20161002 Sunday Feast Class at ISKCON

mükam karoti väcälam

pangum langhayate girim

yat-kåpä tam aham vande

sri-gurum dina-täranam

paramanda madhavam

Sri Caitanya Iswaram

Hari Om Tat Sat

JPS: We are going to read a verse from Bhagavat Gita ?

Audience : No, No, Gaur Lila, please…

JPS: Very nice to see all of you for the Sunday love feast. Is there simultaneous translation…,.

Mahavara Prabhu: yes there is simultaneous translation going on.

JPS: I am sorry I can’t speak in Slovenian. I live in Mayapur, India. It’s the birth place of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. 5000 years ago Krishna came. At that time Lord Brahma, the secondary creator of the universe, he stole all the calves and the cowherd boys friends of Krishna, kept them in hibernation and had them sleeping in the cave and he went for about a year which by his time is only a moment. Then he thought that, “Maybe I did  a wrong thing.”, he went back… but Krishna, he had expanded himself into all the calves and cowherd boys. So they all there. And Lord Brahma, he looked at the place where he kept the cowherd boys and the calves and they were there…and they were back… and he came back… and “no they are still here” and he was looking here, there… “oh.. what’s happening?”, he didn’t know what’s the matter with him…”may be when I looked there, they got transferred here. How is it that they are in two places at the same time?” Then Krishna who became expanded into the cowherd boys and the calves, they actually transformed into Visnu forms, the four handed form of the super soul and the Brahma realized the his mystic power is insignificant in comparison to Krishna’s. Like how the lightning bugs, it is very fascinating at night but in the daytime see them because the sun is so bright. So he saw that his mystic power is like a lighting but compared to the sun. 

So all these things happened during Krishna’s pastime. Brahma was feeling bad and he heard that Krishna is coming as Caitanya Mahaprabhu and he will be giving out the love of Krishna freely. So he went to the centre of Nabadwip Dham and began to chant…

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What did he chant ?

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Invoking the presence of Lord Caitanya or Lord Gauranga… and the Lord appeared and said, “What is it that you want Lord Brahma?”, Brahma seeing the Lord, he paid his obeisances. He wanted to speak but when he saw the Lord he became overwhelmed with ecstasy. He offered his obeisance’s again and got  up on his feet, saw the Lord, so beautiful, in golden color, he bowed down again and then he got up to speak. Then he saw the Lord with eyes like lotus petals almost to his ears. Then he bowed down again. He saw his arms going down to his knees. He bowed down again. The Lord Caitanya let him speak and asked him, “What is that you want?” 

“I am already in the second half of my life. My 13.34-36?? Second half and still I am committing offences and I heard that you will be coming in this age of kali. So I wanted to one of your associates and be purified from committing offences. I wanted to develop love for Krishna. This is what I want and Lord Caitanya said, “tatastha.. so be it. You will be born in a non-hindu family. Thus you will learn to be very humble. You will chant 300,000 names of Krishna a day and you will be known as the nama-acharya. By chanting the holy names your love for Krishna will awaken and you will be one of my associates.” After saying this Lord Caitanya disappeared. Later Lord Brahma became Brahma Hari Das. Lord Caitanya said that, “Your name will be Haridas.” So Lord Brahma became Brahma Haridas, an associate of Lord Chaitanya and went out with Lord Nityananda, door to door to beg people, to chant the holy name. 

So this way Lord Brahma and other great entities from the higher planets came down to participate in Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes. Everybody is looking for happiness. In this material world we will look for happiness in friendship, society and love, and some experts say that there is a little happiness there but it’s insignificant compared to the happiness that we really want. It’s like being in a desert. Even a few drops of water… getting a few drops is not enough, we need liters and liters. That spiritual happiness is there in the spiritual world. It is also there in the pastimes of the Lord but he transforms the material world... by wherever he is into spiritual world. And we read about the spiritual world which are revealed in the esoteric books and when we read the pastimes of the Lord in the 10th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam or in the Krishan book we see that exchange between the devotees and the Lord…it’s pure love, that in the spiritual world everything is based on love but in this material world it’ mainly based on lust. …Lust and love is very thin. May be the closest thing is the unconditional love of the mother for the son or daughter. 

One mother came to see Prabhupada. She was a mother of a sanyasi. He wasn’t taken sanyasi then, he was a brahmachari, and Bengali mothers are known for their affection. She started rolling on the ground. “I need my son, I need my son. Please!” (laughter) It was a very embarrassing situation. Prabhupada said, “oh… Your son is free to go.”

“Really !” (laugh)

“Sure. We are not holding him. Let him go.  ”

Real Transform. The he asked her son, “Do you want to go?”

He said, “NO” (laughter) …. “I want to serve you Prabhupada.”

Now she got used to it. 

Actually we all are a part of Krishna and when we serve Krishna, Krishna is happy and we will be happy and that is not possible in the material world that you serve someone else and you will be happy. Maybe you will be happy of your ego… but the way we feel happy is by pleasing Krishna. So when one does something because of dharma, because of spiritual principles, he feels happy because Krishna is happy because that person is following the spiritual principle, that is the real source of happiness… unlimited happiness.

There is a song before the appearance of the Lord and it is called the adhivas song. And two lines of that song are… “anander sima nai”

Anander sima nai (everyone)

“anander sima nai”

Anander sima nai (everyone)

Anada means happiness, sima means limit, frontier, border. Nai means there is no limit, there is not limit to the happiness. 

“anander sima nai”

Anander sima nai (everyone)

“anander sima nai”

Anander sima nai (everyone)

Second line is nirananda- unhappiness. Happiness…unhappiness. Nirananda … dure…  distant jai… ghost far away.

JPS: anander sima nai

Devotees : anander sima nai

JPS: anander sima nai

Devotees : anander sima nai

JPS: Nirananda dure jai

Devotees: Nirananda dure jai

JPS: anander sima nai

Devotees : anander sima nai

JPS: Nirananda dure jai

Devotees: Nirananda dure jai

We all are looking for that. Happiness without limit and we want unhappiness to go far away. Everyebody…everybody is looking for happiness without limit whether they are guest or devotees, but in the material world all those happiness brings sadness. So real happiness is on the spiritual level. That’s why we avoid slaughter houses, killing animals, gambling, just like having family, love these are recommended. But free sex is dangerous … of AIDS.. similarly so many diseases. Through intoxication eople think they get so much happiness, “Oh I am so happy”, and they end up with hang overs, vomiting… alcohol… and if is narcotic then they get addicted. They destroy their bodies. They die of overdozes. 

There is no overdoze of Krishna consciousness. (laughter)

So in this material world things that are called happiness, brings sadness. So we avoid those things and we want pure happiness. 

I came in today and the kirtan was so sweet. That’s pure transcendental happiness. And feasting on Krishna prasadam, that’s spiritual food, singing and dancing, that is spiritual happiness. Doing service for Krishna… you may think, “how is that happy?” If somebody do it you will feel happy. Why you are feeling happy? That’s something mystical. Because you are making Krishna happy, you feel happy. 

Here we have Panchatattva. They are chanting and dancing. They are showing us how to happy in Kali Yuga. Singing the holy names…otherwise people get happiness by telling some bad jokes… they are very expert at telling jokes, making some comments, taking some light intoxication. Somehow they get little happiness but it is actually very meagre. The real happiness that everybody is looking for is chanting, dancing and serving Krishna. Feasting on Krishna Prasadam, discussing about Krishna bhakti, about Krishna consciousness, about the Lord’s transcendental pastimes. 

We have this prison preaching to give Krishna Consciousness to the prisoners. There are millions and millions of prisoners in the jails, prisons around the world. Just like we preach to everybody why not to the prisoners? So our prison saint is Haridas Thakur. He was arrested because he was born in a non-Hinu family and he chanted the Hindu name of God in Sanskrit, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krihsna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.” So then one Muhammendan mullah and a King came. The mullah advised the king that he should be punished. He is showing a bad example, “he is a non-hindu and he is chanting the names of God in sanskrit. The these people may follow his example and thus many muslims may become devotees. That’s horrible. Isn’t it?” … then the king was a muslim king. So he thought, “Yes, this is bad.”

Now in many countries may have freedom of religion. You can chant any name of God you want but those days there was no freedom. There is still some countries in the world where there is no freedom to chant any names that you want to. So they arrested Haridas, put him in the prison and over there he was chanting. He was very happy and the other prisoners they asked him, “what’s wrong with you, why are you happy? You are in prison. You are supposed to be suffering. You are making fun of us. You are chanting and you seem to be happy.”

“You see, all those people out there, they are all  prisoners, but they don’t know it. They are go-dasas, they are servant of their senses, they are bound by the laws of karma. They can’t leave this planet but you being in the prison you know that you are prisoners. So your position is better than theirs. You should chant the holy name. Anyway you will feel happy even in the prison.”… so then they all agreed to chant and then they started to feel happy and the whole prison became very happy by chanting and dancing. And the aiatullah, he told the king… the Nawab, “what kind of prison you have? Prisoners are happy. (laughter) They are supposed to be suffering.” … now they call the prisons as rehabilitation center. They want the prisoners to become good but very few become good. They learn how to refine heir crime in prison. …. This actually reforms the prisoners. So then the nawab, he thought, in his old fashioned way… to aiatullah he was telling that that, “In this prison everyone is chanting and happy.” 

They called Haridas and they said, “You were put in prison because you were chanting the holy name and then in the prison you are still chanting and there you got all the prisoners to chant. So I order you, you cannot chant.”

So he said, “Lord… no majesty, I will do anything you say, but I cannot do that one thing, I cannot stop chanting the holy names. That last which is the little piece left will chant Hare Krishna mahamantra…” So then he said, “Ok, then you will be whipped in 22 market places.”… Usually after whipping two or three market places people will die. So 22 means no hope. So then took Hari Das to… tied him and took him to one market… executioners with black hoods on the eye holes, they are getting their whips ready to whip him, and some of the villagers said, “no, no why? he is a good man, he just chants the name of God.”… “take them away… he will be whipped in 22 market places” 

Haridas Thakur, he said that, “Please forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing .”, and then they started to whip Haridas Thakur. But somehow Haridas Thakur got protected from all the whips. So they whipped him in 22 market places and at the end he was still alive, and the two executioners they thought, “Now we will be killed.”, and they were very depressed. They hanged their heads down and they sat and almost on the verge of tears. Haridas Thakur asked, “Why you are so sad?” “You are alive, you are alive, that’s why?” 

“my being alive is the cause of your suffering ?”

“Yes, because you are alive we will be killed.”

“Then if I die will you be happy?”

“Oh yes, we will be very happy.” 

“Ok”… so then he lied down and when he took samdhi, no breathing, no sign of life.

“Ok…. Haridas is dead” 

The nawab came down. “Ah, too bad. Bury him.”

“No, no, burying him will give his soul peace. Don’t bury him, don’t burn him, throw him in the river, there in the river let the crows and vultures… dogs, let them bit his body, his soul will get no peace for the great sin he has done.” 

“Ok” nawab said, “Aiatullah as spoken.” 

Then they tried to lift his body… because he was in samdhi meditating on Krishna he had become as heavy as the heaviest. The executioners could lift him. They brought more men, they couldn’t lift him. They brought elephants…even elephants couldn’t lift him.(laugh)

Started to getting worried, “What is this?”

Suddenly he became lighter than the lightest like a balloon. Then they carried him to one river and there the wind blew across.”

When he was almost on the other side the water touched him. Then he woke up from his samdhi, he swam over, and he went the other side… Hari Bol, Hari Bol…. Haribol 

 Hari Bol, Hari Bol…. Haribol (everyone)

“Still alive, (laughter) oh no”, and the Nawab said, “O boatman take me across.” He ran after Haridas Thakur and fell down on his feet, “Please forgive me. You can chant any name you want. Please forgive me.” And Nawab came up, “I don’t want to listen to you anymore. No more.” Then the Aitollah came. The Aitollah said, “Please forgive me.” To Haridas Thakur. So in this way Haridas Thakur was the prison saint. He was in the prison but he got all the people to chant. 

Actually there is a prisoner in Malaysia jail who is a devotee but he had a death sentence but he was chanting and preaching. He became a devotee in the prison and then he began chanting, became a devotee and then even started to preach to the prison wardens. So then the jail wardens they even said that his death sentence should be transmitted to life sentence. So finally the head of the state finally agreed to transform his death sentence to life sentence. I think in Europe … they don’t have death sentence. So he is very active in spreading the chanting among the prisoners. I initiated him.

Haribol (everyone)

Applause. 

I also gave initiation in Equador prison. They have the courtroom there in the prison house. Special proceeding… then they let me give him the initiation in the courtroom of the prison house.

Haribol (everyone)

Applause.

Audience : You can tell another lila. Time for another lila  (laughter)

JPS: In the end of Dwarpa Yuga all the holy rivers of India, Kundas they came to see Lord Krishna. They put Ganga ahead as the spokes person. Ganga Mai, she said, “My Lord Krishna! Your pastimes seems to be coming to an end and soon you will go back to the spiritual world. Please take us with you. In Kaliyuga all the sinful people will bathe in our waters to free their sins. The we will become overwhelmed with sins. So please take us with you.” 

Lord Krishna gently smiled. We know that simply to see a pure devotee… what to speak of to touch one, can free one from all kinds of sins. Even to hear about one… So I am going to send one devotee who will preach the holy name all over the world and many vaisnavas and many devotees of the Lord… they will come and bathe in your waters. You will know that because they will chant the Hare Krishna mahamantra and this will be ushering the 10,000 years of golden people and the whole world will becomes filled with chanting of Hare Krishna. So wait for that time. 5000 years let the sinful people bathe in your water. Stay for the 10,000 years… golden period, and so many devotees will come and bathe in your waters. Then after the 10,000 years is over… dark kali appears… the dark kali begins. At that time you can go under the ground like the Saraswati river and come up in the Satya yuga. So we are just around 550 years after the end of the Dwapara Yuga and the beginning of the Kali Yuga and ISKCON is celebrating the 50th anniversary but 50 years ago, 5000 years after the starting of Kali Yuga, Srila Prabhupada went to the West, he came to Europe, he went to America, he went to every continent of the world, to Australia, Asia, Africa, Latin America and North America. So he went to every continent of the world and spread the Hari nam. Travelled around the world about 14 times. 

So it’s a great opportunity that you all have to take up this Krishna Consciousness and you can practice in your own house, chanting Hare Krishna, come here on Sunday feast, other days you can have bhakti vrikshas, namhattas, different kinds of bhakti sanga, and in this way keep your Krishna Consciousness as your daily practice. So His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, he came to the West fulfilling the prediction in the Brahma Vaivarta Puran, fulfilling the prediction in Caitanya Mangal, fulfilling the prediction of Bhakti Vinod Thakur and Bhakti Siddhantha Saraswati Thakur and many others.

So now we have a great legacy to practice Krishan consciousness and spread it to others. 

Hare Krishna.

Hare Krishna (everyone)

Srila Prabhupada ki jay.

Jay (everyone)

Question : How did Lord Caintanya disappear from the Lord?

JPS: You would like to talk about his coming than his going. (laughter) But simultaneously they saw him entering the ocean, the tota- gopinath deity… and tota- gopinath showing his knee where there is a crack, and Lord Caitanya entered there and he also was seen entering the temple of Lord Jagannath and then he closed the door and then when they opened the door they couldn’t find him. So three sights were seen. That’s how he left mystically.

Any other questions?

Question: You were expert in asking questions to Srila Prabhupada. What kind of questions did you put forward to Srila Prabhupada? (laughter)

JPS: I listened to the class. Tried to ask some pertinent questions on what Prabhupada was speaking about because somebody told me to do that. They said that when the spiritual masters speaks you just listen and ask some relevant questions. 

So one time I was working outside, trying to earn some money to pay for Srila Prabhupada’s rent.  I listened to his lectures when I came back using the tape recorder. In that lecture Prabhupada said, “Is there any questions?”, Nobody asked. And then Prabhupada said, “Oh, Bhakta Jay he asks nice question.” That was me. 

Hari Bol (everyone)

Applause.

One time I asked Srila Prabhupada a question upon Radharani. Prabhupada said, “Who are you to ask about Radharani?” (laughter) 

Last question.

Question: How we will develop the real love if we don’t ask the question about Radharani?

JPS: That’s alright. I was bhaka Jay. I had a few other things to ask first. (laughter) If you are already more advanced you would ask some questions. I don’t remember what I asked but it must not have been relevant but overall Prabhupada said that I asked good questions. 

Ok. Thank you very much. Hari Bol