20181222 Śrī Krishna Caitanya Book

Nama Om…

Hari Haraya naama Krishna Yadavaya namaha, Gopal Govinda Ram Sri Madhusudhan

Mukham karoti vaachalam…

So today we are going to continue compiling the book Krishna Caitanya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a devotee. From the beginning of the Madhya Lila He came to Navadvip as Nimai Pandit and went to Gaya. There He met Ishwara Puri and was initiated. He came back to Navadvip, and from being an argumentative, scholastic person, He became a devotee. So His lilas as a devotee are continuing. 

So today was the full moon day, according to my disciples, so I changed by brahmin thread. I had my physiotherapy and voice the but the physiotherapist said he was going home on Christmas vacation. So for one week I won’t see him. So Shubhanga Krishna was empowered by him to do the physiotherapy. He told how to stretch the muscles, crash course! So the voice therapist will come, not tomorrow but the next Sunday and in the meantime his assistant will come three days next week. So that was the basic program this morning. In the afternoon we did some cycling around the building. We came up and took dinner. So that is the basic program so far. 

Whoever met the Lord, the Lord spoke with them, with great affection and respect and in this way He would speak very sweetly to everyone. 

So early in the morning, when the Lord went to take His bath in the Ganges, He met many vaishnavas, like Srivas and others. When He would see them He would immediately offer His pranams, obeisances. They would give their blessings to Mahaprabhu, that He could be engaged in Krishna’s worship. 

When the Lord offered His obeisances to Srivas and other vaishnavas, they would, with great affection give their blessings to the Lord, out of love. 

May You have pure devotion to Krishna’s lotus feet. May Your mouth always chant the names of Lord Krishna. May Your ears listen always to the names of Lord Krishna. 

My dear, they said, if You worship Lord Krishna, everything becomes successful. But if You don’t worship Krishna then Your beauty, Your knowledge, is useless. 

Krishna is the Father of the universe. Krishna is the life and soul of everyone. Worship Krishna with strong faith and determination. Worship the lotus feet of Krishna with strong determination, my dear.

When the Lord heard the blessings, He was very greatly pleased and He looked over everyone with a merciful glance on them. 

Whatever blessings you give are certainly fruitful. Why would you give any lesser benediction?

You are capable of giving pure worship to Krishna or pure devotional service to Krishna. Those who serve the servants of Krishna, Krishna gives them His mercy. Lomasa muni says the same thing, the translation is:

“So Lomasa muni states this: To attain the mercy of Lord Vishnu, one should satisfy the vaishnavas. There is no doubt that by their service, Vishnu will be pleased. “

So in the Ithihasa Samuchhaya the Supreme Lord says, translation:

“Even though a person is a very learned scholar of the Sanskrit Vedic literatures, he is not accepted as My devotee, unless he is in pure devotional service. Even though a person is born in a family of dog eaters, he is very dear to Me if he is a devotee who has no motive to enjoy fruitive activities or mental speculation. Indeed, all respects should be given to him and whatever he offers should be accepted. Such pure devotees are as worshipable as I am.”

So Lord Krishna told Arjuna in the Adi Purana:

“Those who are My direct devotees are actually not My devotees. But those who are the devotees of My servant, are factually My devotees.”

In the Brihad Naradiya Purana at the end of the narration of Yatsya Mala the following is said:

“Oh best of the brahmanas, if one worships the vaishnavas who are fixed in devotional service  to Lord Vishnu , by considering them non-different bodily limbs of Sri Hari, everyone including Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are pleased.”

In the Padma Purna, Uttara Khanda, Shiva speaks to Uma as follows:

“One who worships Lord Govinda but fails to worship His devotees should be understood to be not a devotee of the Lord but simply a victim of false pride. Therefore, one should always worship the vaishnavas by all means.”

In Srimad Bhagavatam, 11th canto, 26th chapter, verse 34,  Lord Krishna speaks to Uddhava as follows:

“My devotees bestow divine eyes, whereas the sun allows only external sight, and that only when it is risen in the sky. My devotees are one’s real worshipable devotees and real family; they are one’s own self, and ultimately they are nondifferent from Me.” 

So Prahlad speaks to Hiranyakashipu as follows: 7.5.32, Srimad Bhagavatam:

“Unless they smear upon their bodies the dust of the lotus feet of a vaishnava completely freed from material contamination, persons very much inclined toward materialistic life cannot be attached to the lotus feet of the Lord, who is glorified for His uncommon activities. Only by become Krishna conscious and taking shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord in this way can one be freed from material contamination.”

You can understand that how it was appreciated by Hiranyakashipu who was the leader of the demons, and an atheist thru and thru. There are many verses like this where Krishna and various authorities are certifying the worship of His devotees. In Srimad Bhagavatam 10.51.53 Muchukunda speaks to Krishna as follows:

“When the material life of a wandering soul has ceased, Oh Achyuta, he may attain the association of Your devotees. And when he associates with them, there awakens in him devotion unto You, who are the goal of the devotees and the Lord of all causes and their effects.”

So that is why the Caitanya Caritamrita tells us that even a moment’s association with a pure devotee can give all perfection. Sadhu sanga, sadhu sanga, sarva shaastra koye, lav maatra sadhu sanga, sarva siddhi hoy. 

You always teach Me my duties to Lord Krishna, that is why I understand that I must have performed many pious activities previously. Purport on this verse is many pages long. So Lord Krishna speaks the following verse to Uddhava, Srimad Bhagavatam 11.29.20:

“My dear Uddhava, because I have personally established it, this process of devotional service unto Me is transcendental and free from any material motivation. Certainly a devotee never suffers even the slightest loss by adopting this process.”

Lord Caitanya said that since He gained the blessing of the vaishnavas He must have done heaps of previous pious activities, and that has given Him good fortune. Once Prabhupad was discussing that how coming to bhakti yoga, or devotional service is the result of many previous pious activities. He was in the dried river bed in the Kumbha Mela in Allahabad. One of the devotees raised his hand and said, that well, you said we come to devotional service by having performed many pious activities and thus getting our good fortune. But in my life I look back, I have not performed pious activities, I have performed only sinful activities. How did I get the devotional service? Prabhupad replied, that I have made your good fortune for you!! So the pure devotees, they give their mercy freely and normally what you are getting is worth heaps of pious activities, or one would have to perform heaps of pious activities, but by the mercy of guru and vaishnavas one may get it just freely given, like that. Like a billionaire gives a million dollars away if he wants. So the pure devotees can give out Krishna bhakti, and that is how the Iskcon movement has expanded, by the mercy of Srila Prabhupad. 

So we will end here and continue tomorrow.