20160505 Evening Darśana

Evening Darśana

Type Of Talk:

Evening Class

Date:

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Collection:

Inspiration series - 2016

Audio player:

20160505 EVENING DARSHAN IN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

Mukha karoti vachalam panghum langhaayate girim Yat kripa tam aham vande Sri Gurum deena taarinam Paramananda Madhavam Sri Caitanya Ishwaram Hari Om Tat Sat!

Since 2008 after my face, half my face got paralyzed I have someone repeat what I say. First of all, I am very happy to see everyone and I was very happy to hear that Bhaktivedanta Manor, with the help of the congregation, was place number one in Europe, in fact in the whole world, except India. I didn’t get the report, what was in Birmingham? How did we do?

Devotee: This year we did very well and everyone was very enthusiastic.

GM: I wanted to find out where the crowd funding website was so I could give a donation. Tell me the website. We are reading as now it is the 50th anniversary of ISKCON, last year was the 50th anniversary of Prabhupad’s departure to the west. So in the Brahma Vaivartha Purana, Krishna said that He would send a devotee, 5000 years after the start of the Kali yuga who would spread the Holy Name around the world. And the Holy Name of Krishna and Krishna are non-different. So He predicted to all the holy places and holy rivers that this person would usher in a Golden Age where the people would become Krishna conscious. So they actually wanted to leave the world and go to the spiritual world with Krishna because they said that in Kali yuga all the sinful people would bathe in their waters and dump all the bad karma and they would be overwhelmed with bad karma. So then Krishna told them, wait for 5000 years. You know how great it is to think about a pure devotee, what to speak of touch him! So pure devotees will be visiting your holy waters and they will bathe there and you will recognize them because they chant the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra. So after ten thousand years the golden period will end when people can easily get back to Godhead and Kali yuga would start in the worst, black period called Ghor Kali – heavy Kali. So that time you can gradually go underground like the Saraswati river, she is invisible but she is flowing under the ground. So you can all go underground until the Satya yuga.

So Lord Caitanya came 4500 years later and Prabhupad came 5000 years. In the Caitanya Mangal Lord Caitanya announced that He would spread the Holy Name all over India but if there were people in different countries that missed out, after 500 years, He would send a Commander devotee who would spread the Holy Name around the world. So that was written about 450 to 500 years ago. And throughout the ages there were different acharyas or spiritual masters who predicted that someone would come and spread the Holy Name. So we missed out on Lord Caitanya’s pastimes but we can be part of the ongoing pastimes of Nitai Gaur and the pastimes of Their devotee, Srila Prabhupad, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad! That reminds me that in Mayapur it was 43 degrees Centigrade, that is hot!! Ha! Even by Indian standards!! What to speak of UK!! We offered Prabhupad that we could give him air conditioning if he wanted. He said I don’t want any kind of conditioning!!Ha! Ha! And his guru told him that anyone who helps you in spreading Krishna consciousness, they will get spiritual benefit. So how many here want to help Srila Prabhupad? Once Prabhupad said the birthplace of Lord Caitanya is down the road in Mayapur but ISKCON is the place of Lord Caitanya’s work. In Bhagavad Gita Krishna says, janma karma cha me divyam, My birth and My activities are transcendental. So Prabhupad would say that ISKCON is the karma sthaan of Lord Caitanya. So we are greatly blessed that we get to help Srila Prabhupad and through the guru parampara he is helping Lord Caitanya.

Many devotees ask me what can I do? What we can do is help Srila Prabhupad. Help him to spread the Hare Krishna chanting. Sometimes Prabhupad, his picture looks very serious, but he is the happiest person I have ever met! But his happiness is very deep. One time he was at a life member’s house, who was a practicing vaishnava, who was a vegetarian and he told the wife that we sanyasis, we are your children. So you feed us, you take care of us, just like your children. So we are your children. Like this he would tell the grihasthas different things to make them happy. He was always encouraging everybody. At the same time, he was very strict. One police inspector, he came and asked Prabhupad, I want to take initiation. Prabhupad said you have to follow the four principles and chant 16 rounds. He said, I am a policeman and it is a bit difficult, can you make some exception for me? Prabhupad said, no! Ha! So in that sense he was very strict! So he preached all over the whole world but in Los Angeles, the deities, Rukmini Dwarkadeesh, according to Brahmananda das, the deities told him, you should also preach in India! So he would often say before Them that I have been given the mandate to preach outside of India. So when I asked him why Lord Caitanya did not preach all over the world? He predicted that His Holy Name would be chanted over the whole world. So why didn’t He chant over the whole world? Prabhupad said well, He left something for me! Ha!

So all of you are very fortunate that you have this opportunity to chant Hare Krishna, to practice Krishna consciousness in your homes, in the temple. In this way you can also get the special blessings! Side by side of course, most people would like to be materially peaceful and happy, I think everybody. So then side by side they can also experience the spiritual bliss and then at the end of life go back to the spiritual world. At the end of Krishna’s pastimes, He told Radharani, We should leave this place, this material world is a place of death.

So I have been translating different books, compiling about Lord Caitanya. You see there are about three main books and about eight or nine subsidiary books which have some pastimes. So usually in the three main ones each author respected the other authors. So they didn’t repeat what the other authors already wrote. They assumed that everybody had already read it, and they just referred to it. So like Caitanya Bhagavat, is the early life of Lord Caitanya, very little on the later life. Caitanya Caritamrita has very little on the early life and a lot on the later life. Caitanya Mangal has the pastimes that the others missed out on and or details not available in the others. And then there are other books. Notebooks by Murari Gupta and others. There is also a book Prema Vaivartha by Jagadananda Pandit – so he tells some of his personal experiences. He was a close student with Lord Caitanya. So one time Lord Caitanya, Gadadhara Prabhu and Jagadananda Pandit, after school, they were running in an orchard. They were say, eight years old, so just like kids they were running. I don’t know exactly if they were seven or eight. They saw a parrot and Lord Caitanya stopped and said, Shuka Paakhi, parrot. You are just like Shukadev Goswami. Tell us some of the glories of Radha and Krishna! And He set the parrot on His hand and said, chant the glories of Radha and Krishna like Shukadev Goswami. The parrot began flapping its wings and started to chant “Gaura Gaura! Gaura Gaura! Gaura Gaura! Who here can be a parrot? You be the judge! Ha! He comes from Spain. Spain is famous for judges right?! Gaura Gaura! Gaura Gaura! Gaura Gaura! Gaura Gaura! Lord Caitanya said, no, no, no, I am a devotee of Radha and Krishna! I want to hear the glories of Radha and Krishna. Why are you chanting this? The parrot said, since time immemorial I have been chanting this mantra and therefore I like chanting Gaura Gaura! Gaura Gaura! Gaura Gaura! Gaura Gaura! Lord Caitanya closed His ears! He said, why do you chant this? This place is non-different from Vrndavan, so you should chant the names of Radha and Krishna. The parrot replied to Gadadhara, he said, this is Radha and You are Krishna and You are the combined form of Radha and Krishna. So I like to chant, You are correct, this place is non-different from Vrndavan. I like to chant Gaura Gaura! You chant what You like to chant! Gaura! Gaura! Gaura Gaura! Gaura Gaura! Gaura Gaura! Gaura Gaura! Gaura Gaura! Gaura Gaura! So who won? (Devotee judge says, everyone!) Ha! That’s why the Spanish judges are good! Ha! Lord Caitanya, Gadadhara Prabhu and Jagadananda Pandit went running off. So apparently Swarup Damodar told Jagadananda Pandit, you can’t write these things, these are all confidential. He said, I will write what I want to write! I experienced this, I want to write it! Ha! Jagadananda Pandit in Krishna leela is Satyabhama. She is the second queen of Krishna. She is known to be a bit demanding. Any way he wrote about ten pastimes which were not anywhere else. So we slipped those into the Caitanya Book! There is one pastime, which is kind of a sad pastime. Lord Caitanya’s father’s departure. Lord Caitanya’s father, Jagannath Mishra, he would go to his guru’s ashram regularly. So one night he came back and suddenly got a high fever. So Sachi maata started crying and she didn’t know what to do. At that time Lord Caitanya was still a small boy, maybe nine years old. He said everybody in this world leaves, as a human being everyone dies. So why are you lamenting? Call your relatives, call his friends, they should gather around him and chant Hare Krishna. What else are friends for? When you leave the body, they should be chanting. So she called their friends and relatives, they sat around Jagannath Mishra and began to chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Two brahmanas were at the doorway discussing that this is very serious. So what should we do now? 500 years ago they did not have an ambulance to rush them off to hospital. No pharmacist. But they had physicians. Basic first aid. They thought the best thing was to lower him in the Ganges and the cool water would either take away his fever, otherwise if he left his body in the Ganges then he would go back to Godhead. Of course he could go any time he wanted, he could go, come back, he is an eternal associate of the Lord. But they didn’t know that and he was playing the pastime with the Lord. So they took him down in procession to the Ganges. And mother Sachi said that, where are you going? Take me with you. I spent my whole life serving you, cooking your prasadam, you know, she made her plea that if you are going take me with you. At this time Lord Caitanya, He said, father, if you go who will hold My hand and take Me to school? When I call out father, who will be there to answer? So then they were about to move him into the Ganges and told Lord Caitanya, because he is in the mood that he is the father and Lord Caitanya is his son, he doesn’t think that Lord Caitanya is Lord Krishna. He says there is one thing I have to tell you, I prayed to Lord Rama to take care of you and so you have nothing to worry about. You are under the protection of Lord Rama. So they lowered him in the Ganges up to his neck and they were all chanting Hare Krishna. Above his head came a divine chariot with two attendants. Then after some time he left his body and his spiritual form transferred to the spiritual airplane and then he went back to Godhead. So they took his body out from the Ganges and Lord Caitanya then cried in separation. Big tears, black tears, the size they call it elephant prose, gajamani. These tear droplets formed like a pearl white necklace on the chest of Lord Caitanya. So then Lord Caitanya did all the final rites for his father, He did the yagna and everything. It says that one who hears the pastime, when they leave the body they will get the benefit of leaving in the Ganges. Like that some interesting pastimes. When Lord Caitanya was a young boy, He would go to the market and He would always buy His vegetables and banana needs from one flea market merchant called Sridhar or Kolavecha Sridhar. He would grab a bunch of bananas and ask, how much? Sridhar would say, I only charge You the market rate! Lord Caitanya asked, How much? He said, only eight conch shells. Lord Caitanya said, EIGHT CONCH SHELLS! I am a poor brahmana, you are trying to rip Me off? He said, You can check the whole market, I am not charging You any more and he took back the bananas. Lord Caitanya said, what? You are taking them back, do you think I want to steal your bananas? Lord Caitanya threw down like four conch shells. Eighty conch shells was like one pence. I think a banana costs more now! Ha! Every day would be a similar pastime. When Lord Caitanya was a teacher, Nimai Pandit, He would still visit Kolavecha Sridhar at his house. So there were different pastimes. The neighbors of Kolavecha Sridhar said, you know, why don’t you just save your money up? You are using half your money to serve the Ganges. Just stop this service for one year, build up your capital. Then you can have more capital and then you can sell more bananas! He said, what is the guarantee that I will start? If Krishna wants, He can make me rich! Whatever I make fifty percent I will spend for the Ganges. They said, look, your dhoti has a hole in it! He said, well, air conditioning! Ha! They said, your roof has a hole in it! That is for light! What about the rain they asked? You are hopeless they said. Now we know all night why you are yelling, Hari bol! Hari bol! Hunger pangs! So his neighbors were not sympathetic.

Lord Caitanya revealed who He was to Advaita Gosai because Advaita had done some penances to bring Lord Krishna down, so He wanted to prove to Advaita Gosai who He was. So then Advaita offered a 21 hour nonstop arati and in the middle of the arati He revealed to the different devotees who they were and different things. So He called for Sridhar. He sent some devotees to get him. At that time, He was famous as the greatest pandit in Navadwip. He defeated the Digvijay and various things. So when he went to Kolavecha Sridhar who was a common seller in the street market, and he said, Lord Caitanya, Nimai Pandit wants to see you. Me, Sridhar said! Oh! He passed out! What to do? The people picked him up and carried him but then when he became conscious he saw Lord Caitanya effulgent. He could only see Lord Caitanya, Nityananda, Advaita, a few people and he realized who Lord Caitanya was, He was Krishna Himself! So Lord Caitanya said, what do you want? I will give you a boon! Sridhar said, I don’t want anything. Lord Caitanya said, I will make you a king! Sridhar said, I don’t want to be a king! Lord Caitanya said, come on, I will give you mystical powers – anima praapti siddhi! You can get the ashttha siddhis! Sridhar said, oh no, I don’t want! Lord Caitanya said, ok I will give you the blessing, you will merge into the Jyoti! Sridhar said, no, no, please! Lord Caitanya said, what do you want? You have to take some boon from Me! Sridhar said, well, if I have to take a boon, please bless me that every time You come, I can give You the banana leaves! Ha! I am not qualified. Please let me take birth in the family of Your devotees! Lord Caitanya said that I want to give you the blessing that even Brahma and Siva are hankering for! I will give you the blessing of pure love of Krishna! And he was a devotee who was a common salesman in the street, for him to get such a blessing, love of Krishna! The devotees there were rolling on the ground, pulling their hair, chanting Hari bol! Hari bol!

So although I am physically going through different treatments, I have had the rare opportunity to read these pastimes of Lord Caitanya again and again and I hope that all the devotees will get the opportunity to understand how fortunate we are to be helping Srila Prabhupad! That in this world people think that they are this body but actually we are the pure spirit soul, we are part of Krishna! But somehow we are diseased. We are identifying with the body and we are acting independent of the Lord. So this material world is like a big prison house. And now we have the rare opportunity to go back to Krishna by chanting His holy name.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

So, they want me to end here. They said, give a short class. It has only been five minutes, right?! Ha!

Transcribed by: Jayaraseshwari dd 26 July 2016