20181126 Śrī Krishna Caitanya Book

Nama Om…

Mukham karoti vaachalam…

So today we are going to again continue with the reading of the compilation of the books on Krishna Caitanya’s life. Today was an unusual day in the sense that we normally have a physiotherapist in the morning from 8.45 am but today he called in and said he had an upset stomach. So we did the therapy on our own. Then we have a voice therapist come, he was a little late, but he came at 11.30 and he had me practice different vowels and two consonants and to say them in rising tone, high and low tones. Because the chief therapist said that the tones are important to express emotion and emphasis. So he was saying that our speech is like a wind instrument and string instrument. String is the vocal cords and the throat and the mouth provide the wind. So the first letter was mmmmmm and the second letter zed, so they made me do this buzzing sound in my throat. I always thought that the buzzing tone was in the teeth zzzzzzzzzzzzz but he said that it was through the throat. That may take a little while aaaaaaaaaaaa. Today I walked seven steps. I used to walk thousands of steps but now my legs have become weakened, gradually they are gaining strength, walking 4 steps, 5 steps, 6 steps, today I did 7 steps!! I want to be able to dance in kirtan again! Haribol! So that is my health update. Now we are a bit late today so will chant a few verses.

A man, a poor fallen person, if he takes to the chanting of the holy names of Krishna, in spite of all his faults, he will go to the eternal abode of Lord Krishna. Haribol! Sometimes devotees are worried, I am so fallen, how will I get to the abode of Lord Krishna? So here it says daridra adham which means if a person is poor, he is the lowers to of mankind, but if he chants the holy names of Krishna, he goes back to Krishna’s abode in spite of many, many faults! Haribol! That means there is hope for everybody. Just chant the holy names of Krishna. 

This is the purport, the essence of all the scriptures, there are no doubts about this. Those who doubt this, they have to suffer. 

One who explains the shaastra or scriptures without talking about Krishna bhajan, which means the worship of Lord Krishna, that fallen soul, he doesn’t know the real meaning of the scriptures. 

Those people who have accumulated a large number of impious reactions, don’t talk about devotional service to Krishna, instead they speak on non-devotional practices, anyabhilashita sunya gyana kaama moksha and they say the goal of life is dharma, artha, kaama, moksha. Such persons are actually ignorant of the real purpose of the shaastras or scriptures. One should carefully discuss from the following verses of the shrutis, smritis and puranas. 

So there are quotes from Chandogya Upanishad, Shwetaswatara Upanishad, Katha Upanishad. In the Katha Upanishad is said how the Supreme Lord is not obtained by expert explanations, by vast intelligence, or even by much hearing, He is attained only by one whom He Himself chooses. To such a person He manifests His own form. In the SB 11th canto, 11th chap, 18th verse is said that even if one is learned in Vedic literatures but is not a devotee of Lord Vishnu his work is a useless waste of labor. Just like keeping a cow which does not give milk. 

In another verse of the Srimad Bhagavatam, canto 10.14.29. it says that if someone is favored by a slight trace of the mercy of the lotus feet of Krishna, he can understand the greatness of Your personality but those who speculate, to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are unable to know You,t even though they continue to study the Vedas for many years. So there are many quotes if you really want to achieve the goal of like, you have to be a devotee of Vishnu or a devotee of Krishna. Krishna appears as Vishnu, there is only God but He has many forms and unlimited pastimes. 

Those who don’t understand the purpose of the scriptures yet teach them to others are like asses who are carrying a big bunch of scriptures on their back. They don’t know what is in the scriptures. Those who study the scriptures are of two types – those who carry the load of the scriptures like bulls or asses, the other group are like honey bees in that they extract the essence of the scriptures. The purport is that people who are in the first group are like donkeys, they don’t explain the scriptures and highlight the devotional service to the Supreme Lord. They are bewildered by the aagya rudhi. And they are ignorant of the actual purport of the scriptures. They do not explain that the goal of life is unalloyed service to Lord Krishna, the Husband of the goddess of transcendental learning, Saraswati. Just like cows and donkeys are unable to relish the sweetness of honey or sugar kept in a jar, the study of the Vedas by such proud so called scholars who uselessly labor hard like foolish animals, is completely useless and meaningless. So these people are bewildered by the illusory energy. So for those foolish people they accept other equally ignorant people who have some material recognition, as learned. Simply by their having some material recognition. But actually for the intelligent swan like devotees, who understand the cause of bondage and liberation, to be addressed as learned scholars is most befitting and appropriate. Om Vishnupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur he would go and preach the glories of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He went to one assembly called by the caste brahmanas. There was a big crowd of people there. He glorified about the 12 qualities of a brahmana and the brahmanas were happy. Then he said, a vaishnava has 13 qualities. These 12 plus pure devotion to Lord Krishna, therefore a vaishnava is automatically better than a brahmana who is not a devotee of Krishna. So in this way He defeated the caste brahmanas. So He knew what is the cause of bondage and the cause of liberation, so to see Him as a learned scholar is most befitting and appropriate. To address Him as a learned scholar is most befitting and appropriate. 

In the SB 4.29.44 Narada Muni speaks to the saintly king Prachina Barhi and tells him that expert speakers continually deliberated on the strength of austerity, knowledge and samadhi, they could not know the Supreme Personality of Godhead who witnesses everything. They cannot know Him because He is only known by pure devotional service. 

Since we started late and it is very late we will end here. Are there any questions?

Question: You explained that Mahaprabhu is showing maha bhaava, my question is what is the meaning of maha bhaava?

Guru maharaj: There are eight levels of prema which is pure love of Krishna. The highest level is called maha bhaava where one is completely absorbed and ecstasies are out of control. In the Nectar of Devotion, I think there is some description that maha bhaava is only held by Srimati Radharani, Madhavendra Puri and Lord Caitanya. So it is very special. Cannot be imitated by anyone else. It is like Lord Caitanya would be washed in the sea and all His body, His bones would be disjointed, and He would become 9 feet. So the other associates were looking for Lord Caitanya. They found some fisherman who was Oh Ohhhhhh Hari Hari! Oh Oh.. Hari Hari! out on the beach. I know how to cure you of the ghost that is possessing you. He did pha pha pha three times. Now tell me where is that ghost?  He said, he is on the beach. They saw that Lord Caitanya was stretched out on the beach. That is Lord Caitanya. I know Lord Caitanya. No, I know Lord Caitanya. That is not Lord Caitanya. He is white in color, He is 9 feet long. So devotees went and started to chant to Lord Caitanya: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Then all Lord Caitanya’s bones began to join together and the devotees washed Him off from all the sand and the sea weeds that were covering Him. Lord Caitanya was half in the internal mood and half in the external mood. So He started to speak how He had seen the moon over the Jamuna. He thought the ocean was the Jamuna. So like this Lord Caitanya expressed some ecstasies which are incomparable. There are books which explain each stage of prema until maha bhaava. That will take a long time and I need to get the book. But if you see Lord Caitanya, His pastimes, you know what maha bhaava is. He would sometimes go outside the Jagannath temple in Puri and in separation He would be crying, He would be crying for Krishna. You can read those things, the first chapters in the Madhya Leela of the Caitanya Caritamrita talk about this.