Gaura Purnima class 2 of 2 -- HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami

[Guest guest]

[sorry for the inordinate delay in sending this out!]

 

 

>From Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir!

 

Sri Gaura Purnima - March 14, 2006

Speaker: HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami

 

______________________

 

 

Hare Krsna.

 

om ajnana. . .

 

mukam karoti vacalam pangum langhayate girim

yat-krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam

paramananda-madhavam sri caitanya isvaram

 

So I have been instructed to speak about the pastimes of Lord Gauranga. I

chose to speak because day before yesterday I gave a class on the reason,

internal reason of appearance of Lord Gauranga. Though more things are there

to explain, the topic is a little too high and complicated, some devotees

said it is too heavy, so I thought better we discuss some gaurangera

madhura-lila.

 

gaurangera madhura-lila, jar karne pravesila,

hrdoya nirmala bhelo tar

 

The sweet pastimes of Lord Gauranga, when it enters through the earhole of

any person, hrdoya nirmala bhelo tar, immediately it will cleanse all the

dirt within the heart of that personality. Caitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes

are very exemplary.

 

Lord Sri Krsna came five thousand years ago and gave knowledge through

Bhagavad-gita:

 

sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja

 

That how once should give up everything and surrender unto me, unto Lord

Krsna. Waiting four thousand five hundred years, Lord Krsna found, "The

people of this age of Kali, their head is too thick, thick brain. Even if I

speak, they will not understand anything. So I must go personally and by

behaving myself I will teach them how to surrender unto me."

 

apani acari prabhu jivere sikhaya

 

So Caitanya Mahaprabhu's life and teachings are very, very important. That

is why Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada has mentioned

somewhere that anytime the big flood will come to inundate the whole earthly

planet. When water level is going up, so you give up everything. You drop

everything. You pick up three books in your hand: Bhagavad-gita,

Srimad-Bhagavatam, Caitanya-caritamrta, and go to the roof of your building

and you sit there. Water level is raising, going up, up, up, then hold the

books high. When it is too difficult to hold, you first drop Bhagavad-gita.

Still it is too heavy, then you drop Srimad-Bhagavatam, but

Caitanya-caritamrta, never drop it, you hold it.

 

That doesn't mean they are offending Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Someone says, "Oh, Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavatam is not important?" The meaning

is whatever Caitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes are teaching, whatever Veda,

Vedanta, Upanisad, Purana they speak, everything is there in

Caitanya-caritamrta. Not only through the teachings of Lord Gauranga, each

and every pastime of Lord Gauranga and his associates is based on some

teachings, something to learn. So that's why gaurangera madhura-lila, the

sweet pastimes of Lord Gauranga is the best way for us to listen and purify

ourselves.

 

So Gauranga Mahaprabhu will appear - the preparation for appearance of Lord

Gauranga Mahaprabhu. In this regard it has been explained once Narada Muni

came to this earthly planet. Narada Muni, towards the end of Dvapara-yuga,

Krsna was still there on the planet. Kali-yuga had not appeared. Kali-yuga

only appeared from the day Lord Krsna left the planet. So Krsna was here on

the planet. Then Narada Muni was wandering on the earthly planet and

wherever he went, he found this strange situation: people are getting more

and more degraded, they are becoming angry, greediness, all kinds of bad

qualities are manifesting. He was feeling very bad, very sad. He understood

Kali-yuga is coming very soon. Then what will happen? Krsna will leave,

Kali-yuga will enter, what will happen to the people on this planet? Because

a Vaisnava is para-duhka-duhkhi, though he is always in ecstasy but when he

sees others will suffer so he was feeling very bad.

 

So he is moving all over the world. So that time Krsna was in Dvaraka. So

Krsna he spent one night and one day in the palace of Satyabhama. Then he

sent a message to Rukmini that tomorrow morning I will come to your palace.

Rukmini devi was very happy, "Oh, Lord will come to my palace." As soon as

she heard that she got the whole palace cleaned very nicely. Decorated the

palace, all auspicious banana trees, purna-kumbha was placed, light the

lamps. She decorated herself very nicely with nice dress, putting ornaments

all over her body. The Lord is coming!

 

So in the early morning Krsna entered Rukmini's palace. When Rukmini saw

Krsna she was happy. She welcomed Krsna very nicely, made him sit on raised

asana. Then he was washing the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. When she was

washing lotus feet of Lord Krsna at one point she caught hold of lotus feet

of Lord Krsna and put on her chest and she is crying and crying and crying.

Then Krsna saw Rukmini, "Why are you crying? I have come to your house, you

should be very happy, you should be jubilant. Why are you crying? Why are

you feeling sad? Have I committed something that you are feeling hurt?"

 

Then Krsna said to Rukmini, "One day to joke with you I have told you

something." One day Krsna told Rukmini, "Why did you marry a person like me?

I am a friend of the poor people. Many great personalities like Sisupala,

everybody, were running after you, so you may choose to marry somebody

else." Jokingly, he told that. When Krsna had told that thing, Rukmini fell

on the ground. She felt so bad.

 

So now Krsna is saying, "Are you still feeling hurt I have told you these

things? You are still remembering that? Your heart is so hard like stone? As

a joke I told you that, but you are still holding it in your heart? Your

heart is like a stone?"

 

Rukmini said, "Yes, my heart is like a stone. All my good fortune is I have

got you as my husband." She is still crying and crying. When she is crying

she is telling, "What will you know? You do not know the glories of your

lotus feet. You know everything whatever is happening in this brahmanda, you

know everything, one thing you do not know. That is glories of your lotus

feet which only Radharani knows."

 

When she uttered the name of Radharani, immediately Krsna said, "What, what,

what is that, what is that? Is there something Radharani knows, I don't

know?"

 

Rukmini said, "Yes, unless and until you accept the mood of Radharani you

will not understand the glories of your lotus feet. Only Radharani knows."

Krsna was feeling very jubilant, very happy. Then Rukminidevi went on

describing the glories of Krsna's lotus feet, how great it is. In the

meantime Krsna is planning. . . then Rukmini said you must accept -

 

[power cut, Maharaja leads maha-mantra kirtana for eight minutes]

 

Harinama sankirtana ki jai!

 

Maybe I didn't chant Hare Krsna Mahamantra at the beginning of my class, so

Lord made me chant it. This proves that Lord Gauranga is not manifest unless

we chant Hare Krsna sincerely. [cheering and applause]

 

So when Krsna is thinking, "I will appear, I will appear accepting the mood

of Srimati Radharani," and hearing the glories of his lotus feet, all of a

sudden, Narada Muni appeared there. Immediately Krsna got up and made Narada

Muni sit on asana, washed his lotus feet. Krsna informed Narada Muni, "Your

face looks bad, black, very sad. What happened to you? Why are you so sad?

There's no bliss in your face."

 

Narada Muni was still sitting like this, very grave, not saying anything.

Krsna says, "No, please tell me, tell me what is the cause of your distress.

 

So Narada Muni said, "O my dear Lord Krsna, I was travelling all over the

earth, I found how people are degrading and Kali is going to appear very

soon and what will happen to the people in this age of Kali? How they will

be saved?"

 

Then Krsna said, "O Narada Muni, did you forget about the story of

Katyayani?" Another pastime happened through which pastime Lord had

indicated he will come as Lord Gauranga. Then he said, "Do you know this

morning Rukmini was just telling me that even though I am Supreme

Personality of Godhead, I don't know something. Only if I accept the mood of

Srimati Radharani I will understand this. In this age of Kali, I will appear

as my devotee, I will spread the glories of my Holy Names. I will appear as

the son of Mother Saci on the banks of Ganges." And when he was describing,

"I will appear as Gauranga, tall figure, long hands," he was explaining how

he will appear then immediately Krsna he transformed to Gauranga form.

 

Then when Narada Muni saw the effulgent form of Lord Gauranga, he fainted.

Krsna put some water on his face, sprinkled some water and brought him back

to consciousness. Then Krsna explained, "Narada Muni, this Kali I am going

to appear as Lord Gauranga. Now you should go and spread this news. Go to

all the other planets, all the brahmandas, every where you go, spread this

news that I appear in this age of Kali as Gauranga."

 

Narada Muni immediately left Dvaraka. Then he met Uddhava and all great

personalities, going from planet to planet announcing appearance of Lord

Gauranga, Krsna will appear as Lord Gauranga .

 

Finally five hundred and twenty years ago, Lord Krsna,

 

vrajendra-nandana jei, saci-suta hoilo sei,

balarama hoilo nitai

 

he appeared as Lord Gauranga.

 

When he appeared as Lord Gauranga, there was no symptom of bhakti he was

exhibiting. At one point, Visvambhara, Nimai went to Gaya for pitr-sraddha,

to offer for his father. After many, many days - you had to go by walking -

Nimai came back to Navadvipa.

 

When he came many people came to see, "Oh Nimai has come back after

completing pitr-yatra." At that time, there is no plane, no aeroplane,

people had to walk. They would go Kedarnath, Badrinath, Dvaraka, Ramesvaram

by walking. And among this is a practice that once you do this pitr-yatra,

dhama parikrama, people go by walking. And when they would leave, they would

think that "I may come back, I may not come back," like this, because it is

so much time, so much struggle. Sometimes I heard people, they start the

journey, they will do their own sraddha ceremony thinking I may not come

back, feeding the brahmanas and everything.

 

And Nimai made it! All Navadvipa came to see Nimai. They were blessing

Nimai. Nimai explained them them about him journey. After some time, he told

everybody please go now. Not many Vaisnavas went to see Nimai, few

Vaisnavas, four, five Vaisnavas went to see him.

 

Nimai told Sriman Pandit, "Call the few Vaisnavas to one corner." He was

explaining to them how, "I went to Gaya. Before entering the temple, I could

hear thousands of brahmanas chanting Vedic mantras. Then I entered temple

room, all of the brahmanas were calling me, 'Just see, just see lotus feet

of Lord Visnu, visnu-padapadma, where Lord Krsna came personally and washed

these lotus feet.'"

 

As soon as Gauranga, Nimai uttered this word, visnu-padapadma, his throat

got choked up. He could not speak anything. He started to cry and cry like

anything. The whole garden filled up with water. At one point, he became

unconscious. When he became conscious, he told Sriman, "I cannot say now

anything, but I have one request you, I am suffering like anything. I am

full of distress. I cannot do my dharma. I do not know anybody to whom I can

reveal my heart, to whom I can speak what suffering I am going through now.

You can kindly tell all the Vaisnavas of Navadvipa that tomorrow gather in

Suklambara Brahmacari's house."

 

Suklambara Brahmacari was a poor brahmacari. He used to beg whole day, he

would live by begging. He had a small straw house on the bank of river

Ganges. Lord Gauranga said, "You tell them to come there. I'll tell them the

tale of my sorrow, the distress, the suffering I am going through, I will

reveal to them."

 

Then Sriman Pandit left. Next day early morning all the Vaisnavas gathered

in house of Srivasa Thakura. In Srivasa Thakura's house there is a tulla

flower tree, transcendental tree, the more flowers you pluck, the more would

manifest. Cannot finish so much flowers this tree would produce. All the

Vaisnavas of Navadvipa, everyday they would come for plucking flowers. They

would have krsna-katha while collecting the flowers.

 

At one point they saw Sriman Pandit approaching. Sriman Pandit looked very

jubilant, very happy, so Srivasa Thakura said, "O Sriman, what happened to

you today, you look very happy , very jolly?

 

Sriman said, "What to speak of my being happy, if I tell you, you will

become very happy also."

 

"So what is that?"

 

"Yesterday Nimai came from Gaya. I went to see him. I was very surprised. He

is no more arrogant as he was before. He is very humble, very sober. He was

explaining to me about his tour. As soon as he uttered 'the

visnu-padapadma', all eight symptoms of asta-sattvika-vikara manifested

within his body. I have never seen some human being can manifest symptoms

like this. He has become pure devotee of Lord Visnu."

 

All Vaisnavas were very happy. They said, "Haribol, Haribol!"

 

Then Srivasa Thakura said, "Very good, very good, our group will increase

now." Because Nimai was very powerful. At that time in Navadvipa, they were

all Kali worshipers, Sitala worshipers. A few Vaisnavas, they had a very

hard time, so much so they cannot dare to chant loudly. They had to hide

somewhere for chanting.

 

They were thinking if Nimai will become Vaisnavas, one Vaisnavas said, "Oh,

Nimai is going to come to our group, very good, very good. He will chop off

the head of all Kali worshipers!" Vrindavan dasa Thakura is explaining like

this.

 

All the Vaisnavas were very happy.

 

"OK, we will all come to listen from Nimai."

 

Then Gadadhara also came to know Nimai is going to reveal some Krsna

experience. He was very surprised. Gadadhara was a childhood friend of

Nimai, but Gadadhara from childhood very sober, very humble, very devoted.

They were opposite in nature. They were friends, but Nimai was very fickle

minded, very arrogant, very naughty. Gadadhara was different. So Gadadhara

said, "Nimai became Vaisnava? Let me see what he is going to speak." So he

went in advance and he is hiding inside Suklambara Brahmacari's house.

 

By noontime, all Vaisnavas had gathered in the courtyard of Suklambara

Brahmacari, waiting when Visvambhara, Nimai will come. At one point, all of

the Vaisnavas saw through the door tall Nimai, long curled hair, beautiful

brahmana thread, he is approaching, but his mood is completely different.

 

When Nimai came in the house, all of the Vaisnavas were sitting in the

courtyard, the verandah also. By seeing these Vaisnavas, then he started to

glorify the Vaisnavas, "So great Vaisnavas you are." He got so much ecstasy

and he was feeling so much separation from Krsna. By seeing Vaisnavas, his

mood increased. He could not control himself. So there was a pillar, Nimai

came to pillar, near the pillar, and holding the pillar said, "He Krsna!

Where is my Krsna?" So heavily he grabbed the pillar that the pillar broke

and Nimai fell on the ground. Nimai was unconscious, crying and crying.

 

All of the Vaisnavas sitting in the courtyard, when they saw the

asta-sattvika-vikara manifesting in Nimai's body, all the Vaisnavas sitting

there were so surprised and were in so much ecstasy. They could not control.

They fainted. They all fell. Whoever sitting, they all fell one after

another on top of the other person. All courtyard fell like this. Pindrop

silence, nothing happening.

 

After some time, Nimai came back to consciousness. he could hear somebody is

crying inside the room. He asked, "Who is there inside the room crying?"

 

One devotee said, "That is your good friend Gadadhara there."

 

Then Nimai went in there. Gadadhara is crying. He put his head down and

crying. Nimai embraced Gadadhara, "You are so fortunate, from your childhood

you are worshiping Lord Krsna, Visnu, but my life I spend uselessly. I did

not worship Krsna. Now finally I found him, but now he left me." Again he

embraced Gadadhara, again he fainted.

 

So in this way Gauranga would come to consciousness, again faint. He would

chant and dance. He would jump to the sky, fall down. All the devotees were

very scared, "What is happening to Nimai?"

 

Then he revealed, "You know the distress, the miserable condition I am going

through. When I was coming back from Gaya, on the way there is a place,

Kanai Natasala. I was staying there. At one point, one beautiful boy, blue

boy came wearing yellow garments, vaiyajanti mala, ? kundala, peacock

feathers. He was smiling playing on his flute. He came very close to me. As

soon as I went to embrace him, he disappeared." When said this, again he

fainted, Nimai fainted.

 

kaha jabo kaha pabo muralivadan

 

"Where should I go? Where can I find that beautiful boy?"

 

This is the vipralambha-bhava, started within Gauranga Mahaprabhu from that

moment at Kanai Natasala.

 

Kanai Natasala is a very beautiful place at the border of Bengal and Bihar

on the bank of river Ganges. There is a small hill, on top of the hill there

is the place where Mahaprabhu saw Gauranga. That tree is still there.

Fortunately now ISKCON has received that place. [Haribol!]

 

One Ramanujya sampradaya babaji was staying there. So one day he came to

meet His Holiness Jayapataka Maharaja. He was sitting on the verandah.

Jayapataka Maharaja saw some babaji has come, "Give him some food."

 

"But he has come to see you."

 

"What for? Call him inside."

 

Then he said, "I am the mahanta of Kanai Natasala. I cannot maintain this

place. I saw in a dream somebody who is more dear to Lord Gauranga, and it

is Gauranga's place, he should maintain this place. You please maintain this

place." Then he transferred the property to ISKCON and after a few months he

left his body.

 

The name of this place is Jharkhand. The state of Jharkhand government is

very kind, developing that place and built a beautiful guest house,

yajnasala, nice ghat. So you should all try to go to that place, beautiful

place. Sacinandana Maharaja one month during Karttika was staying and doing

his japa, beautiful place.

 

Then Gauranga Mahaprabhu explained how "In Kanai Natasala, I saw this Krsna.

Now how will I get him?" This is the mood started, vipralambha, viraha, in

seperaton. That was getting more and more intensified.

 

Then he took sannyasa, went to Puri. It became so intense seperation.

Mahaprabhu was staying in Gambhira. In separation from Krsna, it was so

unbearable. Throughout the day he would spend his time talking, doing

harinama-sankirtana. As soon as devotees would leave, he would feel more and

more separation. He would scratch his face on the wall. Night time he would

be locked from outside, but morning time he was not there. He was lying

somewhere near the temple, on the seashore. That was mood of Gauranga.

 

Gauranga came back to Sacimata. Sacimata was very happy, but when Gauranga

came back to his house, he was behaving very strange, always crying and

crying. Whole night he would not sleep, he would not eat properly. Sometimes

he would shout and scream. Sometimes he would run like a mad man. Sometimes

he would say, "Hummmmgh!" Like this he would say and Laksmipriya and Mother

Saci would run away, hide somewhere, they were so scared.

 

Then Mother Saci was very worried, "What has happened to my son? He has

become mad."

 

Villagers would tell, "Yes, yes, your son must have a lot of wind, gas, gas

formation in his stomach. That is why he is behaving very strange. You give

him green coconut water, he will be OK."

 

Then somebody would say, "No, no, no, it is a very heavy disease. You bring

him special oil, put on his head." Simple mother, Saci, whatever people

would say, she would do that.

 

Then one day she called Srivasa Thakura, "Please come see what happened to

my son. He has become mad. My son has become mad."

 

In the early morning, Srivasa Thakura came to Sacimata's house. Nimai, after

taking early bath, he was circumambulating Tulasi tree. When he saw Srivasa

Thakura, the pure devotee of Krsna, immediately he manifested the symptoms

of love and he started to cry. Seeing Srivasa Thakura, he started to cry and

asta-sattvika-vikara manifested. Srivasa Thakura approached Nimai. Nimai

asked Srivasa Thakura, "What do you think about me? What has happened to me?

Why I am behaving like this? People are saying I have become mad."

 

Srivasa said "Yes, you have become mad and I want to become mad like you

also. How I can become mad like you?" Srivasa Thakura found, the symptoms he

has exhibited, no ordinary person can exhibit symptoms like this. Then he

told Mother Saci, "You are very fortunate. You don't be worried. The

symptoms your son is manifesting are not ordinary things, the symptoms of

love of Godhead, krsna-prema." Srivasa told that.

 

But Gauranga, Nimai was always like this, feeling separation. Crying, "Where

is my Krsna? Where is my Krsna?" It was unbearable for him. The whole

situation was completely different, day and night he would do like this. How

to control Nimai? One day he was telling, "Where is my Krsna? Where is my

Krsna?" Gadadhara entered in the house. So Nimai caught hold of Gadadhara's

hand, "O Gadadhara, where is my Krsna? Where is my Krsna?" He could not be

controlled, Nimai, uncontrolled.

 

So Gadadhara, to pacify Nimai, said, "Nimai, why are you so much worried?

Don't you know Krsna is within your heart? Why are you feeling so much

separation from Krsna? Krsna is within your heart?"

 

Nimai said, "Yes? True? Krsna is within my heart?" Immediately he started to

scratch his chest, scratching.

 

Then Gadadhara found, "Oh, another trouble now. I was pacifying him by

saying Krsna is in your heart, now he is scratching his chest." Then

Gadadhara said, "O Nimai, wait a minute, Krsna has gone for grazing cows to

the field, the forest. You wait for some time, Krsna will come very soon."

 

Then Nimai cooled down. Mother Saci saw how tactfully Gadadhara pacified

Nimai and Mother Saci said, "Gadadhara, from today, you stay in my house

onwards. You are just a small boy, but you are so intelligent. How could you

pacify my Nimai? So you stay in my house onwards."

 

So in this way Gauranga Mahaprabhu started his sankirtana movement. Though

he appeared in Jagannath Misra's house, all his sweet pastimes took place in

Srivasangam, manifested his maha-prakasa, many things happened.

 

Because my time is finished, Bhakti Vikasa Maharaja here? OK, Maharaja will

give class or who will give class? I will speak a few more pastimes until

Maharaja comes.

 

One day Gauranga Mahaprabhu went early morning to Srivasa Thakura's house.

He would always manifest his mood as a devotee. So one day, he went to

Srivasa's house and he climbed on top of the Visnu altar. Holding the

salagrama-sila, he said, "I am that Supreme Personality of Godhead! I am

that Narayana! I am that Krsna who killed Kamsa! I am that Rama who killed

Ravana! All the devotees come, glorify me, do abhiseka." They are all doing

abhiseka. "Now I am very hungry, you feed me something." And they are all

giving food.

 

At one point he called "O Srivasa, come here, do you remember one day you

went to listen to Bhagavat class of Devananda and by listening that Bhagavat

class you were crying in ecstasy, but the ordinary disciples of Devananda

did not recognize your greatness? They were thinking by crying you were

disturbing the Bhagavat class. They picked you up and removed you and this

foolish guru did not stop also his students' activities. At that time, they

threw you out of the class and you were feeling so bad, so much separation,

you were crying and crying. Do you know that time I came from Vaikuntha? I

appeared in your heart and I manifested the glories of Bhagavatam. Then you

were feeling great ecstasy. Do you remember these things?"

 

Then Srivasa said, "Yes, I remember. Yes, Prabhu, you are so great. That

happened one day."

 

"O Gangadasa, come here. Do you remember that night? At midnight along with

your whole family you were on the bank of the river Ganges. The Kazi, the

Muslim king, was harassing you, going to take away your caste, outcaste you,

and you were trying to cross the river but there was no boatman. And you

were thinking now Muslim people were going to come and touch your wife's

body, and you were thinking to jump in the Ganges and commit suicide. Do you

remember that night? One boatman immediately came and you approached him and

said, 'I'll give you one rupee, I'll give you nice bakshish, I'll give you a

nice gift; please take me to the other side of the river.' One nice boat

came, do you remember?"

 

"Yes, Prabhu."

 

"Do you know who was that boatman, it was me, I came from Vaikuntha to help

you."

 

And he was in ecstasy, he fainted hearing how the Lord came all the way from

Vaikuntha to help him.

 

"Haridasa, come here, come here. Do you know, do you remember once you were

beaten, whipped, in twenty-two marketplaces? All these Muslim people were

harassing you like anything, whipping you on your back?"

 

"Yes, Prabhu."

 

"That time I could realise this, my devotee is getting tortured, beaten, I

became very angry so immediately I told my Sudarsana Cakra you must go and

kill these Yavanas, kill these guys who are harassing my devotee. But what

happened, do you know? At that time you were praying when you were being

beaten by these Muslims that, 'My Lord, please excuse them they don't know

what they are doing, please excuse them.'"

 

"So you are telling please excuse them and I am telling kill them, so my

Sudarsana Cakra is in big trouble now, what to do? I am telling kill them

and you are telling excuse them. So Sudarsana Cakra is thinking, 'What I

should do now? I should follow my Lord who is saying you must go and kill.'

Then Sudarsana Cakra is thinking, 'Oh my Lord has also told my devotee is

better than me, so I have to follow my Lord. So devotee is saying don't

kill, Lord is saying kill.'"

 

"So as a result my Sudarsana Cakra did not come out of my finger, he did not

go to kill these Yavanas. So what to do? I am in big trouble because I have

told my devotees are better than me, and Sudarsana is not coming out of my

finger following my instruction, and at the same time I have also told my

devotee is never vanquished, so how will I protect you?

 

"So at that time, I personally came and put my back on your back. All the

whips they are putting went on my back."

 

So Haridasa is looking like this, it's true? That happened?

 

Nimai said, "You don't believe?" Then he took off his chadar and said, "Just

see, the marks are still there, I am holding these marks to show how I

protect, kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhakta pranasyati."

 

So in this way Lord Gauranga was calling many different devotees. At one

time he called Advaita, "Come here. Do you know every day you used to read

Bhagavad-gita and you would become very happy when Gita verse was explaining

the glories of bhakti. Sometimes some verses are there that doesn't make

sense externally giving the glory of bhakti. And when you read that verse

you feel very dissatisfied and you feel that, 'Oh, why this verse doesn't

say about bhakti?' You don't accuse the verse, but you accuse yourself, 'I'm

so unfortunate I don't understand the meaning of this verse.'

 

"So that day you don't eat anything, you go to sleep fasting. Do you

remember, at midnight I came to you in a dream. Actually I came to you and

explained to you the meaning of that verse and then you were satisfied and

you went to eat."

 

Then Gauranga Mahaprabhu explained to him, "This night this verse I

explained to you. Do you remember these things?" And Advaita is in ecstasy,

"O my Lord, you are so kind."

 

So in this way Lord Gauranga would call, one after another, so many

devotees. Sridhar he called. "Go and call my devotee Sridhar!" Sridhar was

not there. And they called Sridhar and the whole incidence also Mahaprabhu

explained. Everybody he was calling and giving his blessings and prema,

everybody. At one point Srivasa came. But he was not calling Mukunda.

Mukunda was sitting. So whoever was called, he was coming close to Gauranga.

Mukunda's name was not announced. He was sitting there.

 

So Srivasa came, "My dear Lord, you are calling everybody, why don't you

call Mukunda? He chants so nicely, you are always happy to listen his songs,

why don't you call Mukunda?"

 

And Gauranga was very angry. "Don't tell me about that, I'll not give this

guy this prema, he cannot take my darshan even!"

 

"Why? What is his fault? He is a great devotee of you."

 

He said, "This guy is a kharajatiya, a diplomatic, duplicitous guy."

 

What Mukunda used to do, when he would come to devotees, he would chant,

dance, sing, glorify bhakti nicely. Then he would go to jnanis and glorify

them also. Then the yogis also; wherever he would go he would glorify them.

 

Then Mahaprabhu said, "Then when he comes here, he takes a straw but at the

same time he puts a stick on my back also. So I don't want to see his face.

Tell him he cannot come here."

 

The devotees felt very bad. How can they tell Mukunda that Mahaprabhu said

he will not see your face? Mukunda is so dedicated to Mahaprabhu. Then they

went, "Mukunda, we are very sorry to tell you that Mahaprabhu is telling

that you cannot see his face."

 

Mukunda felt very bad, "Really? I am such an offender I cannot see the

Lord's face, I cannot get his mercy now?"

 

"No."

 

"Then can you ask the Lord when can I get his mercy?"

 

Then the devotees went to Lord, "Mukunda is asking when he can get your

mercy."

 

And the Lord was very angry, "Tell that kharajatiya after ten million

lifetimes he will get my darshan, ten million lifetimes!"

 

All the devotees were thinking what will happen now? How can Mukunda

tolerate this? If he listens after ten million lifetimes he will get the

darshan of Gauranga he cannot survive, he will leave his body in separation!

But Mahaprabhu's strict order they have to follow. So they went to Mukunda,

"Mukunda, we are very sorry to tell you that Mahaprabhu told that you can

have his darshan only after ten million lifetimes."

 

And when Mukunda heard that, he was chanting and dancing in ecstasy, "Oh, I

am so fortunate, I am so fortunate! The Lord will give darshan to me! He has

given a definite word that at least after ten million lifetimes I will have

his darshan!" That is his mood, "I have got a guarantee." From time

immemorial the living entities are here so ten million lifetimes is nothing

for him. He is saying the Lord is so merciful. The devotee thinks that

whatever the Lord does to him is simply giving his mercy upon him. "He's so

merciful!" In ecstasy he's chanting and dancing.

 

Then devotees came back to Lord Gauranga and Gauranga asked, "Did you tell

Mukunda that after ten million lifetimes he'll come back to me, he'll get my

mercy?"

 

"Yes, we told him."

 

"Then what he said?"

 

"Oh, he was in ecstasy, he was jumping in ecstasy."

 

Then Mahaprabhu said, "OK bring him now here, bring him now here."

 

And the devotees said, "What? Just one minute before you told after ten

million lifetimes he can have your mercy, how you are telling just bring him

now?"

 

Then Mahaprabhu said, "Yes my devotees they are controllers of kala. Ten

million lifetimes in one moment he has passed through. [cheering, applause]

My devotees in one muhurta can pass ten million lifetimes." Because Krsna is

the kala he can make his devotees like this. Kala cannot influence.

Immediately Mukunda came. Mukunda is very happy.

 

And many things happened. Like this, once Srivasa Thakur, every night

chanting and dancing was going on in his house. One day one very pure

brahmana personality came and told Srivasa Thakur, "O Srivasa Thakur, I have

heard this Nimai is chanting and dancing in your house very nicely. Can you

allow me?" Because at that time not everybody was allowed, only selected

people were allowed. "You see I'm a pure brahmana, I know Veda and Vedanta,

I live only by drinking milk, I don't eat anything."

 

And Srivasa Thakur thought, "Oh yes, he is very pure personality," and told

him, "You are definitely qualified to take darshan of the sankirtana."

 

Then he brought this brahmana inside his house. In the evening time

Gauranga's kirtana started, all devotees were chanting and dancing. But

Gauranga Mahaprabhu is not feeling any ecstasy, no joy. And he said, "What

is happening? I am not feeling and joy or ecstasy. Is there some external

person here, some unqualified person, somebody who's not fit to be here?"

 

Then all the Vaisnavas were thinking who is this person? Have I done some

offence that I am not supposed to be here? At one point Srivasa Thakur came,

"My Lord I have invited one person to take darsana of your kirtana."

 

"Who is that person?"

 

"But I think he is very qualified."

 

"How you think he is qualified?"

 

"He is brahmana. His whole life he is drinking only milk."

 

Then Mahaprabhu became very angry: "What you think, somebody drinks milk

whole life and he is qualified to see my nama-sankirtana? Some great yogi,

some great jnani is qualifed to have darshan of this harinama? Kick him out

immediately!"

 

Srivasa Thakur, what could he do, he requested, "Please go away from here."

He told the brahmana. The brahmana was in ecstasy just by seeing that

kirtana of Lord Gauranga. When he was walking out he was feeling, "Oh, I am

so fortunate. I am such a stupid, I am not supposed to have a glimpse of

these great things but Lord Gauranga is so great he gave his mercy to stupid

fellow like me." He is thinking like this when he's going back to his house.

Then Lord Gauranga told, "Srivasa, call that guy back here again, call him

here."

 

"Why? You said he is not qualified."

 

"No, by now he has become qualified. He has realized."

 

Lord Gauranga is Paramatma, he understood the heart. "He has realized, now

he has reached a platform and mood he has develop where he is eligible to

see my harinama sankirtana. He has taken a humble mood, not so much that 'I

am great yogi. I am living on drinking milk,' all these things will not

qualify somebody to get me."

 

na sadhayati mam yogo na sankhyam dharma uddhava

na svadhyayas tapas tyago yatha bhaktir mamorjita

 

Krsna is telling to Uddhava, "Uddhavan, all these things will not control

me, but by the mood of devotion, humble, without duplicity, no other way to

receive me than that way."

 

Gauranga Mahaprabhu has many sweet pastimes. He has exhibited many wonderful

things also.

 

Nimai used to go to Advaita Acarya's house. Advaita Acarya had four sons.

One of the sons was Krsnadasa. One day Mother Sita, she had some very nice

bananas, sweet-smelling bananas, campa-kola. She thought, "Oh Nimai is

coming to my house," so she saved some banana, hiding somewhere. Then she

went to take bath in Ganges. Then Krsnadasa is small boy, early in the

morning he is feeling very hungry. In village it is not like that you will

open fridge and get everything there. Mother will keep everything hiding or

hanging on the roof that you don't see.

 

The small child is very hungry, he is searching, "Where I can get something

to eat?" Early morning. At one point found these bananas there. But

Krsnadasa, the son of Advaita Acarya, he knows this banana mother has kept

for Nimai, for Gauranga. Then he thought, "This is for Gauranga, how can I

eat this? But I am very hungry, I have to eat this banana."

 

Then he peeled the banana, put on a plate and "klim gauraya svaha," he

offered to Gauranga, then he started eating the banana. He finished all the

bananas. And after some time Nimai came to the house. Mother Sita came, she

is searching for the bananas she will feed to Nimai. But when she opened the

pot the bananas are not there. What happened to the bananas? First she

called Acyuta, "Acyuta, you ate this banana?"

 

No, no, I haven't eaten. I am a nice boy, I am a good boy now!"

 

Previously one day what happened, Sitadevi had kept some milk for Nimai.

Then Acyuta came in the mood of Gauranga, and in the mood of Gauranga he

drank all the milk. So when Sitadevi found there was no milk she became very

angry and she slapped on Acyutananda's cheek, she slapped him very heavily.

The next day morning when Nimai came, Sitadevi found that Nimai's cheek was

swollen. There was a big fingerprint on his cheek. Then Sitadevi said, "He

Nimai, what happened to you."

 

"Mother, you beat me last night, you slapped me on the face."

 

"I slapped you? I never slapped you."

 

"Yes, Acyutananda, my great devotee, he ate thinking about me. When he was

thinking about me and drinking the milk I was non-different from him.

Because you slapped on his face that came on my face."

 

See the intimate relationship. This is advaya, non-different. Not duality,

not the Mayavadi concept to merge. The devotee and God become one.

 

So Acyutananda said, "I have learned a good lesson from that day. I will

never take something that you keep for Nimai."

 

Then she said, "Krsnadasa, come here. Did you eat these bananas?"

 

"Yes, I ate."

 

"Don't you know I have kept it for Nimai?"

 

"I know it, you have kept it for Nimai. But I was very hungry."

 

"But it was not meant for you, it was meant for Nimai."

 

Then Krsnadasa said, "But I have offered to Nimai. I gave to him."

 

"How did you give him?"

 

"No, I said 'klim gauraya svaha' and then I ate. I offered to him."

 

Mother Sita was smiling but she got very angry also. "Oh, you are too

intelligent, eh? You will say 'klim gauraya svaha' and eat Nimai's banana!"

Then she took a stick. When Krsnadasa saw the stick he understood what is

next going to happen. Then he started running, running from there. He ran to

where Advaita Acarya was sitting. Then Mother Sita was running after him,

"Why you ate Nimai's banana!"

 

Then Advaita Acarya gave shelter to Krsnadasa. Advaita Acarya saw her

running with the stick and said, "What happened, what happened, why are you

so angry?"

 

Then Sitadevi said, "Do you know, this boy is such a naughty boy. He ate all

the bananas I had kept for Nimai!"

 

Advaita Acarya asked, "Krsnadasa, did you eat all the bananas?"

 

"Yes, father, I ate all the bananas."

 

"Why you ate? That is meant for Nimai, for Gauranga."

 

Then Krsnadasa said, "What is the problem? I have offered to Gauranga. I

offered then I ate."

 

Then Advaita Acarya said, "How did you offer? What mantra you chanted?"

 

"I chanted 'om klim gauraya svaha.'"

 

Then Advaita Acarya said, "No, no, no, no, that is not the way to offer. You

should chant 'om klim krsnaya svaha.'"

 

Then this small boy, Krsnadasa, is saying, "My dear father, what is the

problem saying 'klim gauraya svaha'? Krsna is within Gauranga." Small boy,

"Krsna is within Gauranga."

 

When Sitadevi and Advaita Acarya heard this they were surprised. He's a

small boy, how he can understand such great things that Krsna is within

Gauranga? So they were very happy and embraced the small boy, Krsnadasa.

 

Then what happened? The time came for eating, and Sitadevi called everybody,

"Come, time for eating." Gauranga, Nimai, was sleeping in the next room.

"Nimai, come, now is time for eating." Nimai came, smearing the eyes. She

told him, "Please sit down, we'll eat now."

 

"No, no, Mother Sita, I don't feel hungry."

 

"You don't feel hungry? Why you don't feel hungry, the whole day you haven't

eaten anything."

 

"No, no, Krsnadasa fed me so many bananas. He gave me so many bananas."

 

"So how he fed?"

 

"Yes, when you had gone to Mother Ganges, by chanting 'om klim gauraya

svaha', at that time all bananas I ate. They all came to my stomach."

 

They were all sitting inside the house and were surprised how by chanting

"om klim gauraya svaha" it went into Nimai's stomach and he is not hungry.

To prove this, what Nimai did, he belched and all the people who were

sitting inside the room, there was sweet smell of banana. Banana smell came

and spread all over the house. [applause] Jai Gauranga Mahaprabhu ki jai!

 

So this way the Lord proved that "Whatever my devotee gives me with love and

devotion, I enjoy, I eat personally."

 

In this way, Gauranga has exhibited unlimited sweet pastimes, so many sweet

pastimes that even if Anantadeva, by his thousands of mouths he will

explain, it will not be finished. But we are limited in time, we have some

other services, different things. Also you must have other services. We are

waiting for Bhakti Vikasa Maharaja. So we are very unfortunate we are

deprived of listening some more sweet philosophy Maharaja would present in

front of us. But anyway, Maharaja is not here. Thank you very much. Jai Sri

Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki jai! Srila Prabhupada ki jai! Gaura-premanande,

haribolo!

 

END