not demand respect; rather, pay respect to everyone, Krishna-adhīṣṭhāna. This is amānī mānada.
Raghunandan is the son, and Mukunda is the father. But Mukunda says, “I am the son. He is the father. He is amānī mānada. As a father, he never demands respect. He says, ‘No, no. I am the son. He is the father, because I have received Krishna-bhakti from him.’” From whom one gets Krishna-bhakti, that person is their father. He is amānī mānada. Do you follow my language? amānī mānada. A father demands respect from the son, but here Mukunda says, “I am the son, and Raghunandan is my father.” That means he never demands respect. Rather, he pays respect because ‘he is my father.’ Do you understand the purport? He is amānī mānada.
When Mukunda said this, Mahaprabhu was very much pleased. He was very pleased. Then Mahaprabhu said:
śṛṇi’ harṣe kahe prabhu—“kahile niścaya
yāṁha haite Krishna-bhakti sei guru haya”
Mahaprabhu was very pleased. Mahaprabhu said, “Yes, you said correctly. Mukunda, you said correctly. Yes. yāṁha haite Krishna-bhakti sei guru haya – From whom I receive Krishna-bhakti, he is my guru, he is my father. Materially, whatever he may be, materially he may be a son, but from him I have received Krishna-bhakti, [therefore] he is my father, he is my guru. You have said correctly.” Mahaprabhu was very pleased.
Therefore, one should glorify a devotee. Mahaprabhu Himself was glorifying His dear devotees. When devotees were coming from Gaudadesh, here in this rainy season, four months before Ratha-yatra, Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Acharya, Jagadananda Pandit, Srivas Pandit, all the devotees of Gaudadesh, when they were coming, Mahaprabhu Himself would go to welcome them. Mahaprabhu would come out from Gambhira and go there. That is etiquette. When a devotee, a vaishnava, is coming, one should go and welcome them with a garland. Mahaprabhu has taught us that is vaishnava etiquette. You should not keep the doors bolted and remain inside. When a vaishnava is coming, go with sankirtana. Go with garlands. Welcome them. Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, would go to welcome the devotees. Mahaprabhu was glorifying the devotees with a hundred mouths.
āpana galāya mālā sabākāre diyā
ājñā kāre prabhu sabe, — “Krishna gāo giya
bolo Krishna bhaja Krishna gāo Krishna-nāma
Krishna vinā keha kichu nā bhabila āra
This is Caitanya Bhāgavata (Madhya 28.25-26). Mahāprabhu puts a garland from His own neck and gives one to everybody. In this way, He welcomes all devotees and glorifies them. A devotee should be glorified more than the Lord. That Mahāprabhu has taught us. Bhakta… therefore, Mahāprabhu Himself was glorifying
bhaktera mahimā prabhu kahite pāya sukha
bhaktera mahimā kahite haya pañca-mukha
Cc. madhya 15.118
Mahāprabhu gets much pleasure in glorifying His dear devotees. He glorifies His devotees with five faces, pañca-mukha. What is one mukha? Five faces, five mouths. Yes. And Mukunda Das was a very dear devotee. He was a rāja-vaidya, the physician of the king. It is outward, all external. But inside, he was a very dear devotee of Krishna.
Once, bādāśāh, he was rāja-vaidya, bādāśāh, a Muslim ruler. Muslims were ruling at that time, so he was rāja-vaidya, the physician of that Muslim ruler.
One day, Mukunda Das was sitting with the bādāśāh, and he was giving some medicine prescriptions. Some discussion was going on about this medicine and disease, like this. At that time, one servant of the bādāśāh, the Muslim ruler, came with an umbrella made of peacock feather, and raised it over the head of the bādāśāh. As soon as Mukunda saw the peacock feather, immediately he thought of Krishna, became ecstatic, and fell down from the chair, unconscious on the ground.
Then, the bādāśāh immediately got up. “What happened? What happened to the physician? Did he die? Is he dead? What happened to the physician?” He fell down immediately, unconscious. And the bādāśāh thought, “Is he dead?”
So the bādāśāh took care of him, sprinkled some water on his face, and after some time, he (Mukunda) regained consciousness. Then, the bādāśāh said, “Oh, what happened to you? Why did you fall down from your seat? Did you get so much pain in your body?”
“No, bādāśāh, I have not gotten so much pain.”
“What happened to you? Why did you fall down?”
“Bādāśāh, I have a disease,” he said. “I have a disease, mṛge vyādhi. Sometimes my head reels, so I fall down. Sometimes it happens.” Because this... ? cannot understand. Why would he say, “Seeing this umbrella made of peacock feather, I thought of Krishna”? No, no, no, no, no. This hypocrisy would be there with a non-devotee. This kāpatya (duplicity) is there. This is the proper use of duplicity. You show such duplicity with a non-devotee. Don’t be duplicitous with a devotee. That is a great hindrance on the path of devotion. So you should understand. Don’t be duplicitous with a devotee of Krishna or Gauranga, gaura-bhakta. Be simple. But be a duplicitous person with a non-devotee. That’s good. That is the teaching behind it.
So, Mukunda said, “I have some disease, mṛge vyādhi, sometimes my head reels, so I fall down. It is nothing to me.”
Thank you.
It is such a līlā, nectarean līlā, so sweet and nectarean līlā of Mahāprabhu.
gaurāṅgera madhura-līlā yāṅra karṇe praveśilā
hṛdaya nirmala bhela tāra.
Such a nice nectarean līlā of Mahāprabhu. If someone is fortunate, if it enters into his ear, his heart will become purified.
Thank you. I am very happy to meet you.
Yes?
Devotee: prema-bhakti, unless he has that thing, he cannot teach that thing.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes. Otherwise, how can he say, how can he teach unless one has? Yes.
Devotee: But, I’ve heard that if I hear something and I repeat that thing, as it is, then I can teach that.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, because you follow the ācārya, mahājanas. Yes. Thereby, sooner or later you’ll have it, by their mercy. Yes. Follow it, just follow. “Yes, I heard this thing so I am saying. It is not mine.” Yes.
Devotee: But Śrīla Prabhupāda said that that will have the same potency. Because then I am speaking through my disciples. He said.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, because this is not mine. I am repeating his words. Yes, I have heard it. Yes.
Devotee: So sometimes you say, if you don’t have something but you speak it, it will be blank fire.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, blank fire.
Devotee: It will not have an effect.
Gour Govinda Swami: Theoretically speaking.
Devotee: Theoretically. But if I’m just repeating, I’m not speaking theoretically.
Gour Govinda Swami: No. That is tṛṇād api sunīcena bhāva. Do you follow my language? Sunīcena bhāva, I am lowest of the low. Karma na hi jñāna na hi Krishna-bhakti na hi – I am devoid of everything. I have no karma, no jñāna, no Krishna-bhakti. I am lowest of the low, most rascal, most degraded. But by the mercy of my guru, I have heard this thing, so I am saying. It comes from that reservoir. I am just a mere pipe. Nothing is mine. Yes. This is the mood, Baba. One who has Krishna-prema, he says, Krishner amāra nahi prema...?? – who has got Krishna, he says, "I have no tinge of prema in Krishna. I am such a rascal." He says that thing. Understood? Yes, yes. This is a very deep purport, confidential thing, baba. Why are you disclosing this thing? Calo, calo.
pureñera keṭa haite muṁi se laghiṣṭha
jagāi mādhāi haite muṁi se pāpiṣṭha
Cc. Ādi 5.205
... I am worse than a worm in the stool. I am more sinful than Jagāi and Mādhāi. Don’t utter my name. If someone utters my name, all his auspiciousness he’ll lose it.