20230401 74TH Vyāsa-pūjā Evening Address

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

Jayapatākā Swami: Dear Assembled devotees, Hare Kṛṣṇa! We heard the nice offering of His Grace Bhāgavatāmṛta dāsa. Like this many of my godbrothers and godsisters have been tolerating me for many years! I am trying to carry out the mission of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. He said Māyāpur was his place of worship of Lord Caitanya. Before I came here, I was hearing some of the names of Lord Caitanya. His one name is gṛhijana-śikṣaka – the teacher of those in householder Life. So Lord Caitanya first 24 years of His life as Nimāi Paṇḍita was teaching the gṛhasthas. He continued to teach gṛhasthas even as a sannyāsī. One other name of His was nyāsī-kula-nāyaka – Hero of the life of the tradition of sannyāsīs. So among people in the orders of brahmacārīs and sannyāsīs, Lord Caitanya is also the hero.

When I first arrived in Māyāpur some days ago, I told a story, a history of Lord Nityānanda. After that, every night this discussion continued every evening. How one group of dacoits led by a sinful brāhmaṇa, they wanted to steal Lord Nityānanda’s jewels, rings, nupurs - anklets, diamond earrings, pearl necklaces. The dacoits considered that these ornaments were worth lakhs and lakhs and lakhs of rupees. They said that well by the mercy of Goddess Caṇḍī we are getting this wonderful opportunity. They went one time and they fell asleep. Second time they went, there were infantry men as strong as elephants. One soldier could easily kill a hundred people! They had long garlands, neck beads of tulasī. And they were chanting japa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare! The dacoits thought that maybe some king has come to visit this Avadhūta so therefore let us come back. Then the third time they went, it was quite dark. They became blinded. Around the house there was a trench. And some fell in that. Some fell in the place where garbage was thrown. Some fell in the canals. Some people’s hands were broken, and leeches sucked their blood. The leech they sucked ssssssss! the blood and the class was only up to this point. The devotees were saying that Lord Nityānanda is most merciful, but what happened? So I thought that I would tell you how the story ended.

Since I am leaving tomorrow morning and there will be no more class. Do you all want to hear? Okay! So, that dacoit leader who was born in a brāhmaṇa family, he had a heart cold like stone. He always associated with wicked people. He could kill someone in cold blood. The quality of a brāhmaṇa is forgiveness but he had no mercy, no forgiveness in his heart. But Lord Nityānanda, He is mercy personified. Here we have the hard-hearted serial killer on one side and the most merciful Lord Nityānanda on the other. By the mercy of Lord Nityānanda, this dacoit leader got remembrance. He remembered how the first time he fell asleep, second day how he saw the soldiers who did not look like human beings. And how on the third day, they all broke their bones and sucked by leeches and rain storms and hail storms. Then that brāhmaṇa thief, he realized that Lord Nityānanda is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If we trip and fall on the earth still, we have to stand up on the earth, earth is like our parents. So he understood that although we all have committed many offences, You are our ultimate shelter. Lord Nityānanda asked him, tell Me what is your realization? Some honest people were there, and they thought that these wicked dacoits are acting as if good but later on they will again start their mischievous activities. Lord Nityānanda Prabhu asked him, tell Me your realizations. You are the Lord of the illusory energy. You put us in illusion and we fell asleep. We wanted to steal from you your unlimited gold, your jewelry, your rings. We came with swords, daggers, shields, tṛśūlas, tridents, knives. We came to harm You. That is why we feel we should go and commit suicide by drowning in the Ganges. And that brāhmaṇa he bowed down at the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda and grabbed Lord Nityānanda’s lotus feet and said please forgive me. He started to cry. He was rolling on the ground. Lord Nityānanda said, I will absolve you of all your sins if you promise not to do anymore thievery, robbery, etc. And Lord Nityānanda put His lotus foot on the head of the dacoit brāhmaṇa. Haribol! Jaya Nitāi! Gaurāṅga! Śacīnandana!

Lord Nityānanda has a stick which drives away the dog of Kali-yuga. Like if you have a stick in your hand you can drive away a dog, similarly Lord Nityānanda has a stick in His hand and with this the dog like Kali runs away because He has the stick. Haribol! Gaurāṅga! Nityānanda! And the thief was freed from all his sins. Earlier he was a sinful brāhmaṇa now he was a pious brāhmaṇa. And all the dacoits, they started to chant. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare! Of course, I gave you a synopsis. Anyhow, this way Lord Nityānanda bestowed mercy to all the dacoits and thieves, and they all became Vaiṣṇavas and they stopped stealing. Jaya Nitāi!

Your job is also to preach the message of Lord Caitanya. So please get your strength, pray to the Pañca-tattva, Rādhā Mādhava aṣṭa-sakhi Māyāpur-candra, to give you the strength to go out and preach. I am very glad to hear that not only men were speaking but ladies were also speaking. Everybody, man or woman, they should become expert at giving out the mercy of Nitāi Gaura. I am very glad that all of you have come to Māyāpur dhāma.

So please use this coming to the dhāma to gain spiritual strength. Those who are gṛhasthas should train their children to also be Kṛṣṇa conscious and be preachers. Those who are brahmacārīs and sannyāsīs, please be ādarśaniya or ideal. Somehow, even the hard-hearted dacoits can become sādhus and Vaiṣṇavas, then we can help everyone to achieve kṛṣṇa-prema.

Lord Nityānanda was sitting with His associates and roaring, Gaurāṅga! Hare Kṛṣṇa!