Planet ISKCON

Hare Krishna! Tribute to HG Surabhi Prabhu
Subhag Swami: One day we were in Mayapur, many years back, desiring to have his association I requested him to have a glass of fruit juice with me. During our conversation we spoke about several things. I conveyed my feelings of appreciation in how he helped in establishing a wonderful temple: Punjabi Bagh. Out of his humility, he replied, “Yes, yes but a very small temple though.” I told him that it doesn’t matter; he helps maintain it and guides the devotees there through the expert medium of HG Samba das, thus doing a great service.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18727

Scenes from the preaching in Woodstock in Poland (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert. (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 4.71 purport, Vidagdha-Madhava 1.12)
See them here: https://goo.gl/Rkldqc

(This article, co-authored with Aja Govinda Prabhu, was published in Back to Godhead when the claims of artificial life had been in the news in 2010, but was not published on thespiritualscientist.com, though two separate small articles were published: What is the Vedic perspective on the creation of artificial life? and What is wrong with creating life?  As similar news about the claims of the creation of artificial life are again surfacing, this article is being published now.)
“Scientists create artificial life,” declared newspaper headlines around the world in May 2010. Genome pioneer J. Craig Venter, the man behind the sensation, claimed, “This is a philosophical advance as much as a technical advance.”

What exactly did Venter do? He:

1. Determined the sequence of the DNA in one of the world’s simplest bacteria,
2. Synthesized a copy of that DNA from components sold by a biological supply company,
3. Replaced the natural DNA in a living bacterial cell with this synthetic DNA.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a long linear molecule found in the nucleus of a cell. Sometimes dubbed as the king of molecules, DNA comprises of genes or biological units of heredity that are passed down from parent to offspring. The complete DNA (also known as the genome) has a few billion chemical bases (bases are specific bio-molecules) paired together into a double helix. The four bases used in DNA (adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine) act like the letters of an alphabet, and the specific sequences of these bases convey information used for building proteins (chemical compounds used by living cells). The actual production of proteins is done by “gene expression” machinery within the cell that makes copies of the DNA and uses the information therein to arrange amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) into the sequence and structure required for the protein under production. Each different gene sequence results in a protein with a distinct structure and shape, and consequently distinct function in the cell.

Venter, like many modern scientists, believes in reductionism: the idea that all the features of a complex system can be explained in terms of or “reduced” down to the properties of its simple components. Reductionist biologists hold that a living organism is like a computer: just as the capacities of the computer can be explained in terms of the capacities of its components, the characteristics, traits, behaviors of livings organisms can be explained in terms of their components, going down ultimately to their genes. As Oxford biologist Richard Dawkins noted, “The machine code of the genes is uncannily computer-like.” Applying the computer analogy to the current experiment, Venter has certainly not created the complete computer. What he has done – introducing a new genetic sequence within a preexisting living organism – is like replacing one chip within a pre-existing computer by another chip. So, even from this reductionist viewpoint, he has not created life. That’s why Caltech biologist and Nobel laureate, David Baltimore, pointed out that Venter has “overplayed the importance” of his results; he “has not created life, only mimicked it.”

What if scientists someday use the biochemical components to create the entire cell? Would that amount to creating life? No, because that would just be like making the computer, not the person who would use the computer. Although reductionist scientists would have us believe that there is no such “person” and that life is just a product of bio-chemicals, living systems behave in ways fundamentally and inexplicably different from nonliving objects. Nonliving objects are created, deteriorate over time and eventually meet with destruction. Living systems exhibits three additional features: maintenance, growth and reproduction. A living human hand, if cut, can clot and heal itself; the most state-of-the-art artificial hand, if cut, cannot clot or heal itself. The simplest unicellular organism can grow; the most sophisticated computer cannot. The most primitive living systems can reproduce; even the most advanced robots can’t.

No wonder Boston University bioengineer James Collins candidly admitted the scientific ground reality: “Scientists don’t know enough about biology to create life.”

The Program of Life

What is amiss in the reductionist portrayal of life is analyzed by eminent Oxford biologist Denis Noble, renowned for his contributions to physiology, in his book The Music of Life. He points out an important problem with the notion of DNA as the “program or blueprint of life”. This notion that deifies DNA into the super-agent behind life is implicit in the current claims about creation of artificial life. Noble explains that the DNA is more like a database than a program; in computer terminology, a database refers to an organized storage of data, whereas a program refers to a list of executable instructions that achieve a specific objective. The DNA only contains data, but this data is useless unless it is read by “gene expression” cellular machinery that actually executes the “program of life” to build proteins. The database-like role of DNA is evident from the fact that the same gene sequence code of the DNA can be converted to different proteins according to the needs of the particular cell that it is in. Therefore, the genes do not determine all the functions of the cell, but are simply templates that are interpreted into differently functioning and distinct proteins depending on the environment and need of the cell. To complete the computer analogy then, the cell is a computer, the cell nucleus is the controller (control unit that manages the entire operation of the cell), DNA is the database that contains genetic memory data and program data, protein production is the program (the biological tasks to be completed to build proteins), gene expression mechanism is the processing unit, and proteins are the output.

The Music of Life

Noble illustrates the limitation of the reductionist view by another intriguing analogy.Let us say, a person relaxes at home by playing a music CD. Upon hearing the music, tears flow from the person’s eyes. Imagine aliens observing this scene. The alien scientists enquiring about the cause of the tears trace it back to the speaker system, to the CD player, to the CD, to the particular track being played. By their empirical scientific method, they reason that the music and the subsequent tears were caused by the digital information encoded in the CD track being played. All of us know that the emotions are caused not by the CD track itself, but by the context and memories attached to the melody, the song, the players and other such factors. The music does not originate from the CD but from the musician who recorded it onto the CD. The music is independent of the CD, which is only one of the various forms of media that allow the music to be stored and played. Echoing Noble’s reasoning, French philosopher Andre Pichot asserts that the DNA-mania of modern geneticists is similar to the aliens’ hasty reasoning. As the CD is useless without the CD player, the DNA is useless without the gene expression cellular machinery that copies and converts the gene code into proteins. Just as the CD is only a media for storing music, DNA is only a media for storing and recreating biological life. DNA is neither life nor the absolute cause of life, just as the CD music track is neither the music nor the primal cause of the music. Life is thus like music: neither can be reduced down to codes – biological or digital. DNA is like the CD track; DNA stores biological data for creating proteins, the CD track stores digital data for creating sounds. Life like music does not originate from and is independent of the media temporarily used for data storage.

Then, where does life originate from? Just as music can only originate from a musician, life can only originate from a living person. That living person, according to the Vedas, is the spirit soul. The Bhagavad-gita (2.17) explains that the soul is an irreducible, eternal unit of consciousness. When the soul enters a biological medium such as our body, the body acquires apparent life. Just as a living person is necessary to play the CD and the CD player, the soul is necessary for the dead inert cellular machinery to read the DNA genetic code and run the biochemical processes that animate the cell. The soul is the cause of maintenance, growth and reproduction, the features of living systems that defy reductionist explanation as discussed earlier. The Gita (2.25) explains that the soul is “invisible and inconceivable”, implying that its presence cannot be detected by our senses and sense-created instruments.

The Gita (13.33-34) also points out that the soul remains distinct from the body it animates, as does sunlight illuminating the universe or air pervading space. So, when a part of the body is changed, the soul remains unchanged, just as when a component in a computer is changed, the computer-user remaining unchanged. Thus, in Venter’s experiment, the soul animating the bacteria remained unchanged when the DNA within that bacteria was changed.

Reductionist philosophers object to the existence of any non-material spirit animating the body because, they hold, spirit that being of a nature fundamentally different from matter cannot influence matter. The Gita agrees that spirit can’t influence matter, but asserts that the Supreme Spirit being the controller of both matter and spirit can. The Gita (13.23) explains that spirit interacts with matter through the agency of the Supersoul, an expansion of God who is immanent and all-pervading in matter.

In this connection, it is pertinent to note that Cambridge-educated researcher Stephen Meyer in his book Signature in the Cell explains how attempts of reductionist scientists to explain life in biological terms has paradoxically ended up showing the need for intelligence as the cause of life. For example, computer algorithms that attempted to simulate genetic information by random symbol generation achieved modest success only when they were intelligently directed toward a pre-chosen target sequence. Thus, far from proving the efficacy of randomness, they ended up proving the necessity of intelligence in generating genetic information. Could the same apply in Venter’s case? Intelligent scientists working for decades with funding running into millions were able to synthesize only one of the simplest DNAs. What does that say about the intelligence required to synthesize DNAs as complex as the human genome? Author George Sim Johnson points out, “Human DNA contains more organized information than the encyclopedia Britannica. If the full text of the encyclopedia were to arrive in computer code from outer space, most people would regard it as proof of the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence.” Obviously then, the organized information in the DNA can be regarded as proof of a magnificent designing intelligence, as Meyer persuasively established in his book. This echoes the Gita (9.10), which states that material nature works under God’s supervision.

Playing God

Despite his claims to be “playing God”, Venter has unwittingly played into the hands of God by providing evidence for his existence and intelligence. Historically, attempts to play God have repeatedly backfired. In new fields of research, scientists almost invariably promise beneficial, often sensational, future results. However, the past track record of such promises shows counterproductive, often devastating, consequences. In the field of genetic engineering itself, genetically-modified (GM) food was advertised as the solution to world hunger, but it ended up causing hunger-deaths of hundreds of farmers in Maharashtra, India. These farmers were captivated by promises of pest-resistant seeds and high yields, but when the pests developed resistance to the seeds, the yields failed utterly. Moreover, as the GM seeds are designed to not give seeds for the next sowing, the farmers had no chance of a yield in the next season either. Afflicted by poverty, hunger and hopelessness, multitudes of them committed suicide. Concerned with the health hazards associated with GM food, the European Union has banned its use. NGOs are attempting to have similar curbs on GM food in other parts of the world.

What are the possible dangers in “artificial life” research? Genome manipulation of the kind done by Venter can lead to the development of medicine-resistant variants of disease-producing microbes, which could trigger a pandemic. The genome Venter synthesized was copied from a natural bacterium that infects goats. Before copying the DNA, he claims to have excised fourteen genes likely to be pathogenic, so that the new bacterium, even if it escaped, would be unlikely to cause goats harm. However, such measures may not be incorporated in future similar researches – either unintentionally or intentionally. Will we then see headlines of “artificial deaths” – deaths caused by human attempts at creating artificial life – in the papers? While some may consider such a scenario unlikely and even unduly pessimistic, it is certainly a possibility. And perhaps contemplation on the worst-case possibility is necessary to prevent it from becoming a reality. A good cautionary step is that the US President acknowledged the development raised “genuine concern” and asked the White House bioethics commission study the issues raised by synthetic biology and report back to him within six months.

Real Life

On a positive note, the “artificial life” news, by bringing to the forefront the age-old question of what life actually is, may prompt some soul-searching – at least figuratively and maybe even literally. Developing the computer analogy further, ISKCON scientist the late Dr Richard L Thompson (Sadaputa Dasa), in his book “Maya: The World as a Virtual Reality”, explains how our entire present existence is like a computer simulation, a virtual reality. So as spiritual beings, the material existence that we are currently leading is itself an artificial life. From that perspective, the attempt to create artificial life within an artificial life is little more than an artifice. Alternative to such artifices is the spiritual technology described in the Gita that can enable us to progress from our current artificial life to our real life as eternal beings. If the energy spent on creating artificial life were directed to cultivate spiritual knowledge and practice, humanity would make quantum leaps in its understanding of life. The scientific establishment may or may not do this, but each of us individually can. Then we will no longer be taken in by overhyped reports about artificial life, for we will be constantly experiencing and relishing the meaning of real life – and will want to share that with everyone.

The post Artificial Life? Why Not Real Life? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Ratha Yatra - Festival of India in Copenhagen (Album with photos)
Here are finally some photo when Lord Jagannatha and His faithful devotees from England visited Denmark and graced Copenhagen with Their divine presence :)
See them here: https://goo.gl/rxQUSi

Bangladesh Yatra (Album with photos)
We’re very greatful to the devotees of Narasindhi, Haviganj, Sylhet, Moulavi Bazar, Narayan Ganj, and Dhaka who warmly welcomed us and gave us their wonderful association. It was very purifying for us to be able and chant the Holy Names and discuss the Lord’s patime with all of you. We would like to specifically thank HG Charu Chandra prabhu, the regional secretary of Bangladesh, and HG Navadwip Dvija Gauranga prabhu who accompanied and helped us from the moment we arrived to the moment we left. Hare Krsna! ys, Mayapur Chandra’s team
See them here: https://goo.gl/yYn0rW

Ultimate Realization of Surabhir Prabhu (7 min video)
Surabhir Prabhu (here in an earlier photo with Jayapataka Swami) describes his feelings and realizations upon his return to the association of devotees after being apart for 25 years.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/OKDrBG

Srila Sanatana Goswami Disappearance ceremony at ISKCON-Delhi: 31-07-2015 (Album with photos)
See them here: https://goo.gl/eC9GHM

Hare Krishna! First Youth Festival at Iskcon Gurgaon’s recently donated temple
In the last week of May this year ISKCON was donated a fully functional building located on a 4800 sq. yard campus, on the outskirts of Gurgaon, a sattelite city of Delhi, and home to several major software companies. The property was earlier owned and operated by an NGO called Atma Kalyan Kendra run by its founder Acarya Sudarshan Ji Maharaj. It is located on a Sohna road, a National Highway, and has two major universities, several deluxe hotels and residential apartments within few minutes drive. The campus has a spacious hall on front side, which can accommodate about 500 people.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18723

“People go to Vrindavan and their lives change… for the better,” says Shyam Gopal Das (Maksim Varfolomeev), who wrote and directed the 40-minute film Reconnection with his wife Vijaya Radhika Dasi (Olga Avramenko). The film has won an Award of Excellence from the Best Shorts Competition, whose previous winners have gone on to win Oscars and Emmys.

With the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s departure from India onboard the Jaladuta ship, August 13, less than two weeks away, devotees in Kolkata are putting on a grand celebration of the event. While many exciting offerings, including a Guinness record-breaking harinama are being prepared for the celebration, an official logo has been created to celebrate Srila Prabhupada’s 36 days of maritime journey.  

Indian thought is sometimes deemed fatalistic, as holding that everything is destined by past karma, thereby leaving little room for human initiative. The bhakti literature, however, offers a far more nuanced and empowering outlook to life.

As Pope Francis stated in his recent Encyclical on climate change, the reality of climate change "represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day."

Hare Krishna! Announcing DevoteeEvents.com – ISKCON Events, Courses and Festivals, all in one place!
DevoteeEvents.com is the best place to find out what festivals, courses, retreats and other events are happening in ISKCON. You can easily submit your event for free! Built with the latest technology, the site lets you quickly search and filter for specific categories, types, locations and dates of events. Want to know what events your guru is attending? Just select your guru’s name in the list. Want to know what’s scheduled for broadcast on MayapurTV? Just click on the MayapurTV. Want to know what ISKCON 50th anniversary events are happening in your area? Just click on 50th.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18720

The restaurant will offer meat-free burgers, burritos, macaroni and cheese, pizza, salad, as well as milkshakes and vegan non-dairy shakes.

Woodstock Ratha Yatra (7 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: For 4 days in a row we take Lord Jagannatha on His Rath Cart through the massive crowds at Woodstock. Not only are people eager to pull the ropes, but they spontaneously jump into the kirtan and chant and dance with us in great ecstasy. Often they outnumber the devotees. Judging from their blissful faces we can understand that, by the mercy of Lord, they are experiencing the highest bliss!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/iCU3An

Chanting with gratitude, a mellow kirtan by Chakrini Dasi (24 min video)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/6XD9vm

2 Principles of Marriage
Radhanath Swami: Across all religions there is a universal concept that when a man and woman marry with proper attitude they become one body. After marriage they start living for a common purpose – to serve God together. The first principle they follow is – “I will do anything to protect you and you will do anything to protect me. We are there for each other and whatever the difficulties we may face we will be faithful to each other, till death separates us.”
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/H5cA9m

Hare Krishna! Reflections on Guru-purnima
Giriraj Swami: Today is Guru-purnima. Srila Prabhupada has explained that the system of honoring the spiritual master is current in all sections of Vedic followers. In the Mayavadi (impersonalist) sects, the disciples offer respect to the spiritual master every year on Guru-purnima. And in the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya, the disciples offer homage annually on the appearance day of the spiritual master; this occasion is called Vyasa-puja, because the spiritual master represents Vedavyasa
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=8707

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Surabhi Prabhu: The final journey. (Album with photos)
Final journey to the Yamuna for Surabhi, a wonderful soul to whom we are all deeply indebted for the magnificent temples whose facilities we are now relishing! He left peacefully in Vrindavan surrounded by devotees responding to Srila Prabhupada’s recorded kirtan. Then we took him on the last journey in the evening!
See them here: https://goo.gl/RvpTEM

Today is Guru-purnima. Srila Prabhupada has explained that the system of honoring the spiritual master is current in all sections of Vedic followers. In the Mayavadi (impersonalist) sects, disciples offer respect to the spiritual master once in a year, on Guru-purnima. And in the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya, disciples also offer homage annually—on the appearance day of the spiritual master, an occasion called Vyasa-puja because the spiritual master, through disciplic succession, presents the same knowledge as Vedavyasa, the empowered incarnation of Krsna who compiled the Vedic literatures. We shall take this opportunity to discuss the principle of guru—and glorify the acarya-sampradaya.

 Guru is a deep subject. We sing, vande ’ham sri-gurohsri-yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaisnavams ca, offering respects to the individual spiritual master, to the predecessor acaryas, and to all Vaisnavas.

As Srila Prabhupada explains, “The offering of respect to the spiritual master means offering respect to all the previous acaryas. Gurun means plural number. All the acaryas, they are not different from one another, because they are coming in the disciplic succession from the original spiritual master and they have no different views.” Thus we offer respects to the predecessors.

Similarly, we offer respects to the followers. Srila Prabhupada explains further, “Spiritual master means they must have many followers, who are all Vaisnavas. They are called prabhus, and the spiritual master is called Prabhupada, because at his lotus feet there are many prabhus. Pada means ‘lotus foot.’ All these Vaisnavas are prabhus. So they are also offered respectful obeisances—not the spiritual master alone, but along with his associates. And these associates, his disciples, are all Vaisnavas. Therefore they should also be offered respectful obeisances.” (SP comment on Mangalacarana, January 8, 1969)

For us in ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada is the main guru; he is the founder-acarya. But he also has his associates—Srila Gour Govinda Swami, Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami, Srila Sridhar Swami, Srila Bhakti Tirtha Swami, Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami—to name some prominent ones who have departed. And of course, Prabhupada is being served by so many others today, and we can serve and learn from all of them.

“One who teaches can be treated as spiritual master. . . . So if we take instruction from them, all senior godbrothers may be treated as guru. There is no harm. Actually, you have only one spiritual master, who initiates you, just as you have only one father. But every Vaisnava should be treated as prabhu, master, higher than me, and in this sense, if I learn from him, he may be regarded as guru.” (SP letter dated November 20, 1971)

The original guru is Krsna. He speaks the knowledge of Bhagavad-gita and enunciates the principles of religion. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam: the principles of dharma—bhagavata-dharma, prema-dharma—are enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Dharma means “the laws of God,” or “the orders of God.” We cannot manufacture it; dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam: the principles of religion are enacted by the Lord Himself. We cannot make religious principles any more than we can make our own laws. Srila Prabhupada gave the example that you can’t just get together with some friends and pass your own laws. Law means that it must be enacted by the government, by the parliament or legislature. Similarly, dharma is enacted by God.

dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam
na vai vidur rsayo napi devah
na siddha-mukhya asura manusyah
kuto nu vidyadhara-caranadayah

“Real religious principles are enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although fully situated in the mode of goodness, even the great rsis who occupy the topmost planets cannot ascertain the real religious principles, nor can the demigods or the leaders of Siddhaloka, to say nothing of the asuras, ordinary human beings, Vidyadharas, and Caranas.” (SB 6.3.19)

The conclusion of the Bhagavad-gita is sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja—to give up all varieties of dharma and just surrender to Krsna. And to understand the confidential truths about religious principles and the knowledge of the Bhagavad-gita, we need the help of mahajanas, authorities in Krsna consciousness—gurus.

svayambhur naradah sambhuh
kumarah kapilo manuh
prahlado janako bhismo
balir vaiyasakir vayam

 dvadasaite vijanimo
dharmam bhagavatam bhatah
guhyam visuddham durbodham
yam jnatvamrtam asnute

“Lord Brahma, Bhagavan Narada, Lord Siva, the four Kumaras, Lord Kapila [the son of Devahuti], Svayambhuva Manu, Prahlada Maharaja, Janaka Maharaja, Grandfather Bhisma, Bali Maharaja, Sukadeva Gosvami, and I myself [Yamaraja] know the real religious principle. My dear servants, this transcendental religious principle, which is known as bhagavata-dharma, or surrender unto the Supreme Lord and love for Him, is uncontaminated by the material modes of nature. It is very confidential and difficult for ordinary human beings to understand, but if by chance one fortunately understands it, he is immediately liberated, and thus he returns home, back to Godhead.” (SB 6.3.20–21)

This confidential knowledge is given by God in scriptures and passed down through disciplic succession (evam parampara-praptam) to great souls who in turn impart the knowledge to their followers. And of all scriptures, Srimad-Bhagavatam is considered the most important, the ripened fruit of the tree of Vedic knowledge.

nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam
suka-mukhad amrta-drava-samyutam
pibata bhagavatam rasam alayam
muhur aho rasika bhuvi bhavukah

“O expert and thoughtful men, relish Srimad-Bhagavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Sri Sukadeva Gosvami. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.” (SB 1.1.3)

This nectarean fruit is passed down to us through disciplic succession. In commenting on this verse, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura gives the example of a mango tree. To get a ripe mango from the top of a tree, several boys climb onto different branches. The boy at the top plucks the fruit and hands it to the boy on the next branch down, that boy hands it to the one on the next branch, and so on, until finally it reaches the boy on the ground—in the same perfect condition as it was when at the top of the tree. It hasn’t been bruised or broken but has been delivered intact, just as it was.

At the top of the tree is Krsna, and He passes the knowledge down to Brahma. Brahma passes it to Narada, and Narada passes it to Vyasa. (Today is also called Vyasa Purnima because Vyasadeva, who compiled the Vedic literature, appeared on this date.) Vyasa passes it to Madhvacarya, and so on—Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Six Gosvamis, and further down, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and Srila Prabhupada. And now the followers of Srila Prabhupada are presenting the same knowledge. They follow and present the same teachings—that is their qualification.

About Vedavyasa, Srila Prabhupada wrote: “Vyasadeva was a real person accepted by all authorities, and anyone can judge how wonderful he was to have compiled the Vedic literatures. He is therefore known as Mahamuni. Muni means ‘thoughtful’ or ‘great thinker’ or ‘great poet,’ and maha means still greater. There is no comparison of Vyasadeva with any other writer or thinker or philosopher. Nobody can estimate the scholarly importance of Srila Vyasadeva. He composed many millions of Sanskrit verses, and we try to receive just a fragment of the knowledge in them by our tiny efforts. Srila Vyasadeva therefore summarized the whole Vedic knowledge in Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is known as the ripened fruit of the desire tree of Vedic knowledge. The ripened fruit is received hand to hand through disciplic succession, and anyone who does this work in disciplic succession from Srila Vyasadeva is considered a representative of Vyasadeva, and as such the bona fide spiritual master’s appearance day is worshiped as Vyasa-puja.” (Srila Prabhupada letter dated August 25, 1970)

In addition to being Vyasa-purnima, the appearance day of Vedavyasa, today is also the disappearance day of Srila Sanatana Gosvami, the seniormost of the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana. His book Brhad-Bhagavatamrta was the first major work of the Six Gosvamis. Sanatana Gosvami also comes in the disciplic succession from Lord Krsna to Brahma, but he is especially significant because he is a direct follower of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Krsna Himself. Because Lord Caitanya is Krsna, He is capable of beginning His own disciplic succession, but because He was acting as a devotee, He chose to take initiation in the disciplic succession from Krsna and Brahma. Still, He is God, and the process by which He imparted knowledge to His immediate followers—Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami—is comparable to the way Lord Krsna imparted knowledge to Brahma. Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, in his Caitanya-caritamrta, writes of Sanatana’s younger brother Rupa:

vrndavaniyam rasa-keli-vartam
kalena luptam nija-saktim utkah
sancarya rupe vyatanot punah sa
prabhur vidhau prag iva loka-srstim

“Before the creation of this cosmic manifestation, the Lord enlightened the heart of Lord Brahma with the details of the creation and manifested the Vedic knowledge. In exactly the same way, the Lord, being anxious to revive the Vrndavana pastimes of Lord Krsna, impregnated the heart of Rupa Gosvami with spiritual potency. By this potency, Srila Rupa Gosvami could revive the activities of Krsna in Vrndavana, activities almost lost to memory. In this way, He spread Krsna consciousness throughout the world.” (Cc Madhya 19.1) Lord Caitanya also empowered him to write books on bhakti-yoga, and the same could be said about Sanatana Gosvami.

We are followers of the Six Gosvamis—followers of their followers. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura prays,

ei chaya gosai yara-mui tara dasa
tan’-sabara pada-renu mora panca-grasa

“I am the servant of that person who is a servant of the Six Gosvamis. The dust of their holy feet is my five kinds of foodstuffs.”

And:

tandera carana sevi-bhakta-sane vasa
janame janame hoy ei abhilasa

“This is my desire, that birth after birth I may live with those devotees who serve the lotus feet of the Six Gosvamis.”

A few weeks ago we were fortunate to receive four visitors from Dallas, disciples of Tamal Krishna Goswami—Dharma dasa and his wife Urjesvari, her sister Saibya, and Padma dasi. At the same time, Mayapur dasa, Sridhar Swami’s personal servant for many years, was also with us. So we thought it a good occasion to glorify these two stalwart servants of Srila Prabhupada, these two powerful preachers, Tamal Krishna Goswami and Sridhar Swami. And it was very enlivening and purifying. All of the devotees spoke so beautifully—each and every one—and one could really feel Tamal Krishna Goswami’s and Sridhar Swami’s presence and really feel united with Srila Prabhupada and his associates. His Holiness Niranjana Swami also spoke very beautifully and led kirtana.

Although all of Srila Prabhupada’s direct disciples are godbrothers and godsisters in that we were all initiated by His Divine Grace, still, among Srila Prabhupada’s followers there are some who were—and are—really leading the movement and showing the way for others to follow. Certainly His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami was a great pioneer, as were His Holiness Sridhar Swami and the others I mentioned. And even now devotees are following Srila Prabhupada and leading us and showing us the way. We also are trying to make our little contributions, but still, there are some who are ahead of us, showing the way and making it easier for us to follow.

At the same time, it is also very personal and individual—through whom Krsna speaks to whom. It is not that everyone has to follow only one particular person. Krsna can manifest Himself—and Srila Prabhupada can manifest himself—through different servants, different Vaisnavas, and we should be open to that flow of mercy however and through whomever it comes. It is not rigid or fixed. That mercy can come in different ways, and we should be open to it. That is really the principle of guru: Krsna’s instructions come to us through some servant of Krsna, some representative of Krsna—and it is not limited to only one. Krsna can speak to us through many mouths, through many personalities, and we should be open to that guidance. We should take His instructions on our head and follow them. That is how Krsna guides the conditioned souls back home, back to Godhead. He can engage any number of His servants to help us; God knows we need all the help we can get. So we shouldn’t be sectarian. We shouldn’t cut ourselves off from any flow of mercy that may come to us by the arrangement of the Lord, or of Srila Prabhupada, or of any of our spiritual masters.

I think of the example of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, because he had so many gurus. Of course, he was a direct associate of Lord Caitanya Himself, but even then, he was helped by so many well-wishers and guides. First, he was initiated by Yadunandana Acarya, Raghunatha’s family’s spiritual master. Yadunandana Acarya himself was a great Vaisnava, an initiated disciple of Advaita Acarya and an intimate student of Vasudeva Datta. And Balarama Acarya, a dear associate of Haridasa Thakura, was Raghunatha’s family’s priest. Raghunatha learned from him too. Balarama Acarya and Yadunandana Acarya were friends, and both used to host Haridasa Thakura at their homes. For some time, Balarama Acarya provided Haridasa with a thatched hut and prasada, and at that time, while still a student, Raghunatha visited Haridasa Thakura daily, and it is said that because of the mercy Haridasa showed him then, Raghunatha later attained the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Once, Balarama Acarya invited Haridasa Thakura to speak in the assembly of Raghunatha’s family, the Majumadaras, and thus Raghunatha heard from him again, about the glories of the holy name.

Eventually, Raghunatha dasa met Nityananda Prabhu at Panihati and got His benediction to become free from all obstacles and attain shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Soon, Raghunatha escaped from home, traveled by foot to Puri, and attained the merciful shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu—by the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu. Then[,] Caitanya Mahaprabhu entrusted Raghunatha dasa to Svarupa Damodara Gosvami: “I entrust Raghunatha to you. Please accept him as your son or servant.” Raghunatha was still very young, only about twenty-two. The Lord took Raghunatha’s hand and personally placed him in the hands of Svarupa Damodara Gosvami. And so Raghunatha became Svarupa Damodara’s assistant. Svarupa Damodara was Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s secretary, and Raghunatha dasa in effect became assistant secretary.

After Caitanya Mahaprabhu left this world, followed by Svarupa Damodara and almost all of His other intimate associates, Raghunatha dasa felt bereft: “I am all alone. There is no reason to live. How can I live without my prabhus, without my masters?”

Raghunatha dasa felt so much separation that he decided to go to Vrndavana to see the lotus feet of Rupa and Sanatana and then give up his life by jumping from Govardhana Hill. But the two brothers would not allow him to die. They prevailed upon him to stay with them and speak about Mahaprabhu’s later pastimes. “You should not give up your life,” they told him. “You were with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Puri and were witness to so many of His intimate pastimes. You should stay with us and tell us about your experiences with Him.” And they accepted him as their third brother.

Especially Sanatana Gosvami gave him shelter and took care of him. At first, when Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was doing bhajana at Radha-kunda, he didn’t have any residence. And while doing his bhajana, he was pretty much oblivious to everything else. When he chanted, he would go into trance. Still, he chanted at least one lakh names every day. But it could happen that he would go into deep trance and Krsna’s pastimes would play in his mind. Like that, he was chanting Krsna’s name and remembering Krsna’s pastimes one day, and the hot sun was beating down on his head. Srimati Radharani Herself came and held a cloth over his head, but he didn’t know it, because he was in deep meditation. But Sanatana Gosvami understood, and he personally built a bhajana-kutira for Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. He took care of Raghunatha dasa in every respect.

In his book Vilapa-kusumanjali, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami begins by offering respects to his gurus, including Sanatana Gosvami:

vairagya-yug-bhakti-rasam prayatnair
apayayan mam anabhipsum andham
krpambudhir yah para-duhkha-duhkhi
sanatanas tam prabhum asrayami

“I was unwilling to drink the nectar of devotional service possessed of renunciation, but Sanatana Gosvami, out of his causeless mercy, made me drink it, even though I was otherwise unable to do so. Therefore he is an ocean of mercy. He is very compassionate to fallen souls like me, and thus it is my duty to offer my respectful obeisances unto his lotus feet.” (Vilapa-kusumanjali 6)

In this verse, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami describes Sanatana Gosvami with a phrase that Srila Prabhupada often quoted (for all compassionate Vaisnavas): para-duhkha-duhkhi—“he felt sorrow in the sorrow of others.” Raghunatha dasa says, vairagya-yug-bhakti-rasam prayatnair—he gave me the nectar of devotional service enriched with renunciation; anabhipsum andham—but I was unwilling (anabhipsum) to drink it, because I was blind (andham) to my spiritual well-being; so apayayan mam—he forced me to drink it. Sanatana Gosvami is an ocean of mercy (krpambudhi), and therefore I offer my respectful obeisances to him. I take shelter of him, my master (prabhum asrayami).

Srila Prabhupada paraphrased this verse in composing a verse to honor his sannyasa-guru, Srila Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja. He used almost the same words. The idea is that it is very hard to become free from the shackles of family life. Of course, one can be a pure devotee in the grhastha-asrama—that is another thing—but to preach, sannyasa may be advised.

As Srila Prabhupada describes it, he was having recurring dreams that his guru maharaja was calling him to follow him and preach. And he would wake up horrified: “How can I take sannyasa and become a mendicant? How can I leave my wife and children? What will happen then?” Eventually Prabhupada accepted vanaprastha. He went to Jhansi and began the League of Devotees there. But there was some politics. The wife of the governor wanted the property that Srila Prabhupada had been using for the League. She made all efforts to get it for some ladies’ program, and because she was so influential, Prabhupada decided not to fight against her. So he left and went to Mathura, where he stayed in the matha of his godbrother Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja. And Kesava Maharaja insisted, “You must take sannyasa.” To fully take up the order of the spiritual master and preach, one must accept the renounced order of life. And so Prabhupada did—he took sannyasa.

Then, in 1968—in the early days of the Krsna consciousness movement in the West—in Seattle, Srila Prabhupada got news that His Holiness Kesava Maharaja had passed away. So he held a meeting with his disciples there and spoke about the history, how his guru maharaja and his godbrother had “forced” him to take sannyasa: “My godbrother insisted. Not he insisted—practically my spiritual master insisted through him, that ‘You accept.’ He wanted me to become a preacher, so he forced me through this godbrother: ‘You accept.’ So, unwillingly I accepted.”

Srila Prabhupada saw that his guru maharaja was working through his godbrother, speaking through his godbrother—another Vaisnava—and he composed this verse, very similar to the one Raghunatha dasa composed for Sanatana Gosvami—but for Kesava Maharaja. Apayayan mam anabhipsum andham. “I was unwilling to take the medicine of bhakti with detachment because I was blind. I could not see my future, that spiritual life is the brightest future. So the Vaisnavas, the spiritual master, they force: ‘You must drink.’” Sri-kesava-bhakti-prajnana-nama krpambudhir yas tam aham prapadye: “Sri Bhaktiprajnana Kesava is an ocean of mercy, and I offer my respectful obeisances unto him.”

So, Sanatana Gosvami was a great shelter to Vaisnavas in Vrndavana. He was not only intelligent—all the Gosvamis were very intelligent—he was also very shrewd, very clever; he understood politics and diplomacy. It is said that Rupa Gosvami was very simple but that Sanatana Gosvami was very astute; he could understand people’s motives and intentions. So he was able to protect devotees in the most practical ways, because he had that type of intelligence. And he protected Raghunatha dasa Gosvami on every level.

Then, on the day of Guru-purnima, because Sanatana Gosvami was the seniormost of the Gosvamis and the siksa-guru of almost everyone in Vrndavana, the Vaisnavas went to Govardhana to offer him respects. Upon their arrival at his bhajana-kutira at Manasi-ganga, they saw that he was in trance. He didn’t move at all. So they waited. They didn’t want to disturb him.

Eventually they understood that he had left his body, and they all were overwhelmed with separation. They took him on parikrama of Govardhana Hill, as he had faithfully done parikrama of Govardhana Hill every day. But they weren’t sure where to place his body. Jiva Gosvami, who was the leader after Sanatana, decided that they should bring him back to Vrndavana, close to the temple of the Deity of Madana-mohana, who was so dear to him. So, that took place on Guru-purnima.

We can see how the devotees helped each other. Everyone helped everyone. In Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, we find that the Vaisnavas were always helping each other. And we should learn from their example. We should develop that mood. Of course, help can come in different ways. Sometimes it comes in terms of instruction, and sometimes it comes in practical ways, like Sanatana Gosvami’s building Raghunatha dasa Gosvami’s bhajana-kutira. These exalted devotees were always serving each other—serving Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and serving each other. And that should be our mood: to serve each other, actually help each other—and to learn from each other.

In the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, we learn how an avadhuta brahmana took lessons from others, from twenty-four siksa-gurus: the material elements, natural phenomena, plants, animals—even from a prostitute. By his intelligence, he learned from all of them, and he accepted them all as his gurus. For example, he learned from the mountain that a saintly person should devote all his efforts to the service of others and make their welfare the sole reason for his existence (as we learn from Govardhana Hill). From the python he learned that one should give up material endeavor and accept what comes of its own accord—one should remain peaceful and steady, indifferent to material gain but always alert to self-realization. Even from Pingala, a prostitute, he learned. Because she had no other source of income, she was very anxious for customers. One night she was waiting and waiting and still no customer came. Finally, at the end of the night, she felt disgusted with her situation and thus became detached. From Pingala he learned detachment—and attachment for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whom she accepted as her ultimate shelter and object of love.

So we can learn from anyone and anything. If we are sincerely trying to serve Krsna and to understand how best to serve Him, the Lord in the heart will give us the intelligence how to learn from others—even from trees and grass. Caitanya Mahaprabhu glorified the trees and grass, for from them we learn how to be tolerant and humble. So we can learn from anyone and everyone, and everything.

We can learn even from demons—and we are surrounded by them. Big business people, with their advertising and other strategies, are so clever. We should be that shrewd, that clever, for Krsna. Materialistic leaders figure out how to trap people in their nets and pull them in and keep them. We can learn from such powerful materialists how to attract people and keep them, for Krsna—how to be organized and intelligent, for Krsna. If we are in the proper mood, anything can remind us of devotional service and be used for Krsna’s benefit. Anyone can be a siksa-guru for us if we are absorbed in the mood of serving Krsna, fixed in Krsna consciousness.

But in particular, and especially on occasions like today, we are enjoined to offer respectful obeisances unto our diksa- and siksa-gurus in the disciplic succession, from Krsna to Brahma to Narada to Vyasa, from Caitanya Mahaprabhu to Sanatana Gosvami, from Srila Prabhupada to his followers, which include all of you.

Hare Krsna.

[A Talk by Giriraj Swami on Guru-purnima, July 29, 2007, in Dallas]

Question: How does purification work for devotees – purification of anarthas? I always hear devotees say, “this is for your purification,” but how does it work?

śṛṇvatām svakathā krishna,
punya śravana kīrtana,
hṛdyāntaḥ stho hyabhadrānī
vidhunoti suhṛt satām

This verse from Bhāgavatam (1.2.17) is the answer to your question, and there is no better answer.

Abhadra meanns impurity. hṛdi-antaḥ-stha means “in the heart.” So, the topic of the verse is about how to get rid of (“vidhunoti“) impurities in the heart – “anarthas.” The method is to hear (“śṛṇvata“) Krishna-kathā and Krishna-kīrtan.

Krishna-kathā doesn’t mean chatting about this or that das or dasi, prabhu or mātājī, or GBC or ABC rule or motion, or any other stuff somehow suppesedly remotely connected to Krishna in some way. Krishna-kathā means directly hearing Krishna-līlā, and then glorifying that same Krishna in kīrtan. If we do not hear Krishna līlā we cannot do nāma-kīrtan or nāma-japa and thus we cannot become purified.

If we do not hear Krishna līlā we cannot do nāma-kīrtan or nāma-japa and thus we cannot become purified.

Q: Example will help me to understand. I get angry easily. How will Krishna-kathā purify this? How will it purify lust or envy? 

If you try to stop your anger, lust, etc you will fail. “daivi-hy eṣa guṇa mayī, mama-māyā-durātyayā.” Our nature is our nature – prakṛti – and that is impossible to overcome. Don’t try to stop your anger, lust, or whatever. Just try to develop attraction to hearing Krishna-līlā in more and more detail. Then, automatically, you will be more able to do śuddha-nāma-japa and śuddha-nāma-kīrtan. And then – by association with śuddha-nāma – all impurity will fall away just like an empty house falls to ruin, or a forgotten book is never read. By developing taste for Krishna, we simply FORGET about anger and lust. “param dṛṣṭvā nivartante.” We don’t “overcome” our impurities – we forget about them, and they disappear gradually as a result of our neglect.

Today we will travel with Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra in procession, and we will chant the holy names of the Lord and dance for His pleasure. So we shall read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Thirteen: “The Ecstatic Dancing of the Lord at Ratha-yatra.”

TEXT 1

sa jiyat krsna-caitanyah
sri-rathagre nanarta yah
yenasij jagatam citram
jagannatho ‘pi vismitah

TRANSLATION

May the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna Caitanya, who danced in front of the car of Sri Jagannatha, be all glorified! By seeing His dancing, not only was the whole universe held in wonder, but Lord Jagannatha Himself became very much astonished.

TEXT 2

jaya jaya sri-krsna-caitanya nityananda
jayadvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda

TRANSLATION

All glories to Sri Krsna Caitanya and Prabhu Nityananda! All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to the devotees of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!

TEXT 3

jaya srota-gana, suna, kari’ eka mana
ratha-yatraya nrtya prabhura parama mohana

TRANSLATION

All glories to the listeners of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta! Please hear the description of the dancing of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu at the Ratha-yatra festival. His dancing is very enchanting. Please hear of it with great attention.

TEXT 23

panca-dasa dina isvara maha-laksmi lana
tanra sange krida kaila nibhrte vasiya

TRANSLATION

For fifteen days the Lord [Jagannatha] had remained in a secluded place with the supreme goddess of fortune and had performed His pastimes with her.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The fifteen-day period of anavasara is also called nibhrta, in honor of the solitary place where the supreme goddess of fortune lives. After living there a fortnight, Lord Jagannatha took permission from the goddess of fortune to leave.

TEXT 24

tanhara sammati lana bhakte sukha dite
rathe cadi’ bahira haila vihara karate

TRANSLATION

Having taken permission from the goddess of fortune, the Lord came out to ride on the Ratha car and perform His pastimes for the pleasure of the devotees.

PURPORT

In this connection, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments that as an ideal husband, Lord Jagannatha remained fifteen days in a secluded place with His wife, the supreme goddess of fortune. Nonetheless, the Lord wanted to come out of seclusion to give happiness to His devotees. The Lord enjoys Himself in two ways, known as svakiya and parakiya. The Lord’s conjugal love in the svakiya-rasa relates to the regulative principles observed in Dvaraka, where the Lord has many married queens. But in Vrndavana the conjugal love of the Lord is not with His married wives but with His girlfriends, the gopis. Conjugal love with thegopis is called parakiya-rasa. Lord Jagannatha leaves the secluded place where He enjoys the company of the supreme goddess of fortune in svakiya-rasa, and He goes to Vrndavana, where He enjoys the parakiya-rasa. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura therefore reminds us that the Lord’s pleasure in parakiya-rasa is superior to His pleasure in svakiya-rasa.

In the material world, parakiya-rasa, or loving affairs with unmarried girlfriends, is the most degraded relationship, but in the spiritual world this type of loving affair is considered the supreme enjoyment. In the material world everything is but a reflection of the spiritual world, and that reflection is perverted. We cannot understand the affairs of the spiritual world on the basis of our experience in the material world. The Lord’s pastimes with the gopis are therefore misunderstood by mundane scholars and word-wranglers. The parakiya-rasa of the spiritual world should not be discussed except by one who is very advanced in pure devotional service. The parakiya-rasa in the spiritual world and that in the material world are not comparable. The former is like gold, and the latter is like iron. Because the difference of the two is so great, they cannot actually be compared. However, just as a knowledgeable person can easily distinguish gold from iron, one who has the proper realization can easily distinguish the transcendental activities of the spiritual world from material activities.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

Fifteen days before the Ratha-yatra festival in Puri, Lord Jagannatha is brought from inside His temple onto a rooftop of the complex and is bathed, in public view, in the ceremony called Snana-yatra. After the bathing ceremony the Lord retires to a secluded place in an area inside the temple reserved for the supreme goddess of fortune. For fifteen days she serves Him with great love and devotion, and after that period, called anavasara, the Lord wants to come out of seclusion to give pleasure to His devotees, and with the permission of the goddess of fortune He goes out in the procession called Ratha-yatra.

The temple of Lord Jagannatha in Nilacala is compared to Dvaraka, where Lord Krsna lives with His married queens, and the temple at Sundaracala, called the Gundica temple, after King Indradyumna’s wife, is taken to represent Vrndavana. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His internal mood is Srimati Radharani when She feels separation from Krsna after He leaves Vrndavana for Mathura and Dvaraka. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mood during the Ratha-yatra is that of Srimati Radharani wanting to take Krsna back to Vrndavana. In krsna-lila, after Krsna had gone to Dvaraka and resided there for some years, a solar eclipse took place. And as recommended in the Vedas, many people went to Kuruksetra to take bath. Eclipses are considered inauspicious, and to counteract the inauspiciousness people submerge themselves in sacred bodies of water and chant the holy names of the Lord. When Krsna was informed of the eclipse He decided, “We shall go to Kuruksetra to observe it”–because Kuruksetra is a holy place (kuru-ksetre dharma-ksetre). And when the news spread that Lord Krsna was going to Kuruksetra, devotees from all over the world decided that they would go too–not so much to observe the rituals for the eclipse but to see Lord Krsna. So devotees, jnanis, yogis, saints, sages, and kings from all over India went to Kuruksetra. And the residents of Vrndavana decided that they would go too. So Nanda Maharaja, Mother Yasoda, the elders of Vrndavana, the cowherd boys, the young gopis–they also went. It was an emotional exchange when Krsna met with His mother and father from Vrndavana after such a long separation, and He became so choked up that He could hardly speak. Yet within His heart, He was most eager to meet the young gopis, and eventually He excused Himself to approach them. But when they met, Srimati Radharani and the other gopis could not feel the same pleasure that they experienced with Him in Vrndavana, because there was no Yamuna River, no Vrndavana forest, no Govardhana Hill. And instead of the humming of bees and chirping of birds, there were the sounds of horses and elephants and chariots rattling. And instead of Krsna being dressed in His yellow dhoti (pitambara), with a peacock feather in His hair and flute in His hand, He was dressed as a royal prince, accompanied by great warriors and surrounded by all opulence. So even though He was the same Krsna and She was the same Radha, They could not enjoy the same happiness, and thus Srimati Radharani wanted to bring Krsna back to Vrndavana so They could relish the same ecstasy They had enjoyed in Their youth.

The Ratha-yatra festival as observed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers is the emotional exchange between Srimati Radharani and Lord Krsna in which Radharani wants to bring Krsna back to Vrndavana. This is the internal mood of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. As Sri Caitanya-caritamrta explains, Sriman Mahaprabhu appeared for two reasons. Internally, He wanted to experience Srimati Radharani’s love for Krsna–the glory of Her love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness that She feels in His love. Ultimately, He wanted to broadcast the glories of Srimati Radharani’s love for Him and try to repay His debt to Her. And externally, He wanted to propagate the yuga-dharma for Kali-yuga–hari-nama-sankirtana.

We shouldn’t think that one purpose of the Lord is higher than the other. On the absolute plane, they are equal. Because Krsna is absolute, there is no difference between His inside and outside. In conditioned souls there is a difference between the soul within and the body without, but in Krsna, who is absolute spirit (sac-cid-ananda-vigraha), there is no difference between His inside and outside. Similarly, on the absolute platform there is no difference in value between the internal and external reasons for the Lord’s descent.

Lord Jagannatha, as Krsna, wants to reciprocate Srimati Radharani’s love for Him, and He wants to give mercy to all of His devotees and indeed to all living entities. And both take place during the Ratha-yatra. Generally devotees go to the temple to see the Lord, but people in Kali-yuga are so fallen that they have no time to go to the church or temple–or no inclination. So the Lord comes out of the temple to give mercy to the devotees and fallen souls.

The Lord comes out in two forms: one is the Deity, Lord Jagannatha, and the other is the holy name, the hari-nama-sankirtana. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta states that the holy name of Krsna, the Deity of Krsna, and the original form of Krsna are all the same. There is no difference between them.

‘nama’, ‘vigraha’, ‘svarupa’–tina eka-rupa
tine ‘bheda’ nahi,–tina ‘cid-ananda-rupa’

“The Lord’s holy name, His form, and His personality are all one and the same. There is no difference between them. Since all of them are absolute, they are all transcendentally blissful.” (Cc Madhya 17.131) In the Ratha-yatra, the Lord gives His association to the devotees and even to ordinary conditioned souls as the Deity–Lord Jagannatha–and as the holy name, the Hare Krsna maha-mantra–both of which are the Lord Himself. The Lord also gives His association in the form of His chariot and the ropes that pull the chariot, because on the absolute platform the Lord’s paraphernalia and the Lord are the same.

The king of Orissa at the time of Mahaprabhu was Maharaja Prataparudra. He was a great devotee, and many of Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s associates wanted to arrange for Lord Caitanya to meet him, but because Caitanya Mahaprabhu was playing the part of a sannyasi in a very strict society, He refused to meet the king. He heard the glories of the king, but He said, “Still, the king has one fault: he is a king.” The very name king suggests material opulence and sense gratification. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as a sannyasi in that culture, did not want to be associated with a king. He did not want His reputation to be tarnished. Even then, the devotees appealed to the Lord to be merciful to the king, because they knew how attached he was to Lord Caitanya; he was ready to give up his kingdom and live as a mendicant if he did not get Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy. Within the court of the king were many of Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s intimate associates. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was the chief priest or spiritual advisor of King Prataparudra, and Ramananda Raya was the king’s governor in South India. The king was so kind and generous that he relieved Ramananda Raya of his service as governor and allowed him to come to Jagannatha Puri to serve Caitanya Mahaprabhu. These devotees informed Caitanya Mahaprabhu of the king’s good qualities and strong desire to obtain His mercy. Still, although His heart was softened, Caitanya remained adamant.

Finally, Nityananda Prabhu made a proposal. He suggested that Caitanya Mahaprabhu send a piece of His worn cloth to the king, which would give the king hope that Mahaprabhu would indeed show him mercy. And when the king received the cloth, he began to worship it exactly as if it were Lord Caitanya Himself. On the absolute platform, the Lord and the Lord’s paraphernalia are the same. They are equally worshipable. In fact, the worship of the Lord’s paraphernalia and associates may be even more favorable than the worship of the Lord directly. Lord Siva told Parvati,

aradhananam sarvesam
visnor aradhanam param
tasmat parataram devi
tadiyanam samarcanam

“O Devi, of all types of worship, the worship of Lord Visnu is best, and better than the worship of Lord Visnu is the worship of anything belonging to Visnu.” (Padma Purana) Thus the king, with great bliss, received the cloth and worshiped it as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself.

On the absolute platform, the Ratha-yatra car and the ropes of the car, as the Lord’s paraphernalia, are worshipable, and if people touch the car or the ropes, they benefit as if they were touching the lotus feet of the Deity–the Lord Himself. So, the Lord is extremely munificent in distributing His mercy during Ratha-yatra. And when He smiles and casts His glance upon His devotees and all other souls as He passes in the procession, they receive His most sublime mercy and love.

The Ratha-yatra is a very jubilant festival, because the Lord is coming out to give His darsana, His audience, to His devotees–to give His mercy. And as Srila Prabhupada said, it is a very feeling festival. Srimati Radharani, meeting Krsna in Kuruksetra after such a long separation and then not finding the same happiness, is tugging Him back to Vrndavana.

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu observed the Ratha-yatra festival, He would sometimes recite a verse from mundane poetry, and no one could understand the reason; no one could understand the inner meaning. In the verse the beloved says to her lover, “I am the same person as when we met in our youth, and you are also the same person, but where is the tree beside the river where in moonlit nights we enjoyed together? I want to go back there.” Again and again, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would recite the same verse:

yah kaumara-harah sa eva hi varas ta eva caitra-ksapas
te conmilita-malati-surabhayah praudhah kadambanilah
sa caivasmi tathapi tatra surata-vyapara-lila-vidhau
reva-rodhasi vetasi-taru-tale cetah samutkanthate

“That very personality who stole away my heart during my youth is now again my master. These are the same moonlit nights of the month of Caitra. The same fragrance of malati flowers is there, and the same sweet breezes are blowing from the kadamba forest. In our intimate relationship, I am also the same lover, yet still my mind is not happy here. I am eager to go back to that place on the bank of the Reva under the Vetasi tree. That is my desire.” (Padyavali 386, quoted as Cc Madhya 13.121)

Apart from Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, practically no one could understand the meaning of that verse. But one year Srila Rupa Gosvami happened to be present at the Ratha-yatra, and he heard the Lord singing the verse. After the procession he returned to his quarters and on a palm leaf wrote his own verse explaining the original verse, stuck the leaf in the thatched roof of his hut, and went to bathe in the sea. In the meantime, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to his hut to meet him. Three great personalities–Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, and Haridasa Thakura–were not allowed to enter the Jagannatha temple. Haridasa Thakura was born in a Muslim family, and Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami had served in the government of Nawab Hussain Shah and had intimate association with Muslims. Thus they were all considered to be fallen–unqualified. So, Caitanya Mahaprabhu would go to visit them daily, and on this occasion He happened to notice the palm leaf stuck in the thatch. He took the leaf and read Rupa Gosvami’s verse–a very beautiful verse in which he describes Srimati Radharani’s feelings on meeting Krsna at Kuruksetra, echoing the poetic verse that Mahaprabhu had recited. Here, Radharani says to Her friend, “He is the same Krsna, and I am the same Radha, but without Vrndavana We cannot experience the same happiness. How I wish to take Him back with Me to Vrndavana.”

priyah so ‘yam krsnah saha-cari kuru-ksetra-militas
tathaham sa radha tad idam ubhayoh sangama-sukham
tathapy antah-khelan-madhura-murali-pancama-juse
mano me kalindi-pulina-vipinaya sprhayati

“My dear friend, now I have met My very old and dear friend Krsna on this field of Kuruksetra. I am the same Radharani, and now We are meeting together. It is very pleasant, but still I would like to go to the bank of the Yamuna beneath the trees of the forest there. I wish to hear the vibration of His sweet flute playing the fifth note within that forest of Vrndavana.” (Padyavali 387, quoted as Cc Madhya 1.76)

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was astonished: “How could Rupa Gosvami know My intention?” Later, Caitanya Mahaprabhu showed the verse to Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, His personal secretary and most intimate associate in Puri. Svarupa
Damodara understood the purport of that apparently mundane verse, but no one else did, and he kept it confidential. So, Lord Caitanya asked him, “How could Rupa Gosvami know My heart?” And Svarupa Damodara Gosvami replied, “He must have received Your special mercy. Otherwise, no one can know Your heart.”

Srila Prabhupada remarks that he received a similar blessing from his guru maharaja. One year he wrote a beautiful essay for his guru maharaja’s Vyasa-puja ceremony, which he read at the Bombay Gaudiya Matha, along with a poem he composed in appreciation of his guru maharaja. One verse in particular pleased his guru maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:

Absolute is sentient
Thou hast proved
Impersonal calamity
Thou hast moved

That verse went to the essence of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s realization of his preaching mission. And just as Lord Caitanya showed Rupa Gosvami’s verse to Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura would show Prabhupada’s verse to his confidential devotees: “How could he have understood my intentions?”

Thus, by the mercy of Srila Rupa Gosvami, the confidential, internal mood of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at the Ratha-yatra was revealed, and this confidential information was compiled and elaborated upon by Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami in his Caitanya-caritamrta. Kaviraja Gosvami did not personally witness Mahaprabhu’s pastimes, but he resided in Vrndavana and heard about them later. After Caitanya Mahaprabhu and most of His close associates disappeared, Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was heartbroken and considered, “What is the use of living without Mahaprabhu and His associates in Puri?” So he decided to go to Vrndavana to commit Vaisnava suicide, to jump from Govardhana Hill. But before doing so, he wanted to offer respects at the lotus feet of Rupa and Sanatana.

When he met them, they appealed to him, “Don’t do this. Better you stay with us.” They accepted him as their younger brother, as their third brother. “Because you were with Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Jagannatha Puri, you know all about the Lord’s later pastimes. You should narrate them to us.” He agreed, and every day he would discourse for three hours about Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes in Puri–and one devotee in the audience was Kaviraja Gosvami. Also, both Svarupa Damodara Gosvami and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami took notes when they were with Mahaprabhu. (In a similar way, Srila Prabhupada’s personal attendants also took notes, and thus we have Hari Sauri’s Transcendental Diary, TKG’s Diary, and other such works.) So, Svarupa Damodara Gosvami and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami took notes, and Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami got their notebooks. And based on what he had heard from Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and learned from the notebooks and other authoritative sources of information, he compiled Sri Caitanya-caritamrta and disclosed these most confidential facts about Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s internal mood at Ratha-yatra.

Externally during the Ratha-yatra, there was tremendous hari-nama-sankirtana. We shall read about that now, to just get some idea of it and perhaps to gain some inspiration in our own performance of hari-nama-sankirtana.

TEXT 25

suksma sveta-balu pathe pulinera sama
dui dike tota, saba–yena vrndavana

TRANSLATION

The fine, white sand spread all over the path resembled the bank of the Yamuna, and the small gardens on both sides looked just like those in Vrndavana.

TEXT 26

rathe cadi’ jagannatha karila gamana
dui-parsve dekh’ cale anandita-mana

TRANSLATION

As Lord Jagannatha rode in His car and saw the beauty on both sides, His mind was filled with pleasure.

TEXT 27

The pullers of the car were known as gaudas, and they pulled with great pleasure. However, the car sometimes went very fast and sometimes very slow.

COMMENT

In the first Ratha-yatra in ISKCON, celebrated in San Francisco with a flatbed truck as the chariot, the truck developed some difficulty and stalled going up a hill, and the devotees didn’t know if they’d get it to work again. At the time, Srila Prabhupada was ill, recuperating at Stinson Beach, outside San Francisco, and was unable to attend the Ratha-yatra. But the next day, when the devotees came to visit and report to him about the Ratha-yatra, they told him about the crisis with the truck stalling. And Srila Prabhupada remarked, “This is Lord Jagannatha’s pastime. The same thing happened when Lord Caitanya attended the Ratha-yatra in Puri. And now that Ratha-yatra has come to the West, this pastime of Lord Jagannatha’s has come too.”

TEXTS 28-30

Sometimes the car would stand still and not move, even though it was pulled very vigorously. The chariot therefore moved by the will of the Lord, not by the strength of any ordinary person.

As the car stood still, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gathered all His devotees and, with His own hand, decorated them with flower garlands and sandalwood pulp.

Paramananda Puri and Brahmananda Bharati were both personally given garlands and sandalwood pulp from the very hands of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This increased their transcendental pleasure.

COMMENT

They were considered senior to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and He worshiped and served them on the same level as He served His spiritual master.

TEXTS 31-34

Similarly, when Advaita Acarya and Nityananda Prabhu felt the touch of the transcendental hand of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, They were very pleased.

The Lord also gave garlands and sandalwood pulp to the performers of sankirtana. The two chief performers were Svarupa Damodara and Srivasa Thakura.

There were altogether four parties of kirtana performers, comprising twenty-four chanters. In each party there were also two mrdanga players, making an additional eight persons.

When the four parties were formed, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, after some consideration, divided the chanters.

COMMENT

Caitanya Mahaprabhu was also an expert organizer.

TEXTS 35-37

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ordered Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Acarya, Haridasa Thakura, and Vakresvara Pandita to dance in each of the four respective parties.

Svarupa Damodara was chosen as the leader of the first party and was given five assistants to respond to his chanting.

The five who responded to the singing of Svarupa Damodara were Damodara Pandita, Narayana, Govinda Datta, Raghava Pandita, and Sri Govindananda.

TEXT 38

advaitere nrtya karibare ajna dila
srivasa-pradhana ara sampradaya kaila

TRANSLATION

Advaita Acarya Prabhu was ordered to dance in the first group. The Lord then formed another group with Srivasa Thakura as the chief man.

PURPORT

In the first group, Damodara Svarupa was appointed chief singer, and the responding singers were Damodara Pandita, Narayana, Govinda Datta, Raghava Pandita, and Govindananda. Sri Advaita Acarya was appointed as a dancer. The next group was formed, and the chief singer was Srivasa Thakura.

TEXTS 39-54

The five singers who responded to the singing of Srivasa Thakura were Gangadasa, Haridasa, Sriman, Subhananda, and Sri Rama Pandita. Sri Nityananda Prabhu was appointed as a dancer.

Another group was formed consisting of Vasudeva, Gopinatha, and Murari. All these were responsive singers, and Mukunda was the chief singer.

Another two persons, Srikanta and Vallabha Sena, joined as responsive singers. In this group, the senior Haridasa [Haridasa Thakura] was the dancer.

The Lord formed another group, appointing Govinda Ghosa as leader. In this group the younger Haridasa, Visnudasa, and Raghava were the responding singers.

Two brothers named Madhava Ghosa and Vasudeva Ghosa also joined this group as responsive singers. Vakresvara Pandita was the dancer.

There was a sankirtana party from the village known as Kulina-grama, and Ramananda and Satyaraja were appointed the dancers in this group.

There was another party that came from Santipura and was formed by Advaita Acarya. Acyutananda was the dancer, and the rest of the men were singers.

Another party was formed by the people of Khanda. These people were singing in a different place. In that group, Narahari Prabhu and Raghunandana were dancing.

Four parties chanted and danced in front of Lord Jagannatha, and on either side was another party. Yet another was at the rear.

There were altogether seven parties of sankirtana, and in each party two men were beating drums. Thus fourteen drums were being played at once. The sound was tumultuous, and all the devotees became mad.

All the Vaisnavas came together like an assembly of clouds. As the devoteeschanted the holy names in great ecstasy, tears fell from their eyes like rain.

When the sankirtana resounded, it filled the three worlds. Indeed, no one could hear any sounds or musical instruments other than the sankirtana.

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu wandered through all seven groups chanting the holy name, “Hari, Hari!” Raising His arms, He shouted, “All glories to Lord Jagannatha!”

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu then exhibited another mystic power by performing pastimes simultaneously in all seven groups.

Everyone said, “Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is present in my group. Indeed, He does not go anywhere else. He is bestowing His mercy upon us.”

Actually, no one could see the inconceivable potency of the Lord. Only the most confidential devotees, those in pure, unalloyed devotional service, could understand.

COMMENT

Sri Krsna, during the rasa dance, also expanded Himself, to be by the side of each gopi. He dealt with each gopiin such an affectionate and personal way that each thought, “Krsna is with me. Krsna cannot leave me. Krsna favors me.”

TEXTS 55-59

Lord Jagannatha was very much pleased by the sankirtana, and He brought His car to a standstill just to see the performance.

King Prataparudra was also astonished to see the sankirtana. He became inactive and was converted to ecstatic love of Krsna.

When the king informed Kasi Misra of the glories of the Lord, Kasi Misra replied, “O king, your fortune has no limit!”

The king and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya were both aware of the Lord’s activities, but no one else could see the tricks of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Only a person who has received the mercy of the Lord can understand. Without the Lord’s mercy, even the demigods, headed by Lord Brahma, cannot understand.
TEXT 60

rajara tuccha seva dekhi’ prabhura tusta mana
sei ta’ prasade paila ‘rahasya-darsana’

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had been very satisfied to see the king accept the menial task of sweeping the street, and for this humility the king received the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He could therefore observe the mystery of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s activities.

PURPORT

The mystery of the Lord’s activities is described by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Lord Jagannatha was astonished to see the transcendental dancing and chanting of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and He stopped His car just to see the dancing. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu then danced in such a mystical way that He pleased Lord Jagannatha. The seer and the dancer were one andthe same Supreme Person, but the Lord, being one and many at the same time, was exhibiting the variegatedness of His pastimes. This is the meaning behind His mysterious exhibition. By the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the king could understand how the two of Them were enjoying each other’s activities. Another mysterious exhibition was Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s simultaneous presence in seven groups. By the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the king could understand that also.

COMMENT

The king was eager to have Lord Caitanya’s darsana, but because he was a king Caitanya Mahaprabhu refused to meet him. But when the king offered menial service to Lord Jagannatha, sweeping the road in front of Him, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s heart softened, and He gave the king such specialmercy that he was able to perceive the mysterious activities of the Lord in Ratha-yatra. Now, we might take it lightly that the king swept the road in front of the Deity, but it was no small thing then. In fact, the king was criticized by other royalty: “What kind of a king is this? He is sweeping
the street.” But the king didn’t care about mundane reputation. He sincerely rendered menial service to the Lord. And because of his humble service, Lord Caitanya, who is not different from Lord Jagannatha, gave him some special mercy to actually be able to observe the mystery of the Lord’s activities.

TEXT 61

saksate na deya dekha, parokse ta’ daya
ke bujhite pare caitanya-candrera maya

TRANSLATION

Although the king had been refused an interview, he was indirectly bestowed causeless mercy. Who can understand the internal potency of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu?

PURPORT

As Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was playing the part of a world teacher, He did not agree to see the king, because a king is a mundane person interested in money and women. Indeed, the very word “king” suggests one who is always surrounded by money and women. As a sannyasi, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was afraid of both money and women. The very word “king” is repugnant to one who is in the renounced order of life. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu refused to see the king, but indirectly, by the Lord’s causeless mercy, the king was able to understand the Lord’s mysterious activities. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s activities were exhibited sometimes to reveal Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and sometimes to show Him as a devotee. Both kinds of activities are mysterious and appreciated only by pure devotees.

COMMENT

There are many mysteries here. Vasudeva Ghosa, a great poet and singer among Mahaprabhu’s associates (mentioned in Text 43), has written, jei gaura sei krsna sei jagannath: “He who is Gaura is He who is Krsna is He who is Jagannatha.” Lord Caitanya is Krsna, Lord Jagannatha is Krsna, and Krsna is Krsna, but They assume different forms and different moods to reciprocate in loving pastimes–even with each other. And King Prataparudra, by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, could see and understand all this. He could also see that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu expanded Himself into multiple forms and was moving amidst the seven kirtanaparties. Not everyone could see that. So that was also the Lord’s special mercy upon him. But the greatest mercy, which the king had long desired, was bestowed upon him later, when Lord Caitanya went to rest in a garden nearby. There Caitanya Mahaprabhu finally gave him personal audience (darsana). He embraced the king, and together they cried in ecstatic love.

When at Balagandi the chariots halted for some time to allow devotees to offer food (bhoga) to Lord Jagannatha, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers, exhausted from their dancing, went to relax in a nearby garden. At that time, the king, shedding his royal dress, assumed the garb of a Vaisnava. He entered the garden and began to massage Mahaprabhu’s legs very expertly–and to recite for Him the Gopi-gita, the thirty-first chapter of the Tenth Canto, “The Gopis’ Songs in Separation from Krsna,” which served to enhance Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mood at the Ratha-yatra. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was already ecstatic, but when He heard the king recite the Gopi-gita, He became delighted beyond limit and repeatedly said, “Go on reciting. Go on reciting.” And when King Prataparudra came to recite the verse beginning tava kathamrtam, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as if He didn’t know who the king was, rose in ecstatic love and embraced him. And, taking a phrase from the verse, He exclaimed, “You are the most munificent! You are the most munificent!”

tava kathamrtam tapta-jivanam
kavibhir iditam kalmasapaham
sravana-mangalam srimad-atatam
bhuvi grnanti ye bhurida janah

“My Lord, the nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life and soul of those who are always aggrieved in this material world. These narrations are transmitted by exalted personalities, and they eradicate all sinful reactions. Whoever hears these narrations attains all good fortune. These narrations are broadcast all over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Those who spread the message of Godhead are certainly the most munificent welfare workers.” (SB 10.31.9, quoted as Cc Madhya 14.13)

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had been moved by the king’s humble, expert service, and He gave him His mercy–His personal audience–while at the same time preserving the integrity of the sannyasa-dharma practiced at the time.

Such is the mercy of guru and Krsna. One can see Caitanya Mahaprabhu as guru and Lord Jagannatha as Krsna, and as Srila Prabhupada said, by the combined mercy of guru and Krsna one can become completely successful in devotional
service. Because of the king’s humble, menial service to Lord Jagannatha, Lord Caitanya also became pleased with him, and by the combined mercy of guru and Krsna the king’s devotional service became successful. Thus we can see how by humble service one can please the spiritual master and the Lord, and how by their mercy one can attain success in Krsna consciousness.

In devotional service there is no distinction between higher and lower, because all service is absolute. On the absolute platform there is no difference between cleaning the toilet of the devotees and cleaning the paraphernalia of the Deity. And if someone renders service in a humble mood (trnad api sunicena), feeling himself lowly and fallen, the Lord will be especially inclined to give him mercy. As it is said, “Those who exalt themselves are humbled, and those who humble themselves are exalted.” This is a great lesson to be learned from the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Jagannatha at the Ratha-yatra.

To conclude this chapter of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami quotes a verse from Srila Rupa Gosvami’s Caitanyastaka (7):

ratharudhasyarad adhipadavi nilacala-pater
adabhra-premormi-sphurita-natanollasa-vivasah
sa-harsam gayadbhih parivrta-tanur vaisnava-janaih
sa caitanyah kim me punar api drsor yasyati padam

“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu danced down the main road in great ecstasy before Lord Jagannatha, the master of Nilacala, who was sitting on His car. Overwhelmed by the transcendental bliss of dancing and surrounded by Vaisnavas who sang the holy names, He manifested waves of ecstatic love of Godhead. When will Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu again be visible to my vision?” (Cc Madhya 13.207)

And he blesses his readers and listeners:

iha yei sune sei sri-caitanya paya
sudrdha visvasa-saha prema-bhakti haya

“Anyone who hears this description of the car festival will attain Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He will also attain the elevated state by which he will have firm conviction in devotional service and love of Godhead.” (Cc Madhya13.208)

Hare Krsna.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Sri Jagannatha Ratha-yatra ki jaya!
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki jaya!
Gaura-bhakta-vrnda ki jaya!
Nitai-gaura-premanande hari-haribol!

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Padayatra festival in Czech Republic (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The Hare Krishna mantra is specifically mentioned in many Upanisads, such as the Kali-santarana Upanishad, where it is said: “After searching through al the Vedic literature, one cannot find a method of religion more sublime for this age than the chanting of Hare Krishna.” (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 3.40 Purport)
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BY HARRIENA BHARDWAJ

SEBERANG JAYA - Best wishes from the Prime Minister of India in regards to ‪ISKCON's 50th Anniversary. Jai Srila Prabhupada!