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Click here to download notes: 7 Gita Course Chps 13 17 Jnana Yoga, Modes, Divine Demonic Natures (GEV)

 

Today Italy’s organisation presents itself 🇮🇹: For 5 years, Food for Life, has been working in cooperation with the… Posted by Rural Entrepreneurship for Youth on Friday, July 12, 2024
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We are thrilled to share with you the wonderful achievements and activities of ISKCON Russian speaking Yatra in London for the month of June: 1. Namahatta with Patri Prabhu Recently, a Namahatta session was held with Patri Prabhu. This event provided an enriching experience for attendees, focusing on deepening their understanding of Krishna consciousness through
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Click here to download notes: 7 Gita Course Chps 13 17 Jnana Yoga, Modes, Divine Demonic Natures (GEV)

 

 

Hera Panchami is a unique festival associated with the famous Rathayatra of Puri. ‘Hera’ means to ‘see’ and ‘Panchami’ means the ‘fifth day’. It is celebrated at Gundicha temple on the fifth day from the start date of the cart festival. 

This festival is dedicated to Goddess Mahalaxmi. The temple of Lord Jagannatha is known as Sri Mandira. “Sri” means Laxmi, so the name of the temple as “Srimandira” signifies the fact that Mahalaxmi is the principal Goddess of the Grand Temple. This ritual highlights the separation of Mahalaxmi from Lord Jagannatha.

Lord Jagannatha leaves the Jagannatha temple and goes to Gundica temple for 9 days with his siblings and His consort Mahalaxmi is left behind in the main temple. Lord Jagannatha promised his wife Mahalaxmi that He would return the next day. But Lord Jagannatha does not return the next day. Mahalaxmi waits and 5 days have been passed but Lord Jagannatha did not return to the temple. 

Mahalaxmi after waiting for 5 days becomes impatient and worried. At last, She makes up Her mind to meet Lord Jagannatha at Gundica Temple where He has currently based with His brother & sister. At night Mahalaxmi went to Gundica temple in a beautifully decorated palanquin via Bada Danda (the Grand Road) in a colourful procession with pomp and splendour, accompanied by her servitors, to meet Lord Jagannatha and ask Him why He had not returned yet. 

The people & servitors who are part of the procession of Mahalaxmi sing the Hera Panchami song. The Hera Panchami song expresses Mahalaxmi’s anger towards Her husband. After knowing that Mahalaxmi is coming to meet Him with anger, Lord Jagannatha asks his servitors to quickly lock the door of Gundica Temple.

Mahalaxmi became very angry due to this activity and passed some satirical remarks to Lord Jagannatha by saying, “My husband! You have become more attracted to your brother Balabhadra & sister Subhadra than me? Is this the reason you locked me out of the Gundica temple?” 

Mahalaxmi felt insulted and to teach Her husband a lesson She asked her servitors to break a part of Ratha, the chariot of Lord Jagannath. On her return She avoided the direct route via Grand Road, and secretly returned to the Jagannatha temple via Hera Gohiri Sahi of Puri.

Proud to have taken my oath of allegiance to HM King Charles on the King James Bible and the Gita as we return to Parliament after the General Election pic.twitter.com/6GeOrbB8Ha — Bob Blackman (@BobBlackman) July 10, 2024 MP Bob Blackman took oath with Geeta in his hand. Took oath of parliament with Geeta in hand
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Click here to download notes: 6 Gita Course 7 Ways To Journal With Gita Wisdom (GEV)

 

 

Click here to download notes: 5 Gita Course Chps 10 12 Vibhuti, Virat Rupa & Sadachara In Bhakti @ GEV

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Every year one month before caturmasya (four month period of the rainy season) Sivananda Sena would lead a party of two hundred devotees from Bengal to Jagannatha Puri to attend the annual Ratha-Yatra festival. He would pay for everyone’s food, tolls, ferries, and lodging. He personally arranged for their com­fort.

Sivananda Sena showed Vaisnava compassion for all living entities, be they man or beast. When a stray dog joined the party Sivananda Sena fed the dog and even paid his boat fare. When the dog disappeared one day Sivananda sent 200 men to search for him. Upon arriving in Puri, they saw Lord Caitanya throwing coconut pulp to the dog. 

The dog became purified of all material contamination by eating the maha-prasadam remnants of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Not seeing the dog the next day, Sivananda Sena understood that the dog had attained liberation by the mercy of Lord Caitanya.

Observing caturmasya in Puri, Sivananda and the devotees would regularly bathe in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s blissful as­sociation. Sivananda used all his possessions in the service of Krishna and the Vaisnavas. His entire family and servants were ardent followers of Lord Gauranga.    

Kavi Karnapura, the son of Sivananda Sena, says in Gaura-gan-nodesh-dipika: “Sivananda Sena is the embodiment of love of Sri Caitanya Deva. And in Krishna lila he is Vira gopi, Srimati Radharani’s messenger.” 

In one bhajana Devakinandana Dasa glorifies him, “I bow down to Sivananda Sena, who is full of divine love. His caste, life, and wealth are the two lotus feet of Sri Gaura Raya.” His samadhi is in the 64 Samadhis Area.

By Vijaya Das

In most of the temples around the world, it's summertime. A time when people are outdoors, soaking up the rays of the sun--and if they're lucky, meeting devotees who dispel the darkness of maya with the sun of Krsna consciousness. Let's see how our sunlike distributors shone in May. Among the Large Temples, ISKCON Silicon Valley (ISV) had the highest increase with 58,683 book points. ISV leader Vaisesika Prabhu is firing up the whole world with the Bhadra campaign, so you can imagine how fired up the devotees are who directly serve with him. Since I'm also based at ISV now, hopefully I too will get fired up in his association. Continue reading "WSN May 2024 – World Sankirtan Newsletter
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It has been said many times that ISKCON is among the most sectarian-appearing faith or religious paths in this world. The paradox is that faithful followers believe that ISKCON is based in disciplic succession upon the principles of Sanatan Dharma, or the science of the soul, as compared to any single religious path, such as […]

The post COMING OF AGE #17 – Reflections on Spiritual Arrogance appeared first on ISKCON News.

Click here to download notes: 4 GEV Course Chps 7 9 Bhakti Yoga, The Best Way To Spiritual Growth

It is a great honor, privilege, and pleasure to be here in New Jagannath Puri. The first deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra in ISKCON were discovered in San Francisco in 1967. One of Srila Prabhupada’s early disciples, Malati dasi, saw a small figure in an import store, Cost Plus, and brought it to him. When Prabhupada saw the figure, his eyes opened wide. He folded his palms and bowed his head in respect. Then he said, “You have brought Lord Jagannatha, the Lord of the universe. He is Krishna.” He said that Lord Jagannatha was worshipped with two other deities: His brother, Balarama, and His sister, Subhadra. Malati confirmed that there were other, similar figures at the store, and Prabhupada asked her to go and buy them. So she and her husband, Shyamasundar, immediately went and brought the other two figures. Srila Prabhupada placed them with Lord Jagannatha on his desk and told the devotees about Jagannatha’s appearance in India thousands of years ago, and how He was still worshipped in a great temple in Puri and taken on an annual procession with His brother and sister, each in a huge chariot, in the Ratha-yatra festival. Prabhupada chanted, jagannatha-svami nayana-patha-gami bhavatu me: “O Lord of the universe, kindly be visible unto me.” And he said that henceforth San Francisco should be called New Jagannatha Puri.

Srila Prabhupada asked if any of the devotees knew how to carve, and Shyamasundar said that he did. So Prabhupada requested him to carve three-foot-high replicas of the small Jagannatha, Balarama, and Subhadra. Shyamasundar got three large blocks of wood and, following sketches and directions that Prabhupada gave him, carved the first large deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra in the West.

Then Prabhupada said that the devotees should hold a Ratha-yatra festival. So, following Prabhupada’s instructions, Shyamasundar and the others arranged a flatbed truck on which they erected five tall columns and covered them with cloth to serve as a canopy over the deities. And then they decorated the “chariot” with flowers. The devotees didn’t have many vehicles then, and those they did have were pretty old and dilapidated—unpredictable in their performance.

At the time, Srila Prabhupada was unwell, and the devotees had rented a place for him to recuperate in nearby Stinson Beach. Although he was unable to attend the festival, the devotees—along with the Ratha-yatra truck, the deities, and some hippies—came to visit him the next day. They were excited and eager to report. Shyamasundar explained that while he had been driving the truck up a steep hill, the truck had stalled and that although he had tried to start the engine, he hadn’t been able to. Then the brakes had failed, and the truck had begun to roll backwards down the hill. Finally he had been able to stop it, but when he had tried to move forward, again the engine had stalled and the truck had rolled backwards. Again and again he would get it started, the truck would go forward, the engine would stall, and the truck would roll backwards. The situation had seemed hopeless, and the devotees had wondered if they would be able to finish the parade.

But somehow they had, and they had come to give the report. Srila Prabhupada told them the story of how Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had celebrated the Ratha-yatra in Puri. He said that in Puri too the chariot would stop, even with thousands of people pulling the ropes. The king would order powerful wrestlers and elephants to push the chariot, but still it wouldn’t move. Finally, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would put His head on the back of the chariot and push, and only then would the chariot move. “Now that Ratha-yatra has come to the West,” Srila Prabhupada said, “this pastime has come too.” And from that first Ratha-yatra, the festival has been celebrated yearly, not only in San Francisco but also in many other major cities throughout the world.

According to the Skanda Purana, the history of the installation of the Jagannatha deities in Puri goes back about a hundred and fifty-three million years. Although there is a history of how the deities came to be carved in the shapes in which they now appear, actually Lord Jagannatha and His associates are eternal. His being carved is just a pastime to facilitate His manifestation on earth. As Srila Prabhupada explains, “Fire is already present in wood, but by a certain process, fire is kindled. Similarly, God is all-pervading. He is everywhere, and since He may come out from everything, He appeared . . . Lord Nrsimha appeared from the pillar of Hiranyakasipu’s palace, Lord Varaha appeared from the nostril of Brahma, and Lord Kapila appeared from the semen of Kardama, but this does not mean that the nostril of Brahma or the pillar of Hiranyakasipu’s palace or the semen of Kardama Muni is the source of the appearance of the Lord. The Lord is always the Lord.” (SB 3.24.6 purport)

So, Lord Jagannatha is eternal, just as Krishna is eternal. Although Krishna had His appearance pastime in the prison house of Kamsa, He resides eternally on His spiritual planet, Goloka Vrindavan, and He eternally manifests His pastimes within the material world. Lord Jagannatha also has an eternal planet in the spiritual sky. He is the source of all incarnations, and He appears in whatever form His devotee wants to see Him. Sometimes in Puri the pujaris dress Him as a demigod—such as Ganesh, with an elephant’s trunk. That is also to confirm the philosophical principle that by worshipping Lord Jagannatha—Krishna—one worships all the demigods automatically. All the demigods are included in Jagannatha, and all the expansions of Godhead are included. But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers, Gaudiya Vaishnavas, see Lord Jagannatha as Krishna. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw Jagannatha in Puri, He would see Krishna, Syamasundara.

The appearance of Lord Jagannatha is also mentioned in the Skanda Purana. As recounted there, Lord Jagannatha tells King Indradyumna, who had the first Jagannatha deities carved and who built the first, great temple for Lord Jagannatha in Puri, that He appeared on the full-moon day of the month of Jyestha, being pleased with the king’s devotion and sacrifices. It is on this date every year that Snana-yatra, the public bathing of Lord Jagannatha, is held.

For the Snana-yatra in Puri, Lord Jagannatha is brought into public view on a rooftop, or terrace, of the great temple and bathed. Then, as it is said, the Lord catches a cold and is removed to His private quarters—the quarters of Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, who for two weeks serves Him hand and foot.

Of course, that is another question, about His hands and feet. A disciple once asked Srila Prabhupada, “We are told to meditate on the Deity beginning with the lotus feet, but how do we begin our meditation on Lord Jagannatha? He doesn’t have feet.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “You can meditate on whatever you can see.” (Advanced devotees can see Lord Jagannatha’s lotus feet.) There are philosophical principles and specific pastimes that account for why He has no feet or hands—or why they are not visible. The Upanishads say that the Lord has no legs but that He can overcome all others running. “No hands or feet” really means that He has no material hands or feet. He has spiritual hands and feet. Still, in ecstasy, He sometimes withdraws His limbs and widens His eyes.

Krishna had so much love for the residents of Vrindavan that even in Dvaraka, in the middle of the night, He would sometimes call the names of the cowherd boys and cows, or of Srimati Radharani and the gopis, or of His mother and father, Nanda and Yasoda. Sometimes He would be so overwhelmed with ecstatic love for the residents of Vrindavan that He would not eat or sleep. It was a mystery to the residents of Dvaraka: “Who are these special people? And what is this special place, Vrindavan? What happened when Krishna was there in His childhood that makes Him so attached to them and Vrindavan?”

One person in Dvaraka had been present in Vrindavan for Krishna’s childhood pastimes—Rohini-devi, the mother of Balarama. Like Devaki, she was a wife of Vasudeva, but with all the atrocities being committed by King Kamsa, Vasudeva had arranged for her to stay in Vraja with Nanda and Yasoda, who were relatives and family friends. By the arrangement of Yogamaya, Balarama had been transferred from the womb of Devaki in Mathura to the womb of Rohini in Vrindavan, and Rohini had been present for all of Balarama and Krishna’s childhood pastimes there. Wanting to hear about Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan, the residents of Dvaraka asked her, “Who are these special people? What is this special place?” She said, “I will tell you, but no one should disturb me while I am speaking.”

So, they all assembled in a large hall in Dvaraka, and Subhadra was posted at the door to make sure that no one entered. But she too wanted to hear about Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan, so she put her ear to the door. Hearing the pastimes, she became ecstatic, and in her ecstasy her eyes opened wide, her mouth smiled broadly, and her limbs withdrew into her body. She assumed the features that we see today in the deity of Subhadra.

Then Krishna and Balarama came and saw Subhadra with her ear to the door and with those ecstatic features. And They thought, “Let Us also hear what is being said inside.” So They put Their ears to the door, and when They heard the pastimes, They too became ecstatic and assumed Their own particular features, with Their limbs withdrawn and Their eyes open wide and Their mouths in broad smiles. So, that is how Their Lordships came to assume these special forms.

After the Snana-yatra, Lord Jagannatha retires for fifteen days, during which time Lakshmi serves Him day and night. In particular, she prepares various medicinal beverages, represented by fruit juices, to help Him recover from His illness. After two weeks, Lord Jagannatha feels better, and He feels separation from His other devotees. And so, taking permission from the goddess of fortune, He embarks on a journey (yatra) in a chariot (ratha) to see them. When He doesn’t come back after three or four days—especially since He had indicated that He would be gone for only one—she becomes restless and impatient. Just imagine: Lakshmi serves Him hand and foot for two weeks, He says that He wants to go out for the afternoon to see His other devotees, and days pass and He doesn’t come home. So, she exhibits an extraordinary type of transcendental jealous pride and anger (mana), and with all opulence she proceeds with her maidservants in a procession to Sundarachala to bring back Lord Jagannatha.

The Ratha-yatra begins at the Jagannatha temple in Nilachala and proceeds to the Gundica temple in Sundaracala. Nilacala represents Dvaraka, where Krishna lives as a king and is worshipped in opulence, and Sundaracala represents Vrindavan, where Krishna is loved simply as a cowherd boy, the son of Nanda and Yasoda.

During the year, the Gundica temple (named after the wife of King Indradyumna) is empty, and naturally dust and dirt accumulate. (In India most temples have an open style of architecture.) The day before Ratha-yatra is Gundica-marjana, and on that day Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates would thoroughly clean the Gundica temple. As described in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Mahaprabhu would gather thousands of men, and together they would clean the temple. First, with thousands of brooms, they would sweep it—twice—and then they would wash it with thousands of pots of water. They didn’t have hoses then—only pots. They would fill thousands of pots with water and wash the temple inside and out, just to make the temple fit for the Lord.

Metaphorically, the cleansing of the Gundica temple is the cleansing of the heart to make it a fit place for the Lord. Such cleansing is effected by hearing and chanting about Krishna (srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah).

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
  punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani
  vidhunoti suhrt satam
          (SB 1.2.17)

When a sincere devotee (satam) hears the messages of Krishna, his or her heart (hrdyantah) is cleansed (vidhunoti) of all dirty, inauspicious things (abhadrani). Similarly, by attentive chanting and hearing of the holy names of the Lord—sankirtana—one’s consciousness is also purified (ceto-darpana-marjanam). Thus Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers cleaned the Gundica temple to make it a fit place for the Lord to reside. And, as Srila Prabhupada often said, “When you clean the temple, you clean your heart.”

Five days after the Ratha-yatra, when Lord Jagannatha does not return, the goddess of fortune comes out in full force and, with her maidservants, marches on the Gundica temple. Her maidservants arrest the servants of Lord Jagannatha and bring them before her. They beat the Ratha car with sticks and treat the servants like thieves, ridiculing and abusing them. They say, “What is wrong with your master? He abandoned the opulence of the goddess of fortune for the sake of a flower garden—a few leaves and fruits and flowers. What is wrong with Him? Now bring Him before the goddess of fortune.” “Okay, okay,” they reply. “Whatever you say. Tomorrow we shall bring Him.”

Thus pacified, Lakshmi returns to her abode. And Lord Jagannatha eventually comes—not the next day, but four days later, in the return Ratha-yatra. All this is very nice, but for Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who was in the mood of Srimati Radharani in separation from Krishna—the highest level of ecstatic love in separation—to not see Lord Jagannatha for two weeks was unbearable, and He almost went mad. When He had first arrived in Puri and entered the temple and seen the Deity of Jagannatha, He had thought, “Here is My Lord, for whom I’ve been searching.” He had run to embrace Jagannatha—Krishna—and fainted in the ecstasy of pure love. So for Him to have achieved the Lord of His life and then lost Him (when Jagannatha went into seclusion) was intolerable. He could not remain in Puri. And so He walked fourteen miles west by foot to Alalanatha (Alarnath), in an area called Brahmagiri, which is named after Lord Brahma because Brahma is said to have come to earth and installed the Deity of Lord Narayana worshipped there.

But how could Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who was in the mood of Radharani—who knows no one other than Krishna—find solace by going to Alarnath to see a four-handed Deity of Lord Narayana? Further, when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu first saw the Deity and offered prostrated obeisances, the stone slab on the temple floor beneath Him melted. In the Jagannatha temple there is a pillar called the Garuda-stambha, where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to stand to have darshan of Jagannatha. There are imprints of His fingers on the pillar and of His lotus feet on the floor where, in great ecstasy, He would behold Lord Jagannatha. But in Alarnath we find the unique impression of His entire body, which melted the stone when He prostrated Himself in extreme ecstasy. This is all very mysterious.

Once, during His springtime rasa-lila at Govardhana Hill, Sri Krishna disappeared from the scene, suggesting that He wanted to be alone with Sri Radha. He hid in a secluded bush, waiting for Her to pass by, but in the meantime the other gopis came looking for Him. They all were in the mood of separation—mad in separation from Krishna, mad in love for Krishna—having been attracted by His transcendental beauty, His charming gestures, and His loving words. They were searching all over Govardhana for Him, and finally they sighted Him in the bush. When He saw them, Krishna became struck with emotion. He could not hide Himself, and so He assumed His four-armed Narayana form. When the gopis saw Lord Narayana, they said, “Oh, He is not Krishna; He is Lord Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” They had no interest in Lord Narayana; they were interested only in Krishna. So they offered Him respects and prayed, “Please bless us with Krishna’s association.” Otherwise, they had no use for Him. They went on searching for Krishna. Then, when Srimati Radharani came, Krishna wanted to maintain His four-armed form to joke with Her, but although He tried His best, He was unable to do so. The influence of Her ecstatic love forced Him to return to His original two-armed form. He couldn’t maintain His feature as Lord Narayana. He was conquered by Srimati Radharani’s love, and so He revealed His original form as Krishna.

rasarambha-vidhau niliya vasata kunje mrgaksi-ganair
  drstam gopayitum svam uddhura-dhiya ya susthu sandarsita
radhayah pranayasya hanta mahima yasya sriya raksitum
  sa sakya prabhavisnunapi harina nasic catur-bahuta

“Prior to the rasa dance, Lord Krsna hid Himself in a grove just to have fun. When the gopis came, their eyes resembling those of deer, by His sharp intelligence He exhibited His beautiful four-armed form to hide Himself. But when Srimati Radharani came there, Krsna could not maintain His four arms in Her presence. This is the wonderful glory of Her love.” (Ujjvala-nilamani, Nayika-bheda 7)

Transcendentally, Alarnath in Lord Chaitanya’s lila in Puri is compared to Paitha at Govardhana. It is a place of intense separation. The gopis, in separation from Krishna, roamed the forest there, looking for Him. And Paitha is the place where Lord Narayana wasn’t really Lord Narayana. He was actually Krishna assuming the form of Narayana to play a joke on the gopis—and to bring out their exclusive love for Him. Thus, although the external form of the Deity of Lord Alarnath is that of four-armed Narayana, internally He is Krishna. And the pujaris of Alarnath admit that in their worship they recite very confidential mantras to Krishna, the lover of Srimati Radharani.

During those fourteen days, called anavasara, when Lord Jagannatha retires to His private quarters and receives service from Lakshmi, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, in separation, stays in Alarnath.

So, there are many deep feelings connected to Ratha-yatra. This whole pastime—like all the pastimes of Jagannatha in Puri—is very deep and full of separation. Jagannatha Puri is vipralambha-dhama. Vipralambha means “separation.” Lord Jagannatha, in His opulent temple, feels separation from Srimati Radharani and His other pure devotees in Vrindavan. And Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, in the mood of Srimati Radharani after Krishna left Vrindavan for Mathura and Dvaraka, also feels separation. So, Jagannatha Puri is a place of crying. But that crying is ecstasy. That separation is ecstasy. It is not what we experience in the material world.

After this period of separation, when Lord Jagannatha finally leaves His private quarters, He emerges from the temple and mounts His chariot; and for the first time in two weeks Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the other devotees are able to see Him. So they become ecstatic. And in the Ratha-yatra, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is in the mood of Radharani bringing Krishna back to Vrindavan.

As described in Srimad-Bhagavatam, after Krishna had been living as a king in Dvaraka for many years, He was informed that there was going to be a solar eclipse. To observe the eclipse, Krishna announced that He would go to Kurukshetra, a holy place (dharma-ksetra kuru-ksetra) in North India. The Vedas recommend that one go to Kurukshetra to perform the various rituals associated with eclipses—to bathe in the sacred waters, perform sacrifices, give charity, and so on. When the news reached the residents of Vrindavan that Krishna was going to Kurukshetra, they thought, “Let us go, too.” They weren’t interested in the ritual baths or ceremonies. They were interested in Krishna. Since He had left Vrindavan, they had been feeling intense separation. Their only business had been crying for Krishna. So, they decided, “We shall also go.” And they went.

It was a very touching scene when Krishna met the residents of Vrindavan—heart rending. Although He first met the elders, beginning with Nanda and Yasoda and their associates, within His heart He was thinking of Radharani and the gopis. So He took an opportunity to steal away from the others to meet them. Yet although Radha was seeing Krishna, it wasn’t the same. She said, “You’re the same Krishna, and I am the same Radha, but it’s not the same here. Please come back to Vrindavan. Here there are crowds of people, elephants, and horses, and the rattling of chariots. In Vrindavan there are flower gardens and the chirping of birds and the humming of bees. Here You are dressed like a royal prince with all sorts of opulent paraphernalia, accompanied by great warriors. In Vrindavan You appeared just like a cowherd boy, dressed in Your yellow dhoti (pitambara) and decorated with a peacock feather, accompanied only by Your flute. Here in Kurukshetra there is not even a drop of the ocean of transcendental happiness that I enjoyed with You in Vrindavan. So please come back to Vrindavan and let Us relish pastimes as We did in Our youth.”

In that mood of Srimati Radharani, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, dancing in front of Lord Jagannatha in the Ratha-yatra, would recite a verse from a romantic poem:

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; Cc Madhya 1.58, 13.121)

That emotional pulling of Krishna from Kurukshetra to Vrindavan is the mood of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the Ratha-yatra. There is so much reciprocation between Lord Chaitanya and Lord Jagannatha based on Srimati Radharani and the gopis pulling Krishna back to Vrindavan. Sometimes Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would go ahead and Lord Jagannatha, astonished by the dancing of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, would stop His chariot to watch. Sometimes Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would stay behind the chariot and eventually Lord Jagannatha would stop. Then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would come forward, and then Lord Jagannatha would move forward, too.

ei-mata gaura-syame, donhe thelatheli
svarathe syamere rakhe gaura maha-bali

“Thus there was a sort of competition between Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Jagannatha in seeing who would lead, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu was so strong that He made Lord Jagannatha wait in His car.” (Cc Madhya 13.119)

Srila Prabhupada, citing Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s commentary, explains that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s leading Lord Jagannatha toward the Gundica temple corresponded to Srimati Radharani’s leading Krishna toward Vrindavan. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s following at the rear of the chariot indicated that Lord Jagannatha, Krishna, was forgetting the inhabitants of Vrindavan. In the role of Srimati Radharani, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was examining whether the Lord still remembered the inhabitants of Vrindavan. “When Caitanya Mahaprabhu fell behind the Ratha car, Jagannatha-deva, Krsna Himself, understood the mind of Srimati Radharani. Therefore, Jagannatha sometimes fell behind the dancing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to indicate to Srimati Radharani that He had not forgotten. Thus Lord Jagannatha would stop the forward march of the ratha and wait at a standstill. . . . While Jagannatha was thus waiting, Gaurasundara, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in His ecstasy of Srimati Radharani, immediately came forward to Krsna. At such times, Lord Jagannatha would proceed ahead very slowly. These competitive exchanges were all part of the love affair between Krsna and Srimati Radharani.” (Cc Madhya 13.119 purport)

Ultimately Jagannatha reaches Vrindavan, the Gundica temple. There is so much feeling in these festivals.

Now we shall read about Snana-yatra from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, both to hear directly from Srila Prabhupada about Snana-yatra, and also to realize what an unlimited wealth of knowledge—of nectar—exists in Prabhupada’s books. I am going to read four or five verses—out of hundreds and thousands—and yet in just these few verses there is so much nectar.

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

We shall read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter One: “The Later Pastimes of Lord Caitanya.” In verse 121, the author, Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, mentions that Lord Chaitanya witnessed the Snana-yatra festival. He then continues:

TEXT 122

anavasare jagannathera na pana darasana
virahe alalanatha karila gamana

TRANSLATION

When Jagannatha was absent from the temple, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who could not see Him, felt separation and left Jagannatha Puri to go to a place known as Alalanatha.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Alalanatha is also known as Brahmagiri. This place is about fourteen miles from Jagannatha Puri and is also on the beach. There is a temple of Jagannatha there. At the present moment a police station and post office are situated there because so many people come to see the temple.

The word anavasara is used when Sri Jagannathaji cannot be seen in the temple. After the bathing ceremony (snana-yatra), Lord Jagannatha apparently becomes sick. He is therefore removed to His private apartment, where no one can see Him. Actually, during this period renovations are made on the body of the Jagannatha Deity. This is called nava-yauvana.

COMMENT

Nava-yauvana means “ever fresh,” or “always youthful.” At this time the Jagannatha Deity is fully restored to youth.

PURPORT (concluded)

During the Ratha-yatra ceremony, Lord Jagannatha once again comes before the public. Thus for fifteen days after the bathing ceremony, Lord Jagannatha is not visible to any visitors.

TEXT 123

bhakta-sane dina kata tahani rahila
gaudera bhakta aise, samacara paila

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu remained for some days at Alalanatha. In the meantime, He received news that all the devotees from Bengal were coming to Jagannatha Puri.

COMMENT

Every year, the devotees from Bengal would travel by foot to Jagannatha Puri for the Ratha-yatra and the four months of the rainy season called Caturmasya.

TEXTS 124–125

When the devotees from Bengal arrived at Jagannatha Puri, both Nityananda Prabhu and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya greatly endeavored to take Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu back to Jagannatha Puri.

When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu finally left Alalanatha to return to Jagannatha Puri, He was overwhelmed both day and night due to separation from Jagannatha. His lamentation knew no bounds. During this time, all the devotees from different parts of Bengal, and especially from Navadvipa, arrived in Jagannatha Puri.

TEXT 126

sabe mili’ yukti kari’ kirtana arambhila
kirtana-avese prabhura mana sthira haila

TRANSLATION

After due consideration, all the devotees began chanting the holy name congregationally. Lord Caitanya’s mind was thus pacified by the ecstasy of the chanting.

PURPORT

Being absolute in all circumstances, Lord Jagannatha’s person, form, picture, and kirtana are all identical. Therefore when Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, He was pacified. Previously, He had been feeling very morose due to separation from Jagannatha. The conclusion is that whenever a kirtana of pure devotees takes place, the Lord is immediately present. By chanting the holy names of the Lord, we associate with the Lord personally.

COMMENT

This is a very important lesson. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was in such deep separation from Lord Jagannatha that He could not do anything or think of anything else. Finally, the devotees decided to perform kirtan. By chanting the holy names of Krishna, who is Lord Jagannatha, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu felt pacified, because He was experiencing the association of Jagannatha through the holy name.

As Prabhupada mentions here in the purport, the holy name of Krishna—the holy name of Jagannatha—is the same as Krishna. Seeing the form of Lord Jagannatha and hearing the name of Lord Krishna—the name of Lord Jagannatha—are the same. In one sense, all service is absolute; there is no difference between worshipping the form of the Lord and chanting the name of the Lord. But to engage in Deity worship, there are so many requirements. You need deities, you must be clean, you must be initiated, you must know the mantras, you must have the paraphernalia, the sixteen different types of items to offer—you require so many things. But with chanting you don’t require anything. As Srila Prabhupada said, all you require is your tongue and your ears. You don’t even need your mind. In fact, it is better to leave your mind out of it. Once, a disciple asked Srila Prabhupada, “What do I do with my mind when I chant?” And Prabhupada said, “Your mind? What is the question of mind? With your tongue you chant and with your ears you hear.” With our tongue we chant, with our ears we hear, and with our intelligence we remain fixed.

By kirtan, by chanting and hearing, we associate with Krishna. And all of our feelings of separation can be mitigated. The holy names of Krishna include everything. His names, His forms, His qualities, His pastimes, His paraphernalia, His entourage—all are included. Srila Prabhupada and his parampara are also included. The whole spiritual world is included. Everything is revealed when we chant and hear with attention, chant and hear with love.

Now the devotees here will be suffering in separation from Lord Jagannatha for fifteen days. But we can take shelter of the holy names of Lord Jagannatha and read the pastimes of Lord Jagannatha and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. And we can read about Srila Prabhupada and Ratha-yatra in Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta. We should read these books; they are important. Prabhupada stayed up all night to write his books. He would take rest at ten o’clock and get up at twelve to write these books, not just for us to sell—of course, it is good that we sell them—but for us to read; we should also read them. As Prabhupada said, “Distributing my books will keep them [devotees] happy, and reading my books will keep them.” Reading will keep us fixed. So we need to do all these things. We can’t afford to waste a moment. As Prabhupada said, “Don’t talk nonsense. Don’t waste time. If you’ve got time, chant Hare Krishna.”

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on July 13, 2008, Berkeley, California]

It is a great honor, privilege, and pleasure to be here in New Jagannath Puri. The first deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra in ISKCON were discovered in San Francisco in 1967. One of Srila Prabhupada’s early disciples, Malati dasi, saw a small figure in an import store, Cost Plus, and brought it to him. When Prabhupada saw the figure, his eyes opened wide. He folded his palms and bowed his head in respect. Then he said, “You have brought Lord Jagannatha, the Lord of the universe. He is Krishna.” He said that Lord Jagannatha was worshipped with two other deities: His brother, Balarama, and His sister, Subhadra. Malati confirmed that there were other, similar figures at the store, and Prabhupada asked her to go and buy them. So she and her husband, Shyamasundar, immediately went and brought the other two figures. Srila Prabhupada placed them with Lord Jagannatha on his desk and told the devotees about Jagannatha’s appearance in India thousands of years ago, and how He was still worshipped in a great temple in Puri and taken on an annual procession with His brother and sister, each in a huge chariot, in the Ratha-yatra festival. Prabhupada chanted, jagannatha-svami nayana-patha-gami bhavatu me: “O Lord of the universe, kindly be visible unto me.” And he said that henceforth San Francisco should be called New Jagannatha Puri.

Srila Prabhupada asked if any of the devotees knew how to carve, and Shyamasundar said that he did. So Prabhupada requested him to carve three-foot-high replicas of the small Jagannatha, Balarama, and Subhadra. Shyamasundar got three large blocks of wood and, following sketches and directions that Prabhupada gave him, carved the first large deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra in the West.

Then Prabhupada said that the devotees should hold a Ratha-yatra festival. So, following Prabhupada’s instructions, Shyamasundar and the others arranged a flatbed truck on which they erected five tall columns and covered them with cloth to serve as a canopy over the deities. And then they decorated the “chariot” with flowers. The devotees didn’t have many vehicles then, and those they did have were pretty old and dilapidated—unpredictable in their performance.

At the time, Srila Prabhupada was unwell, and the devotees had rented a place for him to recuperate in nearby Stinson Beach. Although he was unable to attend the festival, the devotees—along with the Ratha-yatra truck, the deities, and some hippies—came to visit him the next day. They were excited and eager to report. Shyamasundar explained that while he had been driving the truck up a steep hill, the truck had stalled and that although he had tried to start the engine, he hadn’t been able to. Then the brakes had failed, and the truck had begun to roll backwards down the hill. Finally he had been able to stop it, but when he had tried to move forward, again the engine had stalled and the truck had rolled backwards. Again and again he would get it started, the truck would go forward, the engine would stall, and the truck would roll backwards. The situation had seemed hopeless, and the devotees had wondered if they would be able to finish the parade.

But somehow they had, and they had come to give the report. Srila Prabhupada told them the story of how Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had celebrated the Ratha-yatra in Puri. He said that in Puri too the chariot would stop, even with thousands of people pulling the ropes. The king would order powerful wrestlers and elephants to push the chariot, but still it wouldn’t move. Finally, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would put His head on the back of the chariot and push, and only then would the chariot move. “Now that Ratha-yatra has come to the West,” Srila Prabhupada said, “this pastime has come too.” And from that first Ratha-yatra, the festival has been celebrated yearly, not only in San Francisco but also in many other major cities throughout the world.

According to the Skanda Purana, the history of the installation of the Jagannatha deities in Puri goes back about a hundred and fifty-three million years. Although there is a history of how the deities came to be carved in the shapes in which they now appear, actually Lord Jagannatha and His associates are eternal. His being carved is just a pastime to facilitate His manifestation on earth. As Srila Prabhupada explains, “Fire is already present in wood, but by a certain process, fire is kindled. Similarly, God is all-pervading. He is everywhere, and since He may come out from everything, He appeared . . . Lord Nrsimha appeared from the pillar of Hiranyakasipu’s palace, Lord Varaha appeared from the nostril of Brahma, and Lord Kapila appeared from the semen of Kardama, but this does not mean that the nostril of Brahma or the pillar of Hiranyakasipu’s palace or the semen of Kardama Muni is the source of the appearance of the Lord. The Lord is always the Lord.” (SB 3.24.6 purport)

So, Lord Jagannatha is eternal, just as Krishna is eternal. Although Krishna had His appearance pastime in the prison house of Kamsa, He resides eternally on His spiritual planet, Goloka Vrindavan, and He eternally manifests His pastimes within the material world. Lord Jagannatha also has an eternal planet in the spiritual sky. He is the source of all incarnations, and He appears in whatever form His devotee wants to see Him. Sometimes in Puri the pujaris dress Him as a demigod—such as Ganesh, with an elephant’s trunk. That is also to confirm the philosophical principle that by worshipping Lord Jagannatha—Krishna—one worships all the demigods automatically. All the demigods are included in Jagannatha, and all the expansions of Godhead are included. But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers, Gaudiya Vaishnavas, see Lord Jagannatha as Krishna. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw Jagannatha in Puri, He would see Krishna, Syamasundara.

The appearance of Lord Jagannatha is also mentioned in the Skanda Purana. As recounted there, Lord Jagannatha tells King Indradyumna, who had the first Jagannatha deities carved and who built the first, great temple for Lord Jagannatha in Puri, that He appeared on the full-moon day of the month of Jyestha, being pleased with the king’s devotion and sacrifices. It is on this date every year that Snana-yatra, the public bathing of Lord Jagannatha, is held.

For the Snana-yatra in Puri, Lord Jagannatha is brought into public view on a rooftop, or terrace, of the great temple and bathed. Then, as it is said, the Lord catches a cold and is removed to His private quarters—the quarters of Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, who for two weeks serves Him hand and foot.

Of course, that is another question, about His hands and feet. A disciple once asked Srila Prabhupada, “We are told to meditate on the Deity beginning with the lotus feet, but how do we begin our meditation on Lord Jagannatha? He doesn’t have feet.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “You can meditate on whatever you can see.” (Advanced devotees can see Lord Jagannatha’s lotus feet.) There are philosophical principles and specific pastimes that account for why He has no feet or hands—or why they are not visible. The Upanishads say that the Lord has no legs but that He can overcome all others running. “No hands or feet” really means that He has no material hands or feet. He has spiritual hands and feet. Still, in ecstasy, He sometimes withdraws His limbs and widens His eyes.

Krishna had so much love for the residents of Vrindavan that even in Dvaraka, in the middle of the night, He would sometimes call the names of the cowherd boys and cows, or of Srimati Radharani and the gopis, or of His mother and father, Nanda and Yasoda. Sometimes He would be so overwhelmed with ecstatic love for the residents of Vrindavan that He would not eat or sleep. It was a mystery to the residents of Dvaraka: “Who are these special people? And what is this special place, Vrindavan? What happened when Krishna was there in His childhood that makes Him so attached to them and Vrindavan?”

One person in Dvaraka had been present in Vrindavan for Krishna’s childhood pastimes—Rohini-devi, the mother of Balarama. Like Devaki, she was a wife of Vasudeva, but with all the atrocities being committed by King Kamsa, Vasudeva had arranged for her to stay in Vraja with Nanda and Yasoda, who were relatives and family friends. By the arrangement of Yogamaya, Balarama had been transferred from the womb of Devaki in Mathura to the womb of Rohini in Vrindavan, and Rohini had been present for all of Balarama and Krishna’s childhood pastimes there. Wanting to hear about Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan, the residents of Dvaraka asked her, “Who are these special people? What is this special place?” She said, “I will tell you, but no one should disturb me while I am speaking.”

So, they all assembled in a large hall in Dvaraka, and Subhadra was posted at the door to make sure that no one entered. But she too wanted to hear about Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan, so she put her ear to the door. Hearing the pastimes, she became ecstatic, and in her ecstasy her eyes opened wide, her mouth smiled broadly, and her limbs withdrew into her body. She assumed the features that we see today in the deity of Subhadra.

Then Krishna and Balarama came and saw Subhadra with her ear to the door and with those ecstatic features. And They thought, “Let Us also hear what is being said inside.” So They put Their ears to the door, and when They heard the pastimes, They too became ecstatic and assumed Their own particular features, with Their limbs withdrawn and Their eyes open wide and Their mouths in broad smiles. So, that is how Their Lordships came to assume these special forms.

After the Snana-yatra, Lord Jagannatha retires for fifteen days, during which time Lakshmi serves Him day and night. In particular, she prepares various medicinal beverages, represented by fruit juices, to help Him recover from His illness. After two weeks, Lord Jagannatha feels better, and He feels separation from His other devotees. And so, taking permission from the goddess of fortune, He embarks on a journey (yatra) in a chariot (ratha) to see them. When He doesn’t come back after three or four days—especially since He had indicated that He would be gone for only one—she becomes restless and impatient. Just imagine: Lakshmi serves Him hand and foot for two weeks, He says that He wants to go out for the afternoon to see His other devotees, and days pass and He doesn’t come home. So, she exhibits an extraordinary type of transcendental jealous pride and anger (mana), and with all opulence she proceeds with her maidservants in a procession to Sundarachala to bring back Lord Jagannatha.

The Ratha-yatra begins at the Jagannatha temple in Nilachala and proceeds to the Gundica temple in Sundaracala. Nilacala represents Dvaraka, where Krishna lives as a king and is worshipped in opulence, and Sundaracala represents Vrindavan, where Krishna is loved simply as a cowherd boy, the son of Nanda and Yasoda.

During the year, the Gundica temple (named after the wife of King Indradyumna) is empty, and naturally dust and dirt accumulate. (In India most temples have an open style of architecture.) The day before Ratha-yatra is Gundica-marjana, and on that day Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates would thoroughly clean the Gundica temple. As described in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Mahaprabhu would gather thousands of men, and together they would clean the temple. First, with thousands of brooms, they would sweep it—twice—and then they would wash it with thousands of pots of water. They didn’t have hoses then—only pots. They would fill thousands of pots with water and wash the temple inside and out, just to make the temple fit for the Lord.

Metaphorically, the cleansing of the Gundica temple is the cleansing of the heart to make it a fit place for the Lord. Such cleansing is effected by hearing and chanting about Krishna (srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah).

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
  punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani
  vidhunoti suhrt satam
          (SB 1.2.17)

When a sincere devotee (satam) hears the messages of Krishna, his or her heart (hrdyantah) is cleansed (vidhunoti) of all dirty, inauspicious things (abhadrani). Similarly, by attentive chanting and hearing of the holy names of the Lord—sankirtana—one’s consciousness is also purified (ceto-darpana-marjanam). Thus Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers cleaned the Gundica temple to make it a fit place for the Lord to reside. And, as Srila Prabhupada often said, “When you clean the temple, you clean your heart.”

Five days after the Ratha-yatra, when Lord Jagannatha does not return, the goddess of fortune comes out in full force and, with her maidservants, marches on the Gundica temple. Her maidservants arrest the servants of Lord Jagannatha and bring them before her. They beat the Ratha car with sticks and treat the servants like thieves, ridiculing and abusing them. They say, “What is wrong with your master? He abandoned the opulence of the goddess of fortune for the sake of a flower garden—a few leaves and fruits and flowers. What is wrong with Him? Now bring Him before the goddess of fortune.” “Okay, okay,” they reply. “Whatever you say. Tomorrow we shall bring Him.”

Thus pacified, Lakshmi returns to her abode. And Lord Jagannatha eventually comes—not the next day, but four days later, in the return Ratha-yatra. All this is very nice, but for Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who was in the mood of Srimati Radharani in separation from Krishna—the highest level of ecstatic love in separation—to not see Lord Jagannatha for two weeks was unbearable, and He almost went mad. When He had first arrived in Puri and entered the temple and seen the Deity of Jagannatha, He had thought, “Here is My Lord, for whom I’ve been searching.” He had run to embrace Jagannatha—Krishna—and fainted in the ecstasy of pure love. So for Him to have achieved the Lord of His life and then lost Him (when Jagannatha went into seclusion) was intolerable. He could not remain in Puri. And so He walked fourteen miles west by foot to Alalanatha (Alarnath), in an area called Brahmagiri, which is named after Lord Brahma because Brahma is said to have come to earth and installed the Deity of Lord Narayana worshipped there.

But how could Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who was in the mood of Radharani—who knows no one other than Krishna—find solace by going to Alarnath to see a four-handed Deity of Lord Narayana? Further, when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu first saw the Deity and offered prostrated obeisances, the stone slab on the temple floor beneath Him melted. In the Jagannatha temple there is a pillar called the Garuda-stambha, where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to stand to have darshan of Jagannatha. There are imprints of His fingers on the pillar and of His lotus feet on the floor where, in great ecstasy, He would behold Lord Jagannatha. But in Alarnath we find the unique impression of His entire body, which melted the stone when He prostrated Himself in extreme ecstasy. This is all very mysterious.

Once, during His springtime rasa-lila at Govardhana Hill, Sri Krishna disappeared from the scene, suggesting that He wanted to be alone with Sri Radha. He hid in a secluded bush, waiting for Her to pass by, but in the meantime the other gopis came looking for Him. They all were in the mood of separation—mad in separation from Krishna, mad in love for Krishna—having been attracted by His transcendental beauty, His charming gestures, and His loving words. They were searching all over Govardhana for Him, and finally they sighted Him in the bush. When He saw them, Krishna became struck with emotion. He could not hide Himself, and so He assumed His four-armed Narayana form. When the gopis saw Lord Narayana, they said, “Oh, He is not Krishna; He is Lord Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” They had no interest in Lord Narayana; they were interested only in Krishna. So they offered Him respects and prayed, “Please bless us with Krishna’s association.” Otherwise, they had no use for Him. They went on searching for Krishna. Then, when Srimati Radharani came, Krishna wanted to maintain His four-armed form to joke with Her, but although He tried His best, He was unable to do so. The influence of Her ecstatic love forced Him to return to His original two-armed form. He couldn’t maintain His feature as Lord Narayana. He was conquered by Srimati Radharani’s love, and so He revealed His original form as Krishna.

rasarambha-vidhau niliya vasata kunje mrgaksi-ganair
  drstam gopayitum svam uddhura-dhiya ya susthu sandarsita
radhayah pranayasya hanta mahima yasya sriya raksitum
  sa sakya prabhavisnunapi harina nasic catur-bahuta

“Prior to the rasa dance, Lord Krsna hid Himself in a grove just to have fun. When the gopis came, their eyes resembling those of deer, by His sharp intelligence He exhibited His beautiful four-armed form to hide Himself. But when Srimati Radharani came there, Krsna could not maintain His four arms in Her presence. This is the wonderful glory of Her love.” (Ujjvala-nilamani, Nayika-bheda 7)

Transcendentally, Alarnath in Lord Chaitanya’s lila in Puri is compared to Paitha at Govardhana. It is a place of intense separation. The gopis, in separation from Krishna, roamed the forest there, looking for Him. And Paitha is the place where Lord Narayana wasn’t really Lord Narayana. He was actually Krishna assuming the form of Narayana to play a joke on the gopis—and to bring out their exclusive love for Him. Thus, although the external form of the Deity of Lord Alarnath is that of four-armed Narayana, internally He is Krishna. And the pujaris of Alarnath admit that in their worship they recite very confidential mantras to Krishna, the lover of Srimati Radharani.

During those fourteen days, called anavasara, when Lord Jagannatha retires to His private quarters and receives service from Lakshmi, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, in separation, stays in Alarnath.

So, there are many deep feelings connected to Ratha-yatra. This whole pastime—like all the pastimes of Jagannatha in Puri—is very deep and full of separation. Jagannatha Puri is vipralambha-dhama. Vipralambha means “separation.” Lord Jagannatha, in His opulent temple, feels separation from Srimati Radharani and His other pure devotees in Vrindavan. And Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, in the mood of Srimati Radharani after Krishna left Vrindavan for Mathura and Dvaraka, also feels separation. So, Jagannatha Puri is a place of crying. But that crying is ecstasy. That separation is ecstasy. It is not what we experience in the material world.

After this period of separation, when Lord Jagannatha finally leaves His private quarters, He emerges from the temple and mounts His chariot; and for the first time in two weeks Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the other devotees are able to see Him. So they become ecstatic. And in the Ratha-yatra, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is in the mood of Radharani bringing Krishna back to Vrindavan.

As described in Srimad-Bhagavatam, after Krishna had been living as a king in Dvaraka for many years, He was informed that there was going to be a solar eclipse. To observe the eclipse, Krishna announced that He would go to Kurukshetra, a holy place (dharma-ksetra kuru-ksetra) in North India. The Vedas recommend that one go to Kurukshetra to perform the various rituals associated with eclipses—to bathe in the sacred waters, perform sacrifices, give charity, and so on. When the news reached the residents of Vrindavan that Krishna was going to Kurukshetra, they thought, “Let us go, too.” They weren’t interested in the ritual baths or ceremonies. They were interested in Krishna. Since He had left Vrindavan, they had been feeling intense separation. Their only business had been crying for Krishna. So, they decided, “We shall also go.” And they went.

It was a very touching scene when Krishna met the residents of Vrindavan—heart rending. Although He first met the elders, beginning with Nanda and Yasoda and their associates, within His heart He was thinking of Radharani and the gopis. So He took an opportunity to steal away from the others to meet them. Yet although Radha was seeing Krishna, it wasn’t the same. She said, “You’re the same Krishna, and I am the same Radha, but it’s not the same here. Please come back to Vrindavan. Here there are crowds of people, elephants, and horses, and the rattling of chariots. In Vrindavan there are flower gardens and the chirping of birds and the humming of bees. Here You are dressed like a royal prince with all sorts of opulent paraphernalia, accompanied by great warriors. In Vrindavan You appeared just like a cowherd boy, dressed in Your yellow dhoti (pitambara) and decorated with a peacock feather, accompanied only by Your flute. Here in Kurukshetra there is not even a drop of the ocean of transcendental happiness that I enjoyed with You in Vrindavan. So please come back to Vrindavan and let Us relish pastimes as We did in Our youth.”

In that mood of Srimati Radharani, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, dancing in front of Lord Jagannatha in the Ratha-yatra, would recite a verse from a romantic poem:

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; Cc Madhya 1.58, 13.121)

That emotional pulling of Krishna from Kurukshetra to Vrindavan is the mood of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the Ratha-yatra. There is so much reciprocation between Lord Chaitanya and Lord Jagannatha based on Srimati Radharani and the gopis pulling Krishna back to Vrindavan. Sometimes Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would go ahead and Lord Jagannatha, astonished by the dancing of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, would stop His chariot to watch. Sometimes Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would stay behind the chariot and eventually Lord Jagannatha would stop. Then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would come forward, and then Lord Jagannatha would move forward, too.

ei-mata gaura-syame, donhe thelatheli
svarathe syamere rakhe gaura maha-bali

“Thus there was a sort of competition between Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Jagannatha in seeing who would lead, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu was so strong that He made Lord Jagannatha wait in His car.” (Cc Madhya 13.119)

Srila Prabhupada, citing Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s commentary, explains that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s leading Lord Jagannatha toward the Gundica temple corresponded to Srimati Radharani’s leading Krishna toward Vrindavan. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s following at the rear of the chariot indicated that Lord Jagannatha, Krishna, was forgetting the inhabitants of Vrindavan. In the role of Srimati Radharani, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was examining whether the Lord still remembered the inhabitants of Vrindavan. “When Caitanya Mahaprabhu fell behind the Ratha car, Jagannatha-deva, Krsna Himself, understood the mind of Srimati Radharani. Therefore, Jagannatha sometimes fell behind the dancing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to indicate to Srimati Radharani that He had not forgotten. Thus Lord Jagannatha would stop the forward march of the ratha and wait at a standstill. . . . While Jagannatha was thus waiting, Gaurasundara, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in His ecstasy of Srimati Radharani, immediately came forward to Krsna. At such times, Lord Jagannatha would proceed ahead very slowly. These competitive exchanges were all part of the love affair between Krsna and Srimati Radharani.” (Cc Madhya 13.119 purport)

Ultimately Jagannatha reaches Vrindavan, the Gundica temple. There is so much feeling in these festivals.

Now we shall read about Snana-yatra from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, both to hear directly from Srila Prabhupada about Snana-yatra, and also to realize what an unlimited wealth of knowledge—of nectar—exists in Prabhupada’s books. I am going to read four or five verses—out of hundreds and thousands—and yet in just these few verses there is so much nectar.

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

We shall read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter One: “The Later Pastimes of Lord Caitanya.” In verse 121, the author, Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, mentions that Lord Chaitanya witnessed the Snana-yatra festival. He then continues:

TEXT 122

anavasare jagannathera na pana darasana
virahe alalanatha karila gamana

TRANSLATION

When Jagannatha was absent from the temple, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who could not see Him, felt separation and left Jagannatha Puri to go to a place known as Alalanatha.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Alalanatha is also known as Brahmagiri. This place is about fourteen miles from Jagannatha Puri and is also on the beach. There is a temple of Jagannatha there. At the present moment a police station and post office are situated there because so many people come to see the temple.

The word anavasara is used when Sri Jagannathaji cannot be seen in the temple. After the bathing ceremony (snana-yatra), Lord Jagannatha apparently becomes sick. He is therefore removed to His private apartment, where no one can see Him. Actually, during this period renovations are made on the body of the Jagannatha Deity. This is called nava-yauvana.

COMMENT

Nava-yauvana means “ever fresh,” or “always youthful.” At this time the Jagannatha Deity is fully restored to youth.

PURPORT (concluded)

During the Ratha-yatra ceremony, Lord Jagannatha once again comes before the public. Thus for fifteen days after the bathing ceremony, Lord Jagannatha is not visible to any visitors.

TEXT 123

bhakta-sane dina kata tahani rahila
gaudera bhakta aise, samacara paila

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu remained for some days at Alalanatha. In the meantime, He received news that all the devotees from Bengal were coming to Jagannatha Puri.

COMMENT

Every year, the devotees from Bengal would travel by foot to Jagannatha Puri for the Ratha-yatra and the four months of the rainy season called Caturmasya.

TEXTS 124–125

When the devotees from Bengal arrived at Jagannatha Puri, both Nityananda Prabhu and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya greatly endeavored to take Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu back to Jagannatha Puri.

When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu finally left Alalanatha to return to Jagannatha Puri, He was overwhelmed both day and night due to separation from Jagannatha. His lamentation knew no bounds. During this time, all the devotees from different parts of Bengal, and especially from Navadvipa, arrived in Jagannatha Puri.

TEXT 126

sabe mili’ yukti kari’ kirtana arambhila
kirtana-avese prabhura mana sthira haila

TRANSLATION

After due consideration, all the devotees began chanting the holy name congregationally. Lord Caitanya’s mind was thus pacified by the ecstasy of the chanting.

PURPORT

Being absolute in all circumstances, Lord Jagannatha’s person, form, picture, and kirtana are all identical. Therefore when Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, He was pacified. Previously, He had been feeling very morose due to separation from Jagannatha. The conclusion is that whenever a kirtana of pure devotees takes place, the Lord is immediately present. By chanting the holy names of the Lord, we associate with the Lord personally.

COMMENT

This is a very important lesson. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was in such deep separation from Lord Jagannatha that He could not do anything or think of anything else. Finally, the devotees decided to perform kirtan. By chanting the holy names of Krishna, who is Lord Jagannatha, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu felt pacified, because He was experiencing the association of Jagannatha through the holy name.

As Prabhupada mentions here in the purport, the holy name of Krishna—the holy name of Jagannatha—is the same as Krishna. Seeing the form of Lord Jagannatha and hearing the name of Lord Krishna—the name of Lord Jagannatha—are the same. In one sense, all service is absolute; there is no difference between worshipping the form of the Lord and chanting the name of the Lord. But to engage in Deity worship, there are so many requirements. You need deities, you must be clean, you must be initiated, you must know the mantras, you must have the paraphernalia, the sixteen different types of items to offer—you require so many things. But with chanting you don’t require anything. As Srila Prabhupada said, all you require is your tongue and your ears. You don’t even need your mind. In fact, it is better to leave your mind out of it. Once, a disciple asked Srila Prabhupada, “What do I do with my mind when I chant?” And Prabhupada said, “Your mind? What is the question of mind? With your tongue you chant and with your ears you hear.” With our tongue we chant, with our ears we hear, and with our intelligence we remain fixed.

By kirtan, by chanting and hearing, we associate with Krishna. And all of our feelings of separation can be mitigated. The holy names of Krishna include everything. His names, His forms, His qualities, His pastimes, His paraphernalia, His entourage—all are included. Srila Prabhupada and his parampara are also included. The whole spiritual world is included. Everything is revealed when we chant and hear with attention, chant and hear with love.

Now the devotees here will be suffering in separation from Lord Jagannatha for fifteen days. But we can take shelter of the holy names of Lord Jagannatha and read the pastimes of Lord Jagannatha and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. And we can read about Srila Prabhupada and Ratha-yatra in Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta. We should read these books; they are important. Prabhupada stayed up all night to write his books. He would take rest at ten o’clock and get up at twelve to write these books, not just for us to sell—of course, it is good that we sell them—but for us to read; we should also read them. As Prabhupada said, “Distributing my books will keep them [devotees] happy, and reading my books will keep them.” Reading will keep us fixed. So we need to do all these things. We can’t afford to waste a moment. As Prabhupada said, “Don’t talk nonsense. Don’t waste time. If you’ve got time, chant Hare Krishna.”

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on July 13, 2008, Berkeley, California]

The observance of Gundica-marjana, the washing and cleansing of the Gundica temple, takes place on the day before Ratha-yatra, in preparation for the arrival of the Lord.

The history of Ratha-yatra goes back thousands of years, to a previous age, but for us, the specific significance of the Ratha-yatra and the cleaning of the Gundica temple was shown by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu when He was residing in Jagannatha Puri five hundred years ago. In His transcendental mind, the temple of Lord Jagannatha in Nilachala represented Dvakara, or sometimes Kurukshetra, and the Gundica temple in Sundarachala represented Vrindavan. And for Him, the Ratha-yatra was the process of the residents of Vrindavan meeting Krishna at Kurukshetra and bringing Him back to Vrindavan after a long separation.

Gundica is the name of the wife of King Indradyumna, the great devotee who wanted to have darshan of Nila-Madhava and who, in separation from Nila-Madhava, arranged to have a deity carved—ultimately resulting in the appearance of Lord Jagannatha, along with Baladeva and Subhadra. Marjana means “cleaning,” as we sing daily in the Gurvastakam: mandira-marjanadau. The spiritual master engages the disciples in cleaning the Lord’s temple (tan-mandira-marjanadau yuktasya bhaktams ca niyunjato ’pi).

In Jagannatha Puri, eight days after the Ratha-yatra is the return Ratha-yatra. Thus, for eight days Lord Jagannatha (Krishna), along with His brother, Baladeva, and sister, Subhadra, stay in the Gundica temple.

Four days after the first journey (yatra), Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, the eternal consort of Lord Jagannatha, comes to see the Lord. Srila Prabhupada explains, “Lord Jagannatha has left His wife, the goddess of fortune, and gone to Vrindavan, which is the Gundica temple. Due to separation from the Lord, the goddess of fortune decides to come to see the Lord at Gundica. The coming of the goddess of fortune to Gundica is celebrated as Hera-pancami.” (Cc Madhya 14.107 purport) Hera means “to see” and refers to the goddess of fortune going to see Lord Jagannatha. Pancami means “the fifth day,” referring to this pastime taking place on the fifth day of the lunar cycle.

The goddess of fortune, jealous and angry because her husband has been away for so long and thus has neglected her, comes with her maidservants to the Gundica temple to force the servants of Lord Jagannatha to bring Him back to Nilachala. “When Lord Jagannatha starts His car festival, He gives assurance to the goddess of fortune that He will return the next day. When He does not return, the goddess of fortune, after waiting two or three days, begins to feel that her husband has neglected her. She naturally becomes quite angry. Gorgeously decorating herself and her associates, she comes out of the temple and stands before the main gate. All the principal servants of Lord Jagannatha are then arrested by her maidservants, brought before her, and forced to fall down at her lotus feet.” (Cc Madhya 14.133 purport) Finally, they promise to bring their master, Lord Jagannatha, back to Nilachala.

Once, on the day of the Hera-pancami festival, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, and Srivasa Thakura had a deep and intricate discussion about different types of mana—transcendental egoistic pride and jealous anger manifested in different consorts of the Lord—because the mana exhibited by the goddess of fortune in bringing her maidservants to subjugate her husband’s servants and oblige them to bring Him back was unprecedented.

Other than the eight days between the first procession and the return procession, the Gundica temple remains empty, and as you can imagine, during the rest of the year it accumulates all sorts of dust and dirt. Especially with the open style of architecture in India, in which the temples are exposed to the outdoors, they can become very dusty and dirty. So in preparation for the Lord’s arrival at the Gundica temple, Lord Chaitanya asked permission from the authorities for Him and His devotees to clean the temple. The authorities were most respectful to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers, most obedient, and they replied, “Yes, whatever You like we will arrange. Cleaning the temple is not a fit service for You, but if it is Your desire, we shall supply whatever You require—waterpots and brooms.”

The superintendent of the temple delivered a hundred waterpots and a hundred brooms, and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu engaged hundreds of devotees in cleaning, and He personally took part Himself. He swept straw, dust, and grains of sand into one place, gathered it all in His cloth, and threw it outside the temple. Following His example, all the devotees also gathered piles of dust and straw and sand and threw them outside. Thus He and His associates removed all the debris that had accumulated in the temple complex over the previous year.

During the process, Lord Chaitanya would observe each devotee—how well each was cleaning—and if someone was cleaning well, He would praise him, and if someone wasn’t cleaning so well, He would correct him. Srila Prabhupada remarks that Lord Chaitanya was showing how an acharya must train devotees, correcting and encouraging them as appropriate. Mahaprabhu also instructed the devotees by example. He collected so much debris from the temple that His pile was larger than all of theirs put together.

After throwing out all the debris, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates cleaned the temple a second time, looking for finer grains of sand and dust that they might have missed. Then they thoroughly washed the temple. With hundreds of devotees throwing hundreds of pots of water, they cleansed the ceiling, the walls, the floor, and everything else. Sri Chaitanya Himself personally washed the sitting place of Lord Jagannatha with His own two hands.

Even then, Lord Chaitanya was concerned that dust would again come into the temple, and so He had His devotees clean the area outside the temple as well—throw water outside the temple so that no new dust would come in.

In the course of the cleaning, Lord Chaitanya took off His own garment, the top piece of His sannyasa dress, to clean the temple. Srila Prabhupada remarks that this shows how serious He was to clean, that He even used His own cloth to mop the rooms and polish the Lord’s throne. And Sri Caitanya-caritamrta says that in the end the temple was so clean and pure and cool and pleasing that it was just like the pure mind of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself—and the minds of the devotees were similarly purified.

Srila Prabhupada has commented that if you clean the temple, you clean your heart; if you polish the deity’s paraphernalia, you polish your heart. And the activity of cleansing the Gundica temple is taken as not only a process for cleaning a temple complex, but also as a metaphor for how we should go about cleaning our hearts. The temple was cleansed to make it a fit place for the Lord to reside. Similarly, each of us has to clean his or her own heart to make it a fit place for the Lord. Of course, the Lord always resides in the hearts of the living entities (isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese ’rjuna tisthati), but we want our hearts to be worthy places for Him to stay and enjoy His pastimes.

Srila Prabhupada has discussed elaborately, with reference to his own spiritual master’s comments, how the cleansing of the Gundica temple is a metaphor for cleaning the heart. We read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Twelve, “The Cleansing of the Gundica Temple”:

TEXT 135

ei-mata puradvara-age patha yata
sakala sodhila, taha ke varnibe kata

TRANSLATION

Outside the gateway of the temple, all the roads were also cleansed, and no one could tell exactly how this was done.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

In commenting on the cleansing of the Gundica temple, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as the world leader, was personally giving instructions on how one should receive Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, within one’s cleansed and pacified heart. If one wants to see Krishna seated in his heart, he must first cleanse the heart, as prescribed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His Siksastaka: ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc Antya 20.12]. In this age, everyone’s heart is especially unclean, as confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam: hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani. To wash away all dirty things accumulated within the heart, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised everyone to chant the Hare Krsna mantra. The first result will be that the heart is cleansed (ceto-darpana-marjanam). Similarly, Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.17) confirms this statement:

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
  punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani
  vidhunoti suhrt satam

“Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who relishes His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.”

If a devotee at all wants to cleanse his heart, he must chant and hear the glories of the Lord, Sri Krsna (srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah). This is a simple process. Krsna Himself will help cleanse the heart because He is already seated there. Krsna wants to continue living within the heart, and the Lord wants to give directions, but one has to keep his heart as clean as Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu kept the Gundica temple. The devotee therefore has to cleanse his heart just as the Lord cleansed the Gundica temple. In this way one can be pacified and enriched in devotional service. If the heart is filled with straw, grains of sand, weeds, or dust (in other words, anyabhilasa-purna), one cannot enthrone the Supreme Personality of Godhead there. The heart must be cleansed of all material motives brought about through fruitive work, speculative knowledge, the mystic yoga system, and so many other forms of so-called meditation. The heart must be cleansed without ulterior motive. As Srila Rupa Gosvami says, anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11]. In other words, there should not be any external motive. One should not attempt material upliftment, understanding the Supreme by speculative knowledge, fruitive activity, severe austerity and penance, and so on. All these activities are against the natural growth of spontaneous love of Godhead. As soon as these are present within the heart, the heart should be understood to be unclean and therefore unfit to serve as Krsna’s sitting place. We cannot perceive the Lord’s presence in our hearts unless our hearts are cleansed.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

We have just read the general part of the purport; the rest contains a detailed analysis of the specific types of dirt that may sully the heart and which we must detect and remove. But the main process, by which the heart is cleansed (ceto-darpana-marjanam) is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord (sri-krsna-sankirtanam). And the chanting should be done in a proper mood, in the mood to cleanse the heart and purify it of material desires. A material desire is a desire for anything other than to serve and please Krishna. Any other desire should be thrown out. But to throw out these other desires, we require a process, and the process is hearing and chanting about Krishna. Although material desires are there, we should have the intention to remove them. In other words, it is not an offense to have material attachments; it is an offense to maintain them. Although attachments are there, as devotees we have the intent to free ourselves from them, and we adopt the method by which we can be freed: hearing and chanting about Krishna (srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah).

If we are sincere in our intention, the Lord within the heart will help us. He is suhrt satam, the well-wishing friend of what Srila Prabhupada calls “the truthful devotee.” Sat means “truth,” and the truthful devotee is without duplicity. He chants and hears with a sincere intention to cleanse the heart and make it fit for the Lord. He has no duplicity. He does not make a show of being a devotee in order to achieve some selfish purpose—to get money or followers or adoration or anything else for himself—but he sincerely tries to cleanse the heart, and he works hard at it. We read in the description of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His devotees just how hard they worked. They did a lot of cleaning—sweeping out dust and dirt and sand and straw—and a lot of carrying and throwing water.

When we first come to associate with devotees and hear their instructions and read Srila Prabhupada’s books and develop faith in the process of pure devotional service to Krishna (uttama-bhakti), we may have bad habits. Nowadays almost everyone has bad habits—even in India. And the main sinful activities, the pillars of sinful life, are eating meat, fish, and eggs; taking intoxicants; engaging in illicit sex; and gambling. So we have to give those up. And we do.

But even after following the standard practices of devotional service, there may be subtle contaminations in the heart that we also have to cleanse. And so in the pastime of cleaning the Gundica temple, Lord Chaitanya cleaned a second time, so that the finer pieces of dust and sand missed the first time were finally removed. In the same way, we may have bad habits, attachments to gross sinful activities, that we have to work hard to overcome, and we may actually become free from them. But even then, there may be more subtle bad habits with which we must contend.

Let us take the case of a new person who first begins to engage in temple activities. He will come to the Sunday feast, to various festivals, and take prasada, hear, chant, and start to work on his bad habits. He will want to become like the other devotees, a serious practitioner. He will work on his gross bad habits, and he will give up smoking, drinking, eating meat, and associating with women in an irreligious way. Eventually he will be ready to move into the temple and live with the devotees, chanting sixteen rounds, following the regulative principles, and attending the temple programs. But then his authority will say, “It is very nice that you are staying with us and engaging in the practices of Krishna consciousness, but you should also develop a healthy service attitude. I notice that at the Sunday feast you are very eager to sit and take prasada but that after the feast, when it is time to clean up, you are nowhere to be found. You must also develop a proper service attitude.” The devotee will take the instructions to heart, and then after the Sunday feasts he will always be there, ready to clean. And he will be very energetic and enthusiastic in his work.

But then his authority may notice something else—that the person is cleaning but making a big show of it. He wants others to see him so that he will get recognition and honor and praise. So, the authority will say, “Prabhuji, it is very good that now you are staying after the feast to clean up, but we see that you do it in such a way as to call attention to yourself, so that people will see that you are working hard and give you recognition and praise for being such a good devotee. You should work on that.”

As we progress in devotional service, we find more and more subtle contamination, and we have to keep cleaning. Lord Chaitanya, after that tremendous effort in cleaning the temple the first time, cleaned the temple a second time, to take out the finer dirt. So, we have to constantly be cleaning, because until we are completely liberated, there is always some contamination. We progress through the different stages—sraddha, sadhu-sanga, bhajana-kriya—but there are taints that remain all the way up to the stage of bhava. Of course, the disturbance is much less after anartha-nivrtti—much less—but still it is there, and we have to keep chanting and hearing.

In His instructions to Srila Rupa Gosvami, Lord Chaitanya used the metaphor of the seed of devotional service, the bhakti-lata-bija. He said that after you receive the seed you must become a gardener and plant the seed and water it by hearing and chanting, and you have to make sure that no weeds grow alongside the creeper, because if weeds come they will drink the water meant for the plant, and they may become so strong that they can actually choke the creeper of devotion. Sri Chaitanya further instructed that you have to surround the creeper with a fence so that no mad elephant can enter. If a maddened elephant enters a garden, it can trample and uproot all the plants, and then all the effort put into carefully cultivating the garden will be lost.

The weeds are the material desires in the heart. We have to remove the weeds so that the creeper of devotion can flourish—and ultimately attain shelter under the lotus feet of the Lord. The mad elephant is vaisnava-aparadha, offenses against devotees, which destroy everything, all of our spiritual progress. And the fence that we construct around the creeper to protect it is the circle of pure devotees. We have to stay within the circle of pure devotees.

We find the same process in the cleansing of the Gundica temple. Not only did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu clean the temple twice, but He cleaned the roads outside the temple, so that no new dust would enter. In other words, we must act to keep maya—bad association—at a distance. Otherwise, even though we have received the bhakti-lata-bhija, the seed of pure devotion, and planted it and watered it by hearing and chanting, there is still a chance that weeds will come and grow and make the creeper weak. Then, in a weakened state, if we commit vaisnava-aparadha, through bad association, everything will be spoiled.

The weeds are material desires, and there are many varieties. Sri Chaitanya-caritamrta discusses some of the different kinds of weeds, and we have to be able to identify them. Lord Chaitanya states that the weeds may look just like the creeper, and we must recognize them and keep them apart from the creeper. Thus the discussion of the different types of weeds—the different types of dirt—is important. We must be able to distinguish pure devotional service from mixed service and from other processes altogether. And because we are conditioned and our consciousness is not completely cleansed, we may not be able to see things clearly, and we may make mistakes—we may take a weed for the creeper. But actually, the weed is unwanted; we want only pure devotion. Artha means some desirable gain, and anartha means the opposite: something that is undesirable, or unwanted.

Under all circumstances, we must continue the process of hearing and chanting—the process of cleansing the heart—which in Lord Chaitanya’s discussion with Rupa Gosvami is compared to the watering. Lord Chaitanya informs us that if we water the seed, it will sprout and become a creeper that grows stronger and stronger and taller and taller, until it pierces the coverings of the universe, penetrates the impersonal Brahman effulgence, and ultimately attains the shelter of the desire tree of the lotus feet of Krishna—because every creeper needs shelter, and the shelter for the creeper of pure devotion is the lotus feet of Krishna in Goloka Vrindavan.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu instructs that even after the creeper attains ultimate shelter in the spiritual world, Goloka Vrindavan, still one must continue the process of watering, the process of hearing and chanting. Thus we learn that even while living in the material world, by one’s consciousness, by one’s devotion, one can be in the spiritual world. That is a very advanced stage, but it is possible that even while living in the material world, one can reach the lotus feet of Krishna in Vrindavan. And we further learn that even after attaining that exalted position, one continues the process of hearing and chanting. One never stops. Therefore Srila Prabhupada often said that in Krishna consciousness the means and the end are the same. The means is hearing and chanting about Krishna (sravanam kirtanam visnoh) and serving Him, and the end is also hearing and chanting about Krishna—and serving Him with love. It is not that we adopt the means of hearing and chanting to achieve some end and then when the goal is reached we abandon the process. The whole process is eternal.

The service of the spiritual master is also eternal. It continues even after liberation, even in the spiritual world. Srila Prabhupada was once walking with some disciples in Mayapur, and they came to an embankment. One of the disciples climbed up on the embankment and then reached out his hand to help Srila Prabhupada climb up and walk over it. But when Srila Prabhupada got to the top he abruptly withdrew his hand from the disciple’s hand and walked ahead, completely ignoring the disciple. Then Srila Prabhupada said, “That is what the Mayavadis do. They take help from the spiritual master to become liberated, and then when they think they are liberated, they think they don’t need the guru anymore.” Someone may think that he needs to hear and chant to attain liberation—which is true—and that he needs to serve the instructions of the guru to become liberated—which is also true—but that when he is liberated he will stop hearing and chanting and the entire process of devotional service. But it doesn’t work like that. In fact, the process is such that the devotee wants to hear and chant more and more—and all the more after liberation.

Srila Prabhupada remarked, “When you are completely liberated (paramahamsa), you can do anything and you won’t be affected by it.” So a disciple said to Srila Prabhupada, “Well, then when we are liberated we can have sex and it won’t affect us.” Then Prabhupada told a story. A king liked to ride in a boat along the bank of a river. He liked to stay near the riverbank, and he engaged a servant on the bank who would pull the boat, sometimes dragging it through the reeds and other plants and things that might come in the way. The king became so pleased with this humble, attentive service that he offered, “Now you can ask from me whatever you want.” The servant replied, “I would like to have cushions along the riverbank, so when I pull the boat I will have a soft surface under my feet.” This, of course, was a foolish request, because the man didn’t have to pull the boat anymore. He could have had anything, but he was so used to thinking in terms of pulling the boat that he asked for a facility to pull the boat. So, the disciple who said, “Wow, when we are liberated we can have sex,” had such a limited (and base) conception of happiness that he could think of nothing beyond material sense-gratification—like the boatman could think of nothing beyond pulling the boat. That disciple hadn’t realized that there is another, higher standard of pleasure in Krishna consciousness. Thus Srila Prabhupada concluded, “When you are liberated, you will relish a spiritual pleasure that far exceeds any pleasure of this material world, and you will no longer care to experience sex life.” In other words, when we are liberated we will relish that pleasure of hearing and chanting about Krishna and remembering and serving Him even more.

Bhaktya sanjataya bhaktya: bhakti comes from bhakti. The means and the end are the same. The means is chanting and the end is chanting. The means is bhakti, sadhana-bhakti, and the end is bhakti, prema-bhakti. It is not that we adopt the means to achieve some end and then when we reach the goal we abandon the means. Bhakti means to serve Krishna, and the whole process of devotional service, the whole process of sadhana-bhakti, is meant to purify the service. We do not want to give up the service. We want to please Krishna, and we want to purify our service so we can please Krishna more. We want to purify it more and more so we can please Krishna more and more, and the desire to serve and please Krishna never ends. It just increases. And so, our effort to serve Krishna better ever increases, and it continues even in the spiritual world. There are no anarthas then—only pure bhakti—and pure pleasure.

As the acharya, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu showed us through the example of cleaning the Gundica temple how to clean the heart and make it a fit place for the Lord to reside. The Lord is already there, but because of the material contamination, we cannot fully appreciate His presence. We can’t see Him, and we have difficulty hearing Him. But He is there, and He wants to reciprocate with us. He wants to give us direction from within. But to be able to receive His direction, we have to cleanse the heart (ceto-darpana-marjanam), to remove the contamination. Then we will see that He is there—and He will speak with us.

Once, a devotee told Srila Prabhupada that some people were saying that God instructed them from within and that therefore they didn’t need a guru. Srila Prabhupada replied, “God will talk with him? What is the condition? That is stated:

tesam satata-yuktanam
  bhajatam priti-purvakam
dadami buddhi-yogam tam
  yena mam upayanti te

‘To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.’ [Gita 10.10] So first of all see whether he’s twenty-four hours engaged in God’s service with love and faith. Then you can understand, ‘Yes, God is talking with him.’ But if he has no preliminary qualification and if he says, ‘I can talk with God,’ he is a nonsense. God talks with devotees, sincere devotees who are engaged in God’s service.”

Srila Prabhupada continued, “And the person who is constantly engaged in God’s service, unless he’s trained up by a spiritual master, how can he be engaged? Without a spiritual master, one cannot be engaged in devotional service, and without devotional service, nobody is eligible to talk with God.”

So, Krishna can talk to us—and He wants to talk to us—but we have to be qualified. We have to cleanse the heart so that He will talk to us, to give us direction and guidance. And so we have to be constantly engaged in His service, beginning with chanting and hearing and remembering. That process will cleanse the heart and make it a fit place for the Lord to reside, and create the condition in which the Lord can guide us—back home, back to Godhead—to the ultimate shelter of His lotus feet in Vrindavan.

Hare Krishna. Are there any questions or comments?

Dharma dasa: When I first started to try to perform devotional service, it seemed easier, and things came easier. It seemed to feel better, or the atmosphere seemed better. Then it seemed that as time went on, it got harder. You would think it would get easier, but instead it seems to have gotten more difficult. The level of feeling I had before doesn’t seem to be there. Is that because the anarthas are coming out? Is it because weeds are growing and we are watering the weeds and that is inhibiting our receptiveness or our feeling?

Giriraj Swami: Dharma Prabhu has asked a very good question, that in the beginning, when we first come to the association of devotees, we seem to relish Krishna consciousness more, and it seems so easy and natural, and then later we don’t relish as much, and the process seems more difficult. Is it because of anarthas that were there that are coming to light, or is it because we have cultivated weeds along with the creeper?

The answer could be either—or both. But one thing is that when we first come to the association of devotees, we tend to have great respect for them. When I first joined I thought all the devotees in the temple were very advanced. I took them as pure devotees. That attitude of respect and appreciation for devotees is very congenial for spiritual advancement. But then familiarity breeds contempt.” You get to know them better, and you see things in them that you didn’t see before. And you see the things as faults, and you get disturbed. Eventually, you may even think, “If this is what being a devotee means, I don’t know if I want to be a devotee.” Of course, that is common to all traditions and groups. Christians have told me that they say the same thing: “If this is what being a Christian means, I don’t want to be a Christian.”

The process of finding faults in devotees and becoming absorbed in the faults—whether they are real or not—is very harmful for spiritual life. It creates a serious disturbance in the heart. And when we are disturbed, we can’t chant and hear and remember properly—so we don’t relish.

But the other is also possible, that there are anarthas of which we are unaware and that through the process of purification we become conscious of them. His Holiness Sacinandana Swami discussed with me once that we tend to have a linear conception of progress in Krishna consciousness. We think that we start here and go straight there and end up at the lotus feet of Krishna in Vrindavan. He told me that he has a dear friend who is a Christian priest or monk, who said that within their tradition they see progress not as a straight line but as a spiral. You are going forward, but in the process there are ups and downs. And it is not as easy as we might have imagined.

Maharaja gave the example that you are walking on the path back to Godhead, chanting your rounds and enjoying the journey, and suddenly you come to a fork in the road. Now, you didn’t know there would be a fork, and you don’t which way to go. You have to consider, “Should I go to the left or to the right?” Anyway, you make a decision, and you go on chanting, and then suddenly there is a landslide. Boulders and rocks cascade down the mountain, and suddenly you find yourself buried. “Oh my God! How did I get into this position?” With great diligence and effort and care you have to remove all those rocks and stones, and you have to get out from under them. “Thank God!” You walk a little further, and you are chanting, and then suddenly the natives who had been hiding in the bushes come out to attack with and arrows and spears. “Oh my God. I didn’t know they were going to be here.” And then you have to retreat. You have to find some shelter. You have to get some weapon. You have to defend yourself from the attacks. So you are making progress, but things happen along the way that you didn’t expect.

In the early days, devotees would chant down the street and call out, “We’re going back home, back to Godhead! Going back home, back to Godhead!” The idea was “Just join us, chant with us, be happy—and you will go back to Godhead.” And that is true. But there may be obstacles along the way. And depending on our purity, depending on our diligence and vigilance in our practice, it may be more or less difficult to overcome them. But there will be ups and downs, and in the end we will be successful—as long as we remain faithful in our practice of pure devotional service. It is like climbing a mountain: Your goal is to reach the top of Mount Everest, but there are so many peaks and valleys along the way. So, you go up, and you come down, and you go up . . . but the general trend is you are going up, and finally you will reach the top—you will reach the goal.

So, under all circumstances, we have to keep association with pure devotees. The association of pure devotees will help us in any condition. There is a verse in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta that states that the association of devotees is the root cause of devotional service (mula haya) and that even after one develops love for Krishna, the association of devotees is still essential.

krsna-bhakti-janma-mula haya ‘sadhu-sanga’
krsna-prema janme, tenho punah mukhya anga

“The root cause of devotional service to Lord Krsna is association with advanced devotees. Even when one’s dormant love for Krsna awakens, association with devotees is still most essential.” (Cc Madhya 22.83)

The association of pure devotees is a constant factor. If we stay in the association of more advanced devotees, we will continue to be associated with the process of hearing and chanting, the process of devotional service, and that will see us through whatever may happen, and we will reach the final goal. And even in the spiritual world, in Goloka Vrindavan, we will be in the association of pure devotees. And we will be hearing and chanting about Krishna.

Hare Krishna.

Nityananda dasa: One thing that I personally feel encouraged by . . .  I feel the way Dharma felt, that there are times when you feel discouraged in your Krishna consciousness. In my case, I found that when I preach and reach out to people and see the excitement in them . . . because when I first joined there was real excitement. There is no doubt about it. I was ecstatic. My hairs were standing on end. I didn’t know anything about the process, but it excited me because I saw an opportunity, a great opportunity that was well beyond me, something that I was going to get that I didn’t deserve. It was going to be really great, and I was looking forward to it.

And then engaging in it, you find the difficulties that you have to cross over. They can become distractions, but then when we preach we find that others are getting so much excitement and we realize that it is simply because we are losing sight of the opportunity that we lose our enthusiasm. But when we see the opportunity clearly in front of our eyes every day as we walk . . . Like it is said, the process is ever fresh; every time you should see something new. If I walk into this temple, it is not like I should see the same things I saw the last time I came. I notice something new whenever I see the deities. I feel they look more beautiful than ever. I have never seen them so beautiful. Whoever dressed them this morning must have love, and they are so loving in showing us such wonderful forms. Like that, we feel this ever-freshness in what we are doing. And in my case it is the preaching that helps me keep that. It is like Srila Prabhupada said, “Preaching is life.” If you feel alive, then you preach. And if you preach, you feel alive. That is our process.

Giriraj Swami: Excellent. Nityananda Prabhu says that when he joined he had the same experience as Dharma Prabhu: everything was so full of life; everything was fresh and exciting. As Srila Prabhupada says in a purport to the Bhagavad-gita, “One enjoys life with a thrill at every moment.” And then after a while one has difficulties, and you don’t feel the same. But the one thing Nityananda Prabhu does that really keeps him enlivened and enthusiastic is preach, because when you meet people in the world and you see how they are suffering, how they are looking for something, and then you give them Krishna consciousness and you see how they respond—that they feel they are getting what they were looking for—in that dynamic there is great encouragement, great enlivenment, and then everything is fresh.

The experience of preaching is always fresh, because there is no stereotypical way to preach. You can’t do it mechanically, because you are dealing with another person, an individual. You might think you know what to say, but the person may respond in an unexpected way, and then you have to respond. So, you have to be alive and alert and conscious; it can’t be scripted. There can be some basic idea of how to introduce the topic, but once you start to interact with people, you have to be prepared for any reaction, and then you have to respond. So, you have to be alive. You have to be alert. You have to be conscious—Krishna conscious.

Srila Prabhupada once said in a lecture, “Preaching is the best way to be Krishna conscious, because when you preach, people will ask questions, and to answer, you will have to think of Krishna.” So, you have to be Krishna conscious. Nityananda Prabhu has given the best answer: one who has life will preach, and conversely, one who preaches will have life. Thank you, Nityananda Prabhu, for that answer, and thank you, Dharma Prabhu, for your question—perfect question, perfect answer.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Sri Gundica-marjana in Dallas, April 28, 2007]

Gadadhara Pandit was a childhood friend of Nimai and both were students in the same ‘Tola’ or school. Gadadhara’s parents Madhav Mishra and Ratnawati were natives of Chattagram district but later on moved to Navadwipa. Gadadhara Pandit was born in Navadwipa.

In the Gaura-ganodesa-dipika, verses 147 through 153, it is stated: “The pleasure potency of Sri Krishna formerly known as Vrindavaneshvari, Srimati Radharani is now personified in the form of Sri Gadadhara Pandit in the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.”

After some time, Gadadhara accompanied some devotees from Navadwip to visit Mahaprabhu in Puri. He stayed on in Puri, not returning to Navadwip. Gadadhara started living in Jameshwar’s Tota (garden). Everyday, Gadadhara would read out aloud from the Srimad Bhagavatam for the pleasure of Mahaprabhu. 

Once while sitting on the beach, discussing some topics on Krishna, Nimai decided to bestow his special grace on Gadadhara. He told Gadadhara to dig in a particular spot. After digging for sometime, Gadadhara discovered the beautiful deity of Sri Gopinath. The deity was established in a temple in the garden and came to be known as Tota Gopinath. 

Soon after, Gadadhara took a vow of “Kshetra Sanyas” (limiting oneself to one particular place only), so as to do uninterrupted seva of Lord Sri Gopinatha.

There’s a story in connection with Sri Gadadhara Pandit that when He was very old and trying to render service to Tota-Gopinath that He couldn’t any more reach to put the garland around the neck of the Deity. To reciprocate with His loving service the Deity knelt down to accept the flower garlands of His beloved Gadadhara, Who is none other than His beloved Srimati Radharani incarnate as mentioned previously.

Sri Gadadhara pandit appears on the new moon and leaves the world on the same day. New moon means no moon – dark moon or Amavasya tithi. He also appeared in a land that is desert-like, dry and vacant in contrast to the lush Ganga basin of Navadwipa.

Today we are observing the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Sri Gadadhara Pandita. I first learned of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura when I visited the Boston temple. At that time there were only two published books in ISKCON: the abridged edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, published by Macmillan, and Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, published by ISKCON. And at the front of Teachings of Lord Chaitanya was a series of very dignified black-and-white photographs of Srila Prabhupada, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji, and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Under the photograph of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was a caption: “The pioneer of the program for benedicting the entire world with Krishna consciousness by the instructions of Lord Chaitanya.” I understood from the caption that Srila Prabhupada was continuing the work of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and that we were able to come in touch with Krishna consciousness in part because of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

As the years passed and I came to learn more about Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, I began to see more and more how the Krishna consciousness movement brought by Srila Prabhupada to the West and expanded throughout the world was a continuation of the work of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and the result of his desire. We are all indebted to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and we are intimately connected with him through parampara.

Lord Chaitanya predicted, prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama/ sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama: “In every town and village of every country of the world, My name [Krishna’s name] will be preached.” Although Lord Chaitanya made this prediction more than five hundred years ago, even His followers have sometimes been bewildered about how it would be fulfilled. Some of them have even thought the prediction was metaphorical or abstract. But Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had faith in the order and in the desire of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and through his books he began the work of spreading Krishna consciousness and the holy name of Krishna throughout the world. In particular, in 1896, the year of Srila Prabhupada’s birth, he wrote a book called Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: His Life and Precepts and distributed it to libraries worldwide.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura passed on his desire, which was Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s desire, to his son Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, though he never left India, passed on the same desire to his disciples. In particular, he gave Srila Prabhupada the order to preach Krishna consciousness in the English language, which even then was the universal language in the Western world, and in the whole world.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura predicted, “Very soon the unparalleled path of hari-nama-sankirtana will be propagated all over the world.” He foresaw the day when Vaishnavas from all over the world would come to Mayapur and chant, “Jaya Sacinandana” together with the Bengali Vaishnavas, Gaudiya Vaishnavas. And Srila Prabhupada was the one who acted to fulfill the desire and prediction of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura:

“Oh, for that day when the fortunate English, French, Russian, German, and American people will take up banners, mridangas, and karatalas and raise kirtan through their streets and towns. When will that day come? Oh, for the day when the fair-skinned men from their side, chanting, ‘Jaya Sacinandana ki jaya,’ will extend their arms and, embracing devotees of our country coming from our side, treat us with brotherly feelings. When will that day be?” (Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, in Sajjana-tosani)

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had a house in Godrumadvipa, across the Jalangi River from Mayapur, and he used to chant on his balcony there. One day he looked across the river and had a vision of an effulgent city with a wonderful temple, an adbhuta mandira, at its center. He desired that this wonderful temple and splendorous city should come into existence, and here too Srila Prabhupada has engaged his followers to fulfill the prediction and desire of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Sri Nityananda Prabhu:

eka adbhuta mandira ei haibe prakasa
gaurangera nitya-seva haibe vikasa

“An astounding temple will appear and will engage the entire world in the eternal service of Lord Chaitanya.” (Sri Navadvipa-Mahatmya, Parikrama Khanda, Ch. 4)

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura also discovered the actual birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Mayapur. Over centuries of the Ganges flooding and changing course, the location of Mayapur, the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, was lost. Bhaktivinoda Thakura studied old maps and consulted different local people, and ultimately he determined the actual location.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura carried forward the idea of the Vedic city in Mayapur, and he had some of his householder disciples build small houses there. But again, it was really Srila Prabhupada who carried the desire of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura forward to the point where there is now a budding metropolis in Mayapur. He was very enthusiastic about the project, and now his disciples are working to make this magnificent vision a physical reality.

Srila Prabhupada had to struggle to get some land in Mayapur. Eventually it was Tamal Krishna Goswami who was able to secure the purchase of the land. Then Srila Prabhupada designed, or gave the basic idea for, the first building to be constructed and brought the drawings with him from London to Calcutta.

But there had been flooding in Mayapur, and sometimes the flooding there is very severe. Therefore, although Srila Prabhupada was so enthusiastic about the project and had struggled so hard to get the land in Mayapur and had personally brought the plans for the first building there, still, right when we were at the peak of our enthusiasm, he raised the question: “What will happen if the Ganges floods? What will happen to the temple, to the project?”

He suggested that we not build the temple in Mayapur and discussed different arguments for and against his suggestion. Then he presented the idea that we should build the temple at Birnagar, the birthplace of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. We were completely bewildered, and when Srila Prabhupada argued so strongly that we should build the temple at Birnagar because it would be safe from the floods there, we were swayed by His Divine Grace’s argument. But in the end he brought us back to the conclusion that we should go ahead with the project in Mayapur. “If you all build this temple,” he said, “Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura will personally come and take you all back to Godhead.”

So, that is both Srila Prabhupada’s and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s desire—that we build a wonderful temple and go back to Godhead. And by following in Srila Prabhupada’s footsteps, we are also following in the footsteps of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

Another important program of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was nama-hatta. In fact, before Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura built his house in Godrumadvipa, he built a bhajana-kutira near the site of the house, in Surabhi-kunja, which is the original place where the nama-hatta was started by Nityananda Prabhu. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura got his inspiration for the nama-hatta there.

The basic idea of the nama-hatta is that grihastha Vaishnavas, householder devotees, preach. By definition, householders will usually have a spouse, children, work, and a home. But they should still preach; they should use all of their spare time to preach. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura himself was a householder for many years, and he would lead his householder devotees through the streets, performing sankirtana, and then they would hold festivals, large gatherings where Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura would preach bhagavata-dharma and the glories of the holy name. He published a book, Sri Godruma Kalpatavi, about his nama-hatta program, which included reports of some of his preaching events. The harinama-sankirtana and bhagavata-dharma discourses were ecstatic, and the nama-hatta was spreading very nicely. During Srila Prabhupada’s presence His Holiness Jayapataka Swami and other ISKCON devotees revived the nama-hatta in Bengal and Orissa, and now it has spread all over the world.

So, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura set a great example for us all. Although he had so many responsibilities—as a magistrate, as the superintendent of the Jagannatha temple, as a husband, as the father of ten children—still he did so much service. He was expert at utilizing his time so that he could serve Krishna more. He would generally take rest at eight o’clock at night and get up at midnight to write. He wrote approximately one hundred books. He was expert in many things, including fulfilling his duties as magistrate. He would dispose of his cases very quickly. Judges are also judged—by how quickly they dispose of their cases and by how many of their judgments are appealed and overturned. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura disposed of his cases quickly and expertly.

Somehow, with so many duties and responsibilities and so many children, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was able to write many, many books and spread Krishna consciousness widely. We can take inspiration from him and keep in our minds and hearts his glorious example: that even in our various, demanding positions, we can do more and more for Krishna and for the disciplic succession, for Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and for our spiritual master.

One of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s books, Sri Harinama-cintamani, has as its subject, as the title suggests, the touchstone of the holy name. The book is a dialogue between Lord Chaitanya and Haridasa Thakura. They begin by discussing the holy name in general. Then they consider the ten offenses against the holy name, because the efficacy of the name depends on the quality of the chanting. In her prayers to Lord Krishna, Queen Kunti says:

janmaisvarya-sruta-sribhir
  edhamana-madah puman
naivarhaty abhidhatum vai
  tvam akincana-gocaram

“My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling.” (SB 1.8.26) In the purport, Srila Prabhupada remarks that the scriptures state that “by once uttering the holy name of the Lord, the sinner gets rid of a quantity of sins that he is unable to commit. Such is the power of uttering the holy name of the Lord. There is not the least exaggeration in this statement. . . . But there is a quality to such utterances also. It depends on the quality of feeling. A helpless man can feelingly utter the holy name of the Lord.”

Ordinary devotees like us have to practice to come to the stage of such chanting, and in particular we must be aware of the ten offenses and try to avoid them. In Harinama-cintamani Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura discusses each of the ten offenses one by one in depth and in detail. First he defines and describes what constitutes each offense; then he explains how to avoid each offense; and then, in case somehow we have fallen into the offense, he discusses how to become free from it and from its damaging effects.

The first offense is sadhu-ninda: blaspheming the devotees who have dedicated their lives to the propagation of the holy name. Ninda means to criticize or to blaspheme. But what is the meaning of sadhu? How do we recognize a sadhu? Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains that in essence a sadhu is one who has taken shelter of Krishna, or of the holy name of Krishna, which is non-different from Krishna. He lists twenty-six qualities of a sadhu, as stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Then he says that of all the qualities, one is the primary characteristic (svarupa-laksana) and the others are marginal (tatastha). The essential quality of the devotee is that he or she has taken shelter of Krishna (mat-sarana), or the holy name of Krishna. Even if a devotee is lacking in the other qualifications, if he or she has the single qualification of having taken exclusive shelter of Krishna, then that devotee is considered a sadhu. On the other hand, if someone has the other qualifications but lacks the one qualification of complete surrender to Krishna, then the other qualities have no particular value.

Now that we know who a sadhu is, we can avoid criticizing or blaspheming him or her. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura discusses different grounds that people may think are justification for criticizing a sadhu. One is the sadhu’s caste or low birth, but Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that this is not ground for criticizing a sadhu. If one criticizes a sadhu because of his or her low birth or caste, then that critic is involved in sadhu-ninda. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura also mentions past sinful activities. If one criticizes a sadhu for past sinful activities, one is involved in sadhu-ninda. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura also mentions present traces of sinful activities. In other words, a sadhu may have engaged in sinful activities before he or she got the association of devotees but even after coming to the association of devotees may maintain some last traces of previous bad habits or by accident may fall down. Even then we do not have grounds to criticize. If we criticize a sadhu for an accidental falldown or for traces of past sinful activities, we are involved in sadhu-ninda.

Then he discusses different categories of asadhus, or nondevotees, so that we can clearly identify them too. In other words, as preachers, do we hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil? Do we not speak the truth if we see something is wrong and we want to correct it or protect others from it? No—as preachers we must be able to recognize nondevotees, especially if they are posing as devotees, and help neophyte devotees avoid them. Thus, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura lists three categories of persons who are not sadhus but who may be mistaken for sadhus. One is the Mayavadi impersonalist, who thinks that Krishna’s eternal form and holy name are illusory, or maya. Another is the pretender, or dharma-dhvaji, who waves the flag of religion; he is not actually a devotee, but he makes a show of being a sadhu for materialistic ends. And one is the atheist. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that when one preaches, one has to criticize nondevotees and advise innocent devotees to avoid their association and influence. Such criticism does not constitute sadhu-ninda. If ignorant or envious people argue that such criticism is sadhu-ninda, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, we should avoid their association. Because they are wrongly accusing or criticizing the preacher, they themselves are implicated in sadhu-ninda.

I will give an example. When I was in Madras on Srila Prabhupada’s behalf, I preached more or less the way I had heard him preach, criticizing demigod worshippers and impersonalists. In Madras there were a lot of impersonalists and demigod worshippers, and when I repeated what the Bhagavad-gita said about them, some people began to criticize me for criticizing others. Some said, “You shouldn’t criticize others; you should just state positively what you want to say about your philosophy and activities, but you shouldn’t criticize others.” The criticism of my criticism reached such a point that I actually began to have doubts. I thought, “So many people are saying the same thing; maybe I am doing something wrong.” They even gave the example of the Gaudiya Matha: “They don’t criticize others like you do; they have a nice temple, and every year they have a big celebration of Janmashtami and thousands of people come. Why can’t you be like them?”

So, I thought about what they said. I wasn’t really convinced that Srila Prabhupada would want us to be like the Gaudiya Matha, but then again, even people who were our friends, who were sympathetic to us, were saying the same thing: “Don’t criticize others. Just say what you want in a positive way about your own philosophy and activities.” So I wrote to Srila Prabhupada, and he wrote back, “The fact is that I am the only one in India who is openly criticizing not only demigod worship and impersonalism, but everything that falls short of complete surrender to Krishna.” And he continued, “My guru maharaja never compromised in his preaching, nor will I, nor should any of my students. We are firmly convinced that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that all others are His part-and-parcel servants. This we must declare boldly to the whole world, that they should not foolishly dream of world peace unless they are prepared to surrender fully to Krishna as Supreme Lord.”

So, that is the mood of the preacher: he or she has to criticize the nondevotees. In the course of criticizing the nondevotees, a preacher may offend people who have sentiments for such nondevotees because they think that such nondevotees are devotees. But what else can we do? This, as Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura discusses, is not sadhu-ninda; it is in the category of those things that might appear to be offenses but really are not.

There was a vivid example of this once, when Srila Prabhupada was walking one morning with Dr. Patel on Juhu Beach. Dr. Patel was praising someone who was definitely not a devotee but who was revered in India as a spiritual leader and teacher, and Srila Prabhupada began to criticize the person and point out the defects in his philosophy and his procedures. Dr. Patel became very offended and agitated—incensed. He began to argue with Srila Prabhupada and was practically shouting at him. And Srila Prabhupada was shouting at Dr. Patel. Srila Prabhupada roared, “I am not saying; Krishna is saying, na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah: anyone who does not surrender to Krishna is a mudha [fool], naradhama [lowest of mankind].” It became a fierce argument, and Dr. Patel’s friends tried to restrain him. “Swamiji is an old man,” they said. “He has a heart condition; you shouldn’t excite him.” It was like an explosion. Finally, Dr. Patel’s friends pulled him away and we reached the spot where we would leave the beach for the temple, and the argument ended.

After that, Srila Prabhupada said, “All right—no more discussion. We will just read from the Krsna book on the morning walks.” So we started to read from the Krsna book. Before this, Dr. Patel would come faithfully every morning and walk with Srila Prabhupada. Often, he would drive Srila Prabhupada to the beach in his car and then they would walk and talk on the beach, or they would walk from the temple to the beach and talk. Now, for the first time, Dr. Patel avoided the morning walks with Srila Prabhupada—because of that big argument. But some days later, he was drawn back to Srila Prabhupada. He said to Srila Prabhupada, “We are trained to respect all the accredited saints of India.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Our business is to point out who is not a saint.”

So, that is the mood of a preacher. If a preacher criticizes nondevotees who may be revered as saints by many people, he or she is not involved in sadhu-ninda. But if people criticize the preacher for criticizing such nondevotees, those critics may be involved in sadhu-ninda and we should avoid their association—unless we can change them or engage them, like Srila Prabhupada did with Dr. Patel.

Next Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, “All right, if one has committed the offense, what does one do then? What is the remedy?” The specific way to counteract the offense of sadhu-ninda, or vaisnava-aparadha, is to go to the person we have offended and beg the person to forgive us. Generally, the Vaishnava is softhearted and will forgive the offender if he has realized his mistake and is sincerely repenting and earnestly trying to improve.

One may also commit an offense that is not directly against another person. To counteract such an offense, one may confess to other Vaishnavas. There is value to opening one’s heart to other Vaishnavas and admitting one’s offenses.

What Srila Prabhupada criticized about the Christians’ practice of confession was that after they had sinned and confessed, they would often go and commit the same sin again. In other words, the process of confession alone was not sufficient to remove the heart’s desire to sin. But here, if a devotee sincerely repents his or her mistake and confesses and begs for the mercy of the Vaishnavas and then really tries his or her best not to commit the offense again—and continues with the real process of purification, hearing and chanting the holy name—then such confession or admission becomes a part of the process of purification and rectification.

 Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura instructs us that the best way to avoid offense, which is negative, is to go to the other side and be positive. The best way to protect ourselves from sadhu-ninda, for example—from blaspheming or criticizing devotees—is to glorify the devotees, to appreciate and praise them.

So, we can benefit greatly from reading Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s books. Once, a disciple asked Srila Prabhupada about reading books of the previous acharyas: “Srila Prabhupada, I remember once I heard a tape where you told us that we should not try to read . . . Bhaktivinoda’s books or earlier books of other, all acharyas.” Srila Prabhupada clarified, “No, you should read. . . . We are following previous acharyas.”

Of course, for ISKCON devotees, Srila Prabhupada’s books are the basis. And if we are well versed in Srila Prabhupada’s books and faithful to Srila Prabhupada, then when we read the previous acharyas we will see how Srila Prabhupada is representing them, as we do with Sri Brhad-bhagavatamrta. So much of what Brhad-bhagavatamrta says about the holy name is exactly what Srila Prabhupada taught us. Thus, reading the book strengthens our faith in Srila Prabhupada. It also clarifies for us the philosophy and principles of devotional service so that we can practice better in the line of Srila Prabhupada. At the same time, the reading makes us more knowledgeable in the scriptures so that we are better equipped to preach.

So, we’re gathered here at the feet of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. I believe he is pleased with our efforts to serve him through his representatives, and we can pray to him to bless us with a drop of faith in the holy name and with a fraction of a drop of his enthusiasm for preaching, so that even amidst our heavy duties and responsibilities we can also find time, as he did, to chant the holy name in the association of other devotees and to spread the mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura ki jaya! Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Nitai-Gaura premanande hari-haribol!

I have only touched a few drops of the nectarean ocean of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Would any other devotee like to speak something in his glorification?

Kesava Bharati Dasa: One of the prominent characteristics of Bhaktivinoda Thakura was that throughout his life he had recurring diseases. He suffered from rheumatic fever, and he was born in a town that was wiped out by a plague—his whole family. Over time, he underwent many traumas, and so one of the important aspects of his life was how he dealt with difficulties. His life wasn’t laid out on a silver platter. He was born in a very exalted family—descendants of kings, devotional kings—but at the same time, he had to face so many obstacles and difficulties, and in an exemplary way he showed how to take shelter in devotional service, in the holy name, in the lotus feet of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, Sri Sri Gaura-Gadadhara, and guru. He confronted and overcame many obstacles. For instance, there was a yogi in Jagannatha Puri who was doing all kinds of nonsense and had the power to make people sick and cause problems for their family members—so many things. Bhaktivinoda Thakura confronted him and put him in jail. He himself went and physically arrested the yogi. Then the yogi cursed him, and in fact Bhaktivinoda Thakura and his family members did become sick. In jail the yogi was saying all sorts of blasphemous things—“Everyone’s going to die; you’re going to die; your family is going to die!” At one point, as he was fighting the yogi within the court, the Thakura realized that the man was carrying his power in his hair—he had all these matted locks. As the judge, Bhaktivinoda Thakura instructed the constables to cut the yogi’s hair, so they cut his hair and the yogi lost his power, and soon thereafter he died in jail. And Bhaktivinoda Thakura, along with everyone in his family, got well.

Also, at that time there was a powerful dacoit movement in Vrindavan—there is always a dacoit movement there—and Bhaktivinoda Thakura went there, and just by his tremendous spiritual power and strength, he cleaned up those dacoits. Anybody who has ever been in Vrindavan knows what that means. Cleaning up the dacoits there is practically impossible. His spiritual strength was just extraordinary.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura attained a prominent position under the British rule when the British were systematically and powerfully convincing people in India that their culture and philosophy were inferior to Western culture and philosophies. Indians weren’t appointed to key positions very often, but Bhaktivinoda Thakura was so good—so pious and so popular wherever he went—that they wouldn’t dare pass him over. And they trusted him. He was so honest, so forthright, and such a wonderful servant, that they put him in important positions of authority, and wherever he was posted they wanted him to stay. Throughout, he kept wanting to go to Navadvipa, but his administrative authorities always tried to get him to stay. Even at a time when the ruling government did not favor people like him, Bhaktivinoda Thakura was granted high material status, placed in very responsible positions.

So, we can be in any ashrama—grihastha or any other—any position in life, and still develop devotional qualities if we follow the instructions that Bhaktivinoda Thakura gave in Harinama-cintamani—to stop criticizing one another, playing politics with one another, and backbiting one another, and instead to glorify one another, even if the other person is not present. Then we will get the power to serve the cause of Krishna consciousness to our full capacity.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura gave us all these different standards and all these priceless examples. Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya! Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura ki jaya!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s disappearance day, June 29, 2003, Dallas, Texas]

Sri Sacidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura appeared in 1838 in a wealthy family in the Nadia district, West Bengal. He revealed that he is an eternal associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by his extraordinary preaching activities and prolific writing.

Living as a maha-bhagavata Vaisnava, he stayed in the grhastha ashram until the last few years of his life. Then he renounced everything, accepted babaji, and entered samadhi, totally absorbed in the loving service of Gaura-Gadadhara and Radha-Madhava.

He had a responsible government position as the District Magistrate (high court judge), maintained a Krishna conscious family, and wrote almost one hundred books on Krishna consciousness. At the same time, he served the Supreme Lord in so many ways.

Biographers list three major preaching achievements of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura:
 
(1) Wrote 100 authorized spiritual books.

(2) Discovered appearance place of Lord Caitanya.

(3) Introduced preaching innovations. 

Besides books (in Bengali, Oriya, English) reviving and explaining Mahaprabhu’s message, he wrote hundreds of poems and songs full of spiritual sentiments and sastric siddhanta (philosophical conclusions). 

In 1914, on the tirobhava tithi (disappearance day) of Sri Gadadhara Pandit (the incarnation of Sri Radha), Thakura Bhaktivinoda entered the eternal pastimes of Gaura-Gadadhara and Radha-Madhava. 

Click here to download notes:

One year, when I was leaving the Dallas/Fort Worth airport on July 4, a large American flag flying in the wind caught my eye, and I was surprised by how happy I felt. I reflected on how fortunate we were to live in a country where we have freedom of religion, and how Srila Prabhupada said, “America has been so good to me to give me money, men—everything. I have no designation that ‘this is my country,’ but because they have given me so much facility, I cannot forget my obligation to them. I want to make them happy and through them the whole world.”

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

On June 26, 2024, ISKCON community members from all over the world gathered in Ujjain to honor the departure of His Holiness Rupa Raghunath Swami Maharaj, a revered ISKCON sannyasi who passed away on June 22, 2024, in Bhopal, India. The ceremony was filled with devotion and deep respect, reflecting Maharaj’s profound impact on his […]

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