When can one practice Nirjana- Bhajan???

krsna · June 3, 2005

'While Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu thus resided at Jagannatha Puri (Nilacala), he was continuously overwhelmed, night and day, by separation from Krsna. Day and night He tasted transcendental blissful songs and verses with two associates, namely Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya. He relished the symptoms of various transcendental emotions such as jubilation, lamentation, anger, humility, anxiety, grief, eagerness and satisfaction. He would recite His own verses, expressing their meanings and emotions, and thus enjoy tasting them with these two friends. Sometimes the Lord would be absorbed in a particular emotion and would stay awake all night reciting verses and relishing their taste.'

(CC. Antya 20.3 - 7)

'Thus Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur advocated that every devotee, under the guidance of an expert spiritual master, preach the bhakti cult, Krsna consciousness, all over the world. Only when one is mature can he sit in a solitary place and retire from preaching all over the world. Following this example, the devotees of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness now render service as preachers in various parts of the world. Now they can allow the spiritual master to retire from active preaching work. In the last stage of the spiritual master's life, the devotees of the spiritual master should take the preaching activities into their own hands. In this way the spiritual master can sit down in a solitary place and render nirjana-bhajana.'

(Srila Prabhupada - SB 4.28.33)

'In 1977 A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, at the age of 82, suffered illness repeatedly and became in a physically weakened state. He decided to discontinue his travelling around the world and take shelter of Vrndavana dhama, the sacred place of Lord Krsna's pastimes. He listened and chanted Hare Krsna and meditated on the transcendental pastimes of Krsna, throughout the day and night. However, Srila Prabhupada remained in the association of his loving disciples, who assisted him during his final pastime by chanting, very softly and sweetly, the Hare Krsna mantra 24 hours a day. Srila Prabhupada said that this was his 'nirjana-bhajana', and that his sannyasi disciples, including the translator of this work, had to take over the responsibility of travelling and preaching all over the world, as he would not be able to travel anymore. This great spiritual master had taken shelter of Lord Krsna in Vrndavana during the last days of this life.

(H. H. Jayapataka Swami - Commentary on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's Vaisnava Ke?, Verse 19)