20170909 Evening Address in Śyāmadeśa with translation.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

We thank Radhā-bhāva for his profuse appreciation.

As he said, I have been in the Middle East for, about almost 37 years. Since I had a stroke in 2008 it would not have been possible for me to visit you. I have to thank the team of devotees who facilitated my travel. I am very happy to hear how you are all participating in different practices of bhakti-yoga.

Bhakti-yoga is for all āśramas, all varṇās, all nationalities. Some are brahmacārī’s and they practice bhakti-yoga freel; some are gṛhastha’s and the husband and wife help each other to do the bhakti-yoga. Of course, gṛhastha’s have many duties like work, shopping, children, but that they keep time aside for bhakti-yoga is very important. They can taste spiritual bliss as a gṛhastha.

In the teachings of Lord Caitanyā both the vairāgī’s and the grihasthi’s can achieve spiritual realization. In Bhakti yoga there are many grihasthās who have achieved liberation, Hanumān, Prahlāda, the Pāṇḍavās, the Vṛṣṇis, and sankarāchārya say’s that by jñāna yoga only the sanyāsi’s can achieve liberation . So most of the people here I think are grihasthā’s, or they are aspiring to be grihasthā’s.

How many are grihasthā’s? Why ladies to lift hand?

If you have a child in your lap you don’t have raise your hand. (laughter)

So we practice the rules and regulations chanting the mahāmantrā. We take up some service very enthusiastically. We try to do that service in a better way, and in this way actually develop a kind of Rāgānugā bhakti. That further develops until one gets bhava. The ecstatic Love of Lord Kṛṣṇa with the astashatwic bhāvā. We then cry, our voice chokes up, we faint, laughing, quivering of the body. Like this there are eight symptoms of ecstasy.

Kṛṣṇa went visiting various devotees. With him he had many great rishis – Vyasadev, Vasiṣṭhā Muni, many, many. He visited the land of mithilā. He divided into two. He had all the rishi’s also divided into two. He went to see the king Bahulaswa. Bahulaswa gave him a royal greeting. Conch blowing, the bugle playing.... tāra ra tāra aaaa....... He was so happy he gave Kṛṣṇa a golden seat with all jewels and gems, and he gave to all the rishi’s. Then he bathed their feet, and the queen poured the water, and he rubbed it in. He gave gifts to Kṛṣṇa. All the rishis he gave cows, gold inlaid cloth. He begged them all to please take lunch. He served them chappana bhog (56 preparation) ... Hariboḷ.........[Haribol] He begged Kṛṣṇa, “Please stay here some days.” Meanwhile Kṛṣṇa went to the house of the poor brahman Sutadev. He didn’t even have enough āsanās. He borrowed some from his neighbour’s and he gave āsanās to Kṛṣṇa and all the rishis. He bathed their feet, his wife poured the water, he rubbed it in, he didn’t have golden gems to give as gifts. He gave each one a beautiful lotus flower, and then he asked them to take prasādam . Then he served out the prasādam on banana leaves. He served rice, dāl, sabzi, roti – ordinary, but he was so happy. Half way through he started to dance. “Kṛṣṇa came to my house... Kṛṣṇa came to my house...Ha.. Ha...” (applause)

It depends that we give the best that we can, and that we give our love. That’s what Kṛṣṇa appreciates most. So how many of you would like Lord Kṛṣṇa to come to your house? Ladies are not raising their hands. Kṛṣṇa came as Caitanyā Mahāprabhu and went around India for six years. Every day He would stay in a different house. He was Kṛṣṇa who came as a devotee. Only during the rainy season did he spend some time in one place. So you can all have the mercy of having Lord Caitanyā coming to your house.

Śrīla Prabhupāda would go to many grihasthās house. He told the grishasthā’s that we sanyasis are like your children. So I was fortunate, sometimes I went with Śrīla Prabhupāda. The house would have small pictures or small deities. In this way you can practice doing pūjā, and this way your children will also learn how to respect the deities.

So how many of you like the process of bhakti yoga?

It is amazing how this one Kṛṣṇa knows everything that is going on in the ananta koṭi brahmāṇḍa and in the three-fourth spiritual world, but everyone offers Him great respect. But that doesn’t impress Him very much. He loves the pure love of the vrajavāsīs . They don’t care whether He is God or not. They love Him for what He is.

There are five kinds of rasas – santa, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya, like Yaśodā and Nandarāj had great parental love for Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Then there is the Mādhurya rasa. Next Rādhārāṇī is the chief and in Vraja dhām all the other gopīs, sakhīs, vraja rāṇīs. In Dwaraka there are the queens, and then in the Vaikuṇṭha there are the laxmis. So Kṛṣṇa has unlimited līlās .

At first we should read all the nine cantos of the Bhāgavatam. Understand how great is Bhagavān. Then we read the 10th Canto which is all about Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. Then we read the 11th and the 12th Canto which gives some instructions. So please read the books of Śrīla Prabhupāda, and go deep into this. Human life is meant that we should know as much as possible about the supreme Lord.

It says in Bhagavad-gītā,

janma karma ca me divyaṁ

evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ

tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma

naiti mām eti so 'rjuna

If we know the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa’s birth and activities that they are transcendental, then we don’t take birth again.

So we want all of you to make this your last birth. [applause] [Haribol]

I end my class here [applause]