19950912 Bhagavad-gītā 3.27

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Maharāja on September 12^th, 1995 in Zurich. The class begins from a reading from the Bhagavad-gītā chapter 3 verse 27.

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prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate

Translation: The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature.

Purport: Two persons, one in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and the other in material consciousness, working on the same level, may appear to be working on the same platform, but there is a wide gulf of difference in their respective positions. The person in material consciousness is convinced by false ego that he is the doer of everything. He does not know that the mechanism of the body is produced by material nature, which works under the supervision of the Supreme Lord. The materialistic person has no knowledge that ultimately he is under the control of Kṛṣṇa. The person in false ego takes all credit for doing everything independently, and that is the symptom of his nescience. He does not know that this gross and subtle body is the creation of material nature, under the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such his bodily and mental activities should be engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The ignorant man forgets that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is known as Hrṣīkeśa, or the master of the senses of the material body, for due to his long misuse of the senses in sense gratification, he is factually bewildered by the false ego, which makes him forget his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Swami translation and purport to text 27 chapter 3 of the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is in the matter of Karma Yoga.

Jayapatākā Swami: All the ignorant they engage themselves in the material activities and they become attached and they become entangled. As the wise people they don’t engage themselves in activities purely for the pleasure of the senses, but they engage their senses in activities of devotion meant for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa. In all the three worlds even in the higher planetary systems, even the great devatās or the demigods they are also get bewildered by the false ego and they take themselves to be the doer. They don’t see that actually it is Kṛṣṇa through His energies that have made, there's any success possible. There is a example given by Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura about the devas after they had just defeated the demons. You know that example? I told that you before? The devas had come back and they’re feeling very proud they been victorious over the demons. And Viṣṇu He felt that these devas they are so forgetful that without My energy, without My blessing they could not have been successful, it was I who made them a success. After victory they should have thank Kṛṣṇa, they should have been grateful that Kṛṣṇa have provided them possibility to be victorious. That was Kṛṣṇa through His different energies that was doing. So then Viṣṇu decided to teach them a lesson and He took a form of a ṛsī and He began to meditate. And so much effulgence was coming out from this ṛsī. So Indra said who is that? I mean in his own planet he knows everybody, all of a sudden there’s somebody meditating, doesn’t even know who he is and so much effulgence. So he says, sends Vāyudeva, you go find out who is that. So Vāyudeva goes over on the yogi is meditating, so he is standing there a minute. Then the yogi opens his eyes, then who are you? (laughing) So I’m Vāyudeva. What is that Vāyudeva? What is your power? I’m the Lord of all the air. So what can you do? I can move the air, I can make the wind blow. Aha! So here He took a blade of grass and He put it down infront of Him. Can you blow this grass, can you make this grass move? (laughing) Of course! So you move it, let me see your power. So then he started putting all his wind power on that blade of grass. Shh! Shh! So much wind was there the trees are blowing down you know (laughing), but the blade of grass didn’t move (laughing). Vāyudeva got very embarrassed you know (laughing). Went back to Indra and Indra said so who was that? Oh! I couldn't figure it out (laughing). Arey! Can’t do anything right, these devas aren’t use to be (laughing).

Agnideva you go you find out who is that. So then Agnideva he went and, and he got up to the Rṣī. Again the Rṣī opened His eyes, who are you? (laughing) So he says I’m Agnidevaa. What is your power? I’m the Lord of fire, I can burn things. You see that blade of grass there (laughing). Yes! Can you burn that? Of course I can burn that. Let Me see you burn that. So then Agnideva he concentrate some fire on it, nothings happening, more fire, nothing happened, ah! (laughing) Put so much fire energy, the rock is melting around it (laughing), but the blade of grass remains the same (laughing). You’re not burning the grass? (laughing) I think I’ll come back in a minute (laughing). Then he went back to see Indra. Indra said so who was it? Oh! I couldn’t figure it out (laughing). Arey you cannot do anything, I have to do everything myself? So then Indradeva he went himself, okay I’m gonna find out who is this Rṣī. That’s the problem with this demigods you know (laughing). He went over there and He was gone! You know flying by was Ūrvaśī, the famous celestial dancer, apsarā. So Ūrvaśī who is the Rṣī that was just here? Haha, you don’t know who the Rṣī was? No! Who was that Rṣī? That Rṣī was Lord Viṣṇu. (bell ringing), confirmed (laughing). That Rṣī was Lord Viṣṇu, He came to show you that without His sanction, without His blessing and potency you cannot do anything. But even He was be present before you, you couldn’t recognize Him.

And then Indra he thought very ashamed that he had allowed the false ego to takeover. Generally the devas or devotees they go remember and respect the Lord, but the false ego is so powerful, there were the Indra or the Indragopa bug, they can takeover anyone. And the conditioned soul then considers that I’m the doer. So Prabhupāda brings up here two persons, one in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and the other in material consciousness working in the same level. Someone may be doing the similar kind of activities like there’s so many people who are selling books. But one person he is doing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and the other person is doing in material consciousness. There’s a wide go for difference in their respective positions. You see the book, distributors are just selling books, but externally it would appear that they’re selling books, extra cost they’re giving books and getting donation, whatever, but they’re doing devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. Their whole purpose is the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa. Where someone else in the mundane world who is selling something they’re thinking I’ll get my money and I’ll get my salary or my commission and I’ll get some sense gratification and I’ll become happy because my senses will be filled with pleasure. At the end of the work I can go and take a vacation and fly to some island somewhere, get some cancer in the beach (laughing). The Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees serving how to bring people to Kṛṣṇa, how Kṛṣṇa will be pleased, how to engage the senses in Kṛṣṇa’s service, of course sometime they can also visit the holy dhāma (laughing) and get the dust of the holy dham on their head. There’s a big difference, one person is just getting entangled in the material laws of karma and the other person is liberated.

māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

In material consciousness everyone is controlled by the guṇas, the three modes of material nature, by karmas the laws of action and reaction. And for every action we do for material purpose we have to take the reaction. That means that if we’re doing something for a material purpose without any connection to Kṛṣṇa then we get entangled. The whole world is entangled in these laws of karma and the three modes. And there is one other factor that is controlling people, kala, the time factor. No matter how one works to create something in this material world, the time factor is disturbing that. But the devotional service that someone renders, is not ever destroyed by time, Kṛṣṇa doesn’t forget that devotional service, it doesn’t produce material reactions. Pure devotional service is, this purport explains, Hrṣīkeśa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the master of the senses of the material body. Narada Muni explained what is devotional service ‘hrṣīkeṇa hrṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ’ serving Hrṣīkeśa by the master of the senses through the senses.

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam
hrṣīkeṇa hrṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate

That when we’re freed from that designations of the material world. Someone may have designation, I’m a Indradeva or someone may think that I’m this nationality or this color or this educational standard or this economic level, whatever particular identification that have with their body and their mind this is all in a level of false ego. But in devotional service one understands that I’m not the body, the body is my vehicle, body is implement that I can utilize in the service of the Lord to liberate myself. Of course Kṛṣṇa is so kind because we’re in this material world, we have material senses and the senses are demanding gratification. Like the tongue wants to eat and taste nice things, so how to keep the tongue satisfied? Actually you can never satisfy the senses, they always go on demanding. But something we have to give that tongue otherwise how you live if you don’t eat and how you’ll keep the mind peaceful if the sun is, tongue is always agitating. So Kṛṣṇa is so kind that Kṛṣṇa in His deity form He’s accepting so many nice offerings of food stuff and He’s leaving some of those offerings on His plate after eating and giving those to the devotees as prasad. That’s His very great mercy right.

śarīra avidyā-jāla, joḍendriya tāhe kāla,
jīve phele viṣaya-sāgare
tā'ra madhye jihwā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati,
tā'ke jetā kaṭhina saḿsāre 

kṛṣṇa boro doyāmoy, koribāre jihwā jay,
sva-prasād-anna dilo bhāi
sei annāmṛta pāo, rādhā-kṛṣṇa-guṇa gāo,
preme ḍāko caitanya-nitāi

That of all the senses the tongue is the most veracious, this tongue is the real rascal. Kind look at people there, it’s for the tongue as much as anything, of course they could get addicted, People are taking the cigarettes it’s like known to cause cancer but the tongue. Then they get addicted to the nicotine and they can’t stop or they eat so many horrible things, so many different things just for the tongue. So how to keep this tongue under control? The tongue is talking and the tongue is eating, so we can control the eating propensity by eating Kṛṣṇa prasādam. So that prasādam is the great mercy of the Lord on us to be able to control the senses. How to control the activity of, of speech? The Lord is also so merciful giving us these holy names that we can chant

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

And we can speak about these books, we can speak about this philosophy to people, we can glorify Kṛṣṇa, His devotees and control the tongue. Of course we can, there’s so many neutral activities that we can engage the tongue in that we had to speak about they that their functional things that people. But any extracurricular things instead of just doing prajalpa or just idle talk we could try to control the tongue by speaking about Kṛṣṇa, glorifying Kṛṣṇa, telling people how wonderful Kṛṣṇa has been to our lives, how wonderful Kṛṣṇa is. Of course this is a very great science and those who can perform this yoga are considered to be the topmost transcendentalist. So in the verse before this verse Kṛṣṇa says

Translation (3.26): So as not to disrupt the minds of ignorant men attached to the fruitive results of prescribed duties, a learned person should not induce them to stop work. Rather, by working in the spirit of devotion, he should engage them in all sorts of activities [for the gradual development of Kṛṣṇa consciousness].

If someone hasn’t come up to this consciousness and they’re still thinking they’re under, they’re the material body at least, alright engage them in some activities which are devotionally oriented and gradually they’ll get to spiritual credit to realize their higher identity. Again the next verse, verse just soon after this

Translation (3.29): The ignorant fully engage themselves in material activities and become attached. But the wise should not unsettle them, although these duties are inferior due to the performers’ lack of knowledge.

That means that although the devotee understands that he is rightly situated, transcendentally situated and someone else may be entangled in this material laws. It’s not like you go after someone, you’re in Maya! You’re a nonsense! You don’t start you know just like you say people on the street you know, turn! Or burn! Right (laughing). That kind of like fire in windstorm you know preaching is not the, the method recommended by Kṛṣṇa. But rather gradually trying to bring up a person’s consciousness so that they can understand the truth. But not like threat even before they are fully Kṛṣṇa conscious.

I reminded about, you probably know the history of Raghunandan Ṭhākura? He one of the great devotees of Lord Caitanya. He’s, was born in the same village as Narahari Ṭhākura. Everyday we sing our prayers to Lord ‘kiba narahari-ādi kari' cāmara dhulāya,’ Narahari he use to fan Lord Caitanya when that big ārati was going on he was there fanning. He comes from a village called Srikanda and Srikanda is one of the famous villages filled with devotees. There is Narahari Ṭhākura, there is also Chiranjīva, then there is Mukunda, Mādhavānanda, Mukundānanda and Raghunandana. So this Mukundānanda where this Mukundānanda, his son was Raghunandana. And Mukundānanda he would daily had a Laḍḍu Gopāla deity. How can reminded of Laḍḍu Gopāla cause I was just on the Heidelberg laḍḍu factory (laughing) and I saw Laḍḍu Gopāla, I think He has more laḍḍūs there, most Laḍḍu Gopāla's could (laughing). And, so Mukundānanda had to go out to do some preaching. So he had just given upanayanam which is the preliminary, first mantra of the Gayatri for learning how to do deity worship and learning the Vedas. He ask his son that till I come back could you offer the laḍḍūs to Gopāla deity everyday. So what I have to do now? You just bring the plate before Gopāla and ask Him to accept the offering then you take the plate back to your mother, the Gopāla will eat the offering and bring it back to your mother. So alright, he’s only like five or six years old. So he comes with the plate of laḍḍūs and put before the Gopāla deity, he say Gopāla please accept these laḍḍūs. Gopāla you’re not eating the laḍḍūs! (laughing) There crying and all and then he’s like little child, He was not eating! And then the deity start speaking, you know what’s wrong? You’re not eating! (laughing) My father told You’ll eat it, You’re not eating! (laughing)

So because he had so much faith that the deity is gonna eat the laḍḍūs. But he never rationalize that his is the stone deity or brass deity, how the deity will eat or just that my father says He’s gonna eat this is Kṛṣṇa, he went with all faith and Kṛṣṇa will eat the laḍḍūs. So then Kṛṣṇa He reciprocated and He said, okay He start eating the laḍḍūs (laughing). And he finished off the laḍḍūs and then little Raghunandana said thank you very much, took back the plate to his mother. And the mother sees empty plate said what happened to the laḍḍūs? (laughing) So Gopāla ate them (laughing). See normally when we offer the prasādam it comes back (laughing). In this case that the child got so much devotion that he wanted the Lord to eat everything, so it didn’t come back. The mother thought, did the boy eat the laḍḍūs or what happened to them, boy having them (laughing)? So then, this is going on everyday. Everyday the boy would go and pray the Gopāla please have the laḍḍūs and He would take. So after sometime the father came back, his wife old him that you know there’s something going on here you know, everyday comes back with the empty plate! Is Gopāla eating all the laḍḍūs? (laughing) So I don’t wanna, you know he’s young boy, I don’t want to disturb his faith or anything or accuse him but some, I don’t know what’s really going on! He had the, father said okay let him to the offering today and I’ll peek and see what happens. So then again Raghunandana goes and puts the laḍḍūs. Laḍḍūs are sweet balls for those who don’t know, made of chickpea flour and resin and things like dry fruits and sweetening and things. So they put in front of the deity and said again Gopāla please accept this offering, eat this offering. Father you know listen, didn’t hear anything so thought it’s like just peek you know ah! (laughing) He saw Gopāla was eating one of the laḍḍūs! As soon as he know ah! (laughing) you know He like, the Gopāla! (laughing) Stopped eating. But he came out and looked and the ladoo was half eaten in His hand, like caught Him red handed. So since that time they always keep a half a ladoo in the hand of the deities. Then that, then of course the boy never thought if there was anything unusual notice, but deity of course gonna eat the ladoo, but because then the father was so surprised and then. But the boy became very very attached to Gopāla and he kept offering even though. So the word got out that this devotee, this child is so great in devotee that deity is eating from his hands, he would give the hand to Gopāla and to eat.

So around that time Abhirāma Ṭhākura he was one of the main preachers under Lord Nityānanda. He joined Lord Caitanya's pastimes directly from Vṛndāvana without going back to the spiritual world. You know that history about Śrīdāma. You know how Lord Nityānanda when he was twelve years old he went and was touring all over India with the sanyasi and visiting holy places. And then he got up to Vṛndāvana, then he realized that Lord Caitanya was starting His saṅkīrtana movement. Up to that time he'd been doing academics and brahminical play and but that now He was ready to start the saṅkīrtana movement, had come back from Gaya. So then Lord Nityānanda had his vision it said to know what the time for me to go and join Him. Then he went to Govardhana and he knew that there in Govardhana, you see Kṛṣṇa went back to the spiritual world five thousand years ago Śrīdāma he was feeling separation and he was absorbed in chanting and he actually never went back, he was just there in a cave. Five thousand years according to eternal time is nothing right, a few, it’s a short time. So he wasn’t even aware of that time outside, so then Nityānanda start calling him, Śrīdāma! Śrīdāma! Come out! (laughing) Balarāma! And Śrīdāma came out and see Balarāma? Where is Balarāma? Who are you? Śrīdāma was very big, because in Dvāpara-yuga people were bigger and Nityānanda was Kali-yuga size (laughing) not Dvāpara-yuga size, so he look small (laughing). Complexity was different you know Balarāma is white but Nityānanda is reddish golden color. Lord Caitanya is gold, yellow golden color and Nityānanda is reddish gold color. We’re doing a lot of study on this because we’re preparing to make the large main deities for the Pañca-tattva in Mayapur so studying the different qualities of each of the, the Pañca-tattva.

So you’re not Balarāma, who are you? No I’m Balarāma! (laughing) it’s Kaliyuga (laughing). I came back in this form! Kanhai, Kanhai meaning Kṛṣṇa kanhaiya. Kanhai, the cowherd boys use to call Kanhai you know amongst friends. Kanhai is come back to spread the saṅkīrtana movement of chanting, He’s at Navadvīpa and I come back in this form. I know how do I know you’re Balarāma, you’re just telling me that. Look at, if you’re really Balarāma, Balarāma would always defeat me on the races at Govardhana. On your mark, get set go! (laughing) He took off, running running on in Govardhana. And (laughing) Nityānanda took off with him and they’re going around, going fast, going down, Balarāma, and on other side going full speed make on going going going going, other side Nityānanda will leave (laughing), other side Nityānanda! (laughing)

Nityānanda prabhu ki! Jai! (laughing)

So then Śrīdāma he’s fed, you must be Balarāma! (laughing) He was the only one who could defeat me. So what is that you’re saying Kanhai is come, now is the pastime in Kaliyuga, where He now? Where five thousand years are gone by! Four thousand five hundred years are gone by! And now He’s come and now it’s Kaliyuga, you should come and join us. Okay I’ll join you. But you can’t come like this (laughing) huge like. And he was huge like come out of here. And Nityānanda put his hand on Śrīdāma and Awe! (laughing) He brought him down to Kaliyuga size (laughing). So he became known as Abhirāma Ṭhākura, Rāmadāsa, Abhirāma. It’s interesting (laughing) I think Balarāma, Nityānanda told them later on, not now but later on you made me the śakti. So really? Alright, them he took one hitch, uhh! Śakti came out went in to the Yamuna little baby in a lotus and floated down the river. So I’ll see you later (laughing). It’s and other story how he (laughing) twenty-five years later he joined up with Śakti. But we’re not talking about that now.

Śrīdāma, Abhirāma Ṭhākura he wasn’t the ordinary devotee, he was amazing devotee. He’s such a devotee that Caitanya-caritāmṛta explains that when he would bow down to śālagrāma-śilā. If it wasn’t a real Śālagrāma, but just an ordinary black stone, it would just blow over, just crack. His devotion would be so intense that if he would offer such devotion, anything that wasn’t Kṛṣṇa, it would just disintegrate. Like if there was some kind of a, I mean, no bogus yogis who are claiming that the false avatāras means it was curtains (laughing) it was all over (laughing). So you think you’re Kṛṣṇa? Take this (laughing), namo brahmaṇya devāya, out! (laughing) He was so powerful that when Lord Nityānanda had children he would go and he would offer his obeisances to Lord Nityānanda’s children. And every child that was born died! For so many children. You can imagine what Nityānanda’s consort like everytime Abhirāma came when a new baby was born. He said not worthy to be Nityānanda's son or daughter. So finally Kṣīrodakaṣāyi Viṣṇu appeared as his son and Gaṅgā appeared as Nityānanda's daughter. And then he offered his obeisances to Vīracandra and Gaṅgā and they withstood his obeisance. So he was very famous as a credibly powerful devotee, intense.

So when he heard about Raghunandana, he wanted to see Raghunandana. But hearing how Nityānanda's children died and when they were, he paid obeisances, Mukundānanda he got frightened. What if Abhirāma offers his obeisances, Raghunanda? What if he dies? I could never live without him, without him like this, out of affection they got really paranoid. So when Abhirāma Ṭhākura showed up he wanted to see Raghunandana, they hide him. No, he went out somewhere else, we don’t know where he is right now (laughing). He had walked, I mean he use to live near Pāṇihāti on the other side of the river in Hubli, connect to Kṛṣṇanagar and he had walked, and he walked a long way! Srikanda is at least 200 or may be 150 kilometers. So he just came 150 kilometers walking and they say, well we don’t know where he is, you know he was really upset (laughing). He knew what was going on, there something fishy here (laughing). You don’t know where your child isn’t it! So he went off in a nearby forest, he was upset, he was chanting his japa. Came all the way wanted to see this devotee. Raghunandana, he’s such a great devotee when he heard that Abhirāma, he heard Abhirāma is actually come, it’s Abhirāma! Abhirāma! He’s great devotee of Nityānanda, Gaurāṅga! Immediately he snuck away ran off into that forest and there he saw Abhirāma sitting. He went and he paid obeisances to Abhirāma

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
patitānām pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

And Abhirāma saw Raghunanda, immediately he felt so ecstatic, he picked him up and he embraced him and then he started dancing in kīrtana.

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

Gaurāṅga! Nityānanda!

And they were dancing so much, it was so in, Raghunandana he jump so high, kicks so hard that he had a silver nupur, that means the ankle bracelet bells on his, that his parents put on his leg. He’s so ecstatic, kick so hard that the nupur flew some kilometers in the air (laughing). And one devotee was chanting japa (laughing), he!  (laughing) he was the disciple of somebody from sees what is this here (laughing), you know what is this? From the sky he was like (laughing). And later on it was identified that it was, nobody knew where it was, sh! (laughing) Went off. So still today you can go to the āśrama and it’s quite a distance, not you know just more than a kilometer or two. So he would get, just get a idea how ecstatic he was (laughing) meeting Abhirāma. He would kick so intensely and said that kīrtanas went on day and night dancing and chanting for something like three days. So much ecstasy, spontaneous ecstasy, we can not imagine how much happiness liberated devotees and love of Kṛṣṇa are getting. We just get a little drop from the ocean, just a drop! And is enough to flood us. But those who are actually fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, how much spiritual nectar they're swimming in. We can only understand that we have the drop, you multiply that as much as you can multiply a drop to the ocean and you get an idea. Every year at Srikanda still after four five hundred years now they celebrate that meeting of Raghunandana and Abhirāma. And they take out deities of Gaurāṅga to that little grove, a little forest area. Now there’s forest means it’s only about, they cut all the, but still they kept at least the fifty trees and they built temple. For three day a year the deity goes in that temple and thousand, may be hundreds, about hundred and fifty to two hundred thousand people they gather every year for that celebration in memory of that time.

I mean, that reminds me and we’re talking about prasādam distribution, Śrīnivāsa Ācārya  āśrama which is very near to Katwa. In his āśrama Jahnava Devi come one time and they have a very big festival, Gaura pūrṇimā or some big festival. And so many people came, they wanted to cook, they’re cooking for then but they needed a place to put the dal. So there were so many people that they dug a lake, it’s a small lake, a pond. Dug a pond but the size of a swimming pool, just like almost the size as the olympic size swimming pool. I mean it’s about, say might be like seventy-five meters by fifty meters and five meters deep, seven eight meters deep. And they dug that and filled it up with dal (laughing), it’s known as dalpukur (laughing), dal lake. And they actually, there were so many people that they needed that much dal and they could prepare that much dal, what to speak of the mountains of rice they were getting in (laughing). Like how much dal you need getting the mounts of rice (laughing). So they had some very big festival, very big prasādam distribution, up to now I don’t think we’ve been able to fill up swimming pools of dal yet of sweet rice but in the future we may have to also have small swimming pools made for holding all the sweet rice. Now in Śāntipura we have a few (laughing) for our annual prasāda distribution we have some, I won’t call them swimming pools but just about three meters by one and a half meters we have, no not three, two meters by one and half, we have three of those. Plus so many of these two meter wide big, not too may be one and three quarter meter wide big cooking pots. And maybe thirty forty thousand people are fed. So think how many people were fed in a swimming pool! That’s enough to feed thirty thousand people, so how many people they fed at that festival (laughing). It’s unbelievable, I mean it’s believable but it’s just inconceivable I’ll say that definitely happened.

And it’s not one way talking about Śrīnivāsa ācārya’s āśrama. It’s a beautiful tree there, a banyan tree, gigantic banyan tree. One day after chanting, they’re chanting japa Śrīnivāsa Ācārya and Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura and all of a sudden comes a big procession, rich people taking their son in a palanquin, in a royal type procession to get married. Here’s the custom that when you take us like king for a day, queen for a day, marriage day, the wife, the bride is like the queen and the husbands like the king and it goes in, here he goes in the horse, the girl’s in the palanquin with a big crown and everything and in front there’s a music and band going on, tu tu tu tut, but they have their Indian tunes. Anyway you know, so whole legendary. Even today, even just recently the chief minister in Tamilnadu blews out tremendous amount of money and marrying her son or something. So many people are complaining that now it’s a wasteful use of money what they do. Anyway this is just small, this is a procession anyway but it’s a cultural heritage to do some processions and things at a time of marriage. So the bearers of the palanquin they became very tired you know hot sun carrying, four of them carrying the. So here’s this nice banyan tree there, so okay let’s just take a break here for few minutes, put down the palanquin.

So Śrīnivāsa ācārya and Narottama they’re, they are chanting japa and they look, they see the boy, the bridegroom, very handsome, very beautiful. Narottama said you know this person look at so much beauty and given by Kṛṣṇa. So what a waste! Simply useless beauty God given only for sense gratification. Said yes, the purpose of life is to serve Lord Kṛṣṇa. Instead he simply going to serve the senses and waste his life, as his whole life is simply being wasted, vyartha. And he heard every word they were saying, here they’re as they you know (laughing). The rest of the time they go up the bands going thinking that what am I talking about? I mean, I have a higher purpose in life? I’m suppose to actually do something else? By the time he reach the destination it’s the big you know wedding, arrangement and the parents and the relatives and the feast, and the whole thing you know, he had already made his mind up (laughing). He escaped! You know they look where he go! (laughing) And he went back there to, to the āśrama and he surrendered at feet of Śrīnivāsa ācārya and said please instruct me what is the purpose of life? This is Rāmacandra Kavirāja became great associate of Narottama, great ācārya in the line of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And he, Rāmacaandra Kavirāja took gṛhastha āśrama later, I’m not sure he did or didn’t. I know Śrīnivāsa Ācārya did on the order of Narahari Ṭhākura to become the raj guru. But the point was that he was totally Kṛṣṇa conscious.

So the same activity done by two different people has completely two different results. If someone is doing the activity for Kṛṣṇa it has one result and if you’re doing it simply for sense gratification has another result. So this is the science of devotional service. So may great ācāryas have just come. I mean what is 500 years? 500 years ago Lord Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Lord Himself has come down as a devotee to flood the world with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But the work isn’t done but He predicted that I’m going to come and spread the consciousness in India, but someone will come, one of my commanding devotees will come and spread this all over the world. Go in the distant countries where the people are absorbed in mundane activities and deliver it to them. So we’re so fortunate that Prabhupāda had brought this message here to the west fulfilling Lord Caitanya’s prediction.

Reminds of another place we went to in Gaura Maṇḍala Parikramā. Gaura Maṇḍala, you understand that where Lord Caitanya appears as called yogapīṭha, as the point where the Supreme Lord touches the material world, comes down into the material world from the spiritual world, it’s like the landing point. Taking that as the center there is an area of about five kośas, five kośas is about sixteen kilometers which is in diameter which is the Nabadvīpa-dhāma. And that is not different from Vṛndāvana, this is transcendental abode. Everyone who is living there is seen by the residents of the heavenly planets having two arms like in Goloka Vṛndāvana. Then there is another area around that which is a 168 miles in circumference, that means a kilometers oh my goodness or may be around 250 kilometers or so. From that area, it’s a big area 250 kilometers more or less although it’s not exactly circular, may sometimes go crosley, so rule of thumb. And that is called Gaura Maṇḍala and everyone residing there is seen as having four arms. In the so many pastimes of, occurred there ‘sri-gauḍa maṇḍala-bhūmi yebā jāne cintāmaṇi tāra haya vraja-bhume vāsa’, of course for the devotees of Lord Caitanya, direct devotees, they’re seeing this Gaura-maṇḍala as also not different from Vraja-dhāma and like the Vraja Maṇḍala. They’re many many pastime places, hundreds and hundreds of them, ancient temples in some as I mentioned earlier today.

So anyway one place is there we went to this year that I’ve never been before and we saw that, this is a very ancient place is known as Tamluk. Kṛṣṇa went there in the Dvāpara-yuga when Arjuna was doing the Rājasūya sacrifice and the, the king there he fought with Arjuna in order to see Kṛṣṇa. So then Kṛṣṇa came and then he surrendered to Arjuna, so the king established the temple there, 5000 year old temple of Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna called Jiṣṇu, jīva and Viṣṇu. Very the, temple of course had to already been rebuilt many times but the original deities are still there. And in that same village there was one of the famous associates of Lord Caitanya who we also mention in our kīrtana we sing at sandhya-ārati, that ‘bāsu-ghoṣa-ādi gāya.’ So this is Vāsudeva Ghoṣa āśrama and he had the beautiful Kṛṣṇa deity that’s so big may be, so big like may be 60cm height black, beautiful black Kṛṣṇa, golden Rādhā. And he would go to the, he moved there, it would be little close to I guess to Lord Caitanya. He go to the Jagannātha Puri Ratha Yātrās and he would, he was preaching in that area. He said that he was saying over the beautiful singer, lead singer of the kīrtanas, great singer. So we went there and he told us that when Lord Caitanya left the world he was feeling so much separation, he was such a intimate associate of the Lord, that when the Lord left he was so overwhelmed with separation, he couldn’t bear it. Just couldn’t bare it, he and his wife had a big hole dug almost three meters deep. And they’re going to crawl in it and tell the people to just throw the dirt on us. They were just so overwhelmed with separation they didn’t wanna live without Lord Caitanya’s presence in this planet. So just as they’re about to go in this hole, the deity spoke to them, you can’t do that! You’ve given yourself to My service, you can’t take your lives, who’s gonna serve Me, you had to stay, you can’t do this, you have no right to take your lives.

That reminds me here in there was this crazy group that everybody kill themselves in Switzerland, some. In Kṛṣṇa consciousness it’s completely forbidden to take your life. The devotees give their life to Kṛṣṇa, they’ve no right to take it. Sometime out of madness like that some devotee thinks, it’s not at all allowed, it’s completely prohibited. We give our life to Kṛṣṇa, give our body to Kṛṣṇa, life can never be taken, but the body we give to Kṛṣṇa, we can’t kill it, we’ve to use it in the service. But anyway he was just overwhelmed with separation out of love for Lord Caitanya, he is like, was doing something crazy. But the deity spoke to him so we can’t do this, because the deity spoke to them was like such a big shock and he realized that he was not doing the right thing. So I was reminded because he, he wrote many songs, so one of the songs when we went there they sang and may be some other bhajans I don’t remember the whole song but there was something to the effect. I just remember the first line ‘(yadi) gaura nā hoito, tabe ki hoito,’ which means like if, i don’t know it’s, by Bengali it’s so poetic ‘(yadi) gaura nā hoito, tabe ki hoito,’ but it, I cannot translate it so poetically. But if there was no Gaurāṇga, if Gaurāṇga had not been then what would have been? Something like that but doesn’t come out as beautiful as in Bengali.

And as the song goes it said, if Gaurāṇga hadn’t come then who would have given us the holy names? Who would have given us Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa worship, who would have revealed the mystery of the Supreme Lord’s internal pastimes as Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa? Who would have revealed Vṛndāvana? Who would have revealed the sankīrtana movement? Who would have revealed the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam glories? Who would have revealed? It goes on like this you know, so many, in a total like a separation, in a, I just everybody became like you know, overwhelmed at that place hearing this pastime, then you could just kind of imagine the mood that he was singing that in, he was so much in love with Lord Caitanya. But I couldn’t help at that moment, I was just overwhelmed with the song that ‘(yadi) Prabhupāda na haita tabe ki haita’. If Prabhupāda hadn’t come then what you know what would have happened? If he hadn’t, then there then who would have given us Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa glories? Or who’d have given us Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda? Given us that holy name, who’d given us this Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad Bhagavatam? Who would have given us the devotional service and the holy dhams and the, and devotional service and association of Vaiṣṇavas and Kṛṣṇa prasādam and it just goes on. Who would have given us all these things? We can’t imagine how much mercy Prabhupāda has given the worlds, it is incomparable, there is no comparison with anybody in the past thousands and thousands, thousands of years. Especially now people are now so hopelessly lost in this bodily identification and here Lord Caitanya’s mercy is carried by Śrīla Prabhupāda, of course that Lord Caitanya hadn’t been it wouldn’t have happened. But if someone hadn’t been there to carry Lord Caitanya’s mercy and give it to us, give it to the everywhere in the world? Then even though it was there it was lost to us, only a few people they were experiencing something.

So in this verse we can understand Bhagavad-gītā that by devotional service of Lord we can crossover this influence of the material nature but without Lord Caitanya’s mercy how can people go devotional service? People were so much identified, they’re all so much in the false ego. But Lord Caitanya’s process is so nectarian, you can go on a big festival and youth festival, get everyone to chant and dance and they may not even be able thinking they’re doing anything spiritual. They’re just singing and dancing and having a good time. But they’re all getting spiritual benefit because the vibrations are transcendental. They can distribute prasādam and people eating they didn’t even know that how much benefit they gain. They’re buying a book they don’t know how great is the wisdom in that book, until they read it of course then they start to realize. So it’s so much mercy that Lord Caitanya has given it, it makes it so easy for people to become spiritualized, it was never so easy before. And never will be so easy again, at least not till Lord Caitanya comes again. Lord Kṛṣṇa comes once in a day of Brahmā, one day of Brahmā is 4 billion 300 million years, his night is another 4 billion 300 million. So if you don’t take advantage of Lord Caitanya now you may have another chance after 8 billion 600 thousand million years! Of course, this movement is still around for 10000 years if you’re fortunate enough to take birth as a human being on this planet or in the planet where the movement is there you may get another chance. Of course, there’s somebody just by coming to the temple once they get so much pious activity that probably if we’re born in the heavenly planets and live for millions of years and then you’d have by the time you come back down here already he’d gone. That’s why you find all the devotees pray that if I don’t get back to you Kṛṣṇa in this lifetime please bless me that I can be born in the family of your devotees.