Planet ISKCON

Sri Prahlada Dasa:

Today is the holy appearance day of our grandfather or great grandfather spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja Prabhupada. On Giriraj Maharaja’s instruction, I will attempt to say something about Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s history and share my realizations regarding his contribution and mood. I pray for the mercy of the Vaishnavas that this realization aligns with his authentic teachings.

The appearance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is most significant. His father, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, emerged as a great spiritual reformer at a time when Gaudiya Vaishnavism had become marginalized and in many ways perverted. While not universal, there were deviations from the mature teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in various areas. Recognizing this, Bhaktivinoda Thakura sought to reestablish Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission in this world.

In his personal endeavors Bhaktivinoda Thakura wrote extensive literature and established nama-hatta, the marketplace for the holy name, organizing sangas to facilitate the association of Vaishnavas. He also prayed for assistance in this significant task. Bhaktivinoda Thakura harbored a vision to spread Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement to the Western world, and he prayed to Krishna for help in its realization. It is understood that the appearance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was the fulfillment of that prayer.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura was living in Puri at the time of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s appearance on February 6, 1874. The site of his birth lies on the Grand Road between the Jagannatha and Gundica temples, where Jagannatha’s chariot procession takes place each year. Biographies recount various significant signs indicating the transcendental nature of his appearance. One such sign was the umbilical cord draped over his left shoulder and then across his chest resembling an upavita, or what is often called a “brahman thread.” Another indication was an incident that occurred during the chariot festival. The procession halted right in front of Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s house for a significant duration, unable to move. Seizing the opportunity, Bhaktisiddhanta’s mother, Srimati Bhagavati Devi, took her baby, then named Bimala Prasada, onto the chariot, placing him at the lotus feet of Jagannatha Swami. As she prayed at Jagannatha’s lotus feet, a garland fell around Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, interpreted as Jagannatha’s benediction upon the child.

As a side note, Brahmananda Prabhu recounted a story of when Srila Prabhupada paid his obeisances to Radha Krishna deities and Krishna’s garland fell not around Prabhupada but in front of him. Prabhupada turned to Brahmananda and exclaimed, “Did you see? Krishna’s garland has fallen. He is pleased with me!”

At a very young age Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati learned the entire Bhagavad-gita. It is said that at the age of seven he could recite the entire Gita and explain its verses. Evidently, he received thorough training from his father. Bhaktivinoda Thakura also performed the upanayana samskara, Vedic initiation into the Gayatri mantra, for him at around the same age. Additionally, he entrusted Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura with the service of worshipping a Varaha sila.

 The Varaha salagrama was unearthed while excavating the site for Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s home, Bhakti Bhavan, in Calcutta. Bhaktivinoda presented the salagrama to his son, Bimala Prasada Datta, along with a mantra to Lord Nrsimhadeva. This mantra was revealed to Bhaktivinoda Thakura either in meditation or in a dream, wherein Nrsimhadeva bestowed it upon him. Later, when Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati sent three sannyasis as preachers to the West, he gave them a salagrama sila, a Govardhana sila, a Dvaraka sila, and this Nrsimha mantra to protect the mission.

There is a famous story of how Bhaktivinoda Thakura was strict with Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. Once, when some fruits and vegetables were brought into the house, the young child selected a mango and said, “This one is for me.” Bhaktivinoda Thakura replied, “What is this? Before Radha-Giridhari have been offered this fruit, you are already claiming it as yours.” The Deities worshipped in Bhakti Bhavan were Radha and Giridhari. The young child, Bimala Prasada Datta, took this correction very seriously, and he made a vow to never eat mangoes again. Whenever he was offered mangoes or preparations made with mangoes, he would respond, “No. I am an offender.” That too, was a sign of his spiritual seriousness and determination.

During his college years Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati exhibited remarkable brilliance and acquired knowledge in astrology and astronomy. He translated, if not commentated upon, the Surya Siddhanta, a shastra on astronomical science and Vedic cosmology. He also learned Sanskrit and assisted his father by proofreading and editing various publications Bhaktivinoda Thakura produced in English and Bengali.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati once described himself, saying, “I am not only a proofreader of the press; I am a proofreader of men—I see their faults and try to correct them. I am also a proofreader of religion. I have appeared in the zodiac sign of the crab, so whenever I see anything nondevotional, I act like a crab. If I see any so-called devotion, not actually in the true unalloyed spirit, I shall pierce it!” Thus, he functioned as both a literal and metaphorical editor and proofreader.

In college he formed a student society called the August Assembly, for which the key requirement for membership was maintaining celibacy, or brahmacharya. The society would meet and discuss philosophy and, I suppose, social issues as well.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati gave up his college studies prior to graduating due to concerns that his father would get him married if he had a degree and potential for a job. As a staunch naistika-brahmachari, committed to lifelong celibate life, he wished to avoid entanglements. Consequently, he quit his studies early and left home to work for one of the maharajas of India, serving as the court astrologer and administrator. In this role he conducted an extensive review of the maharaja’s administration to eliminate corruption and to reorganize the systems. Although the circumstances of his leaving that post are unclear, at a certain point he decided to redirect his focus toward his father’s mission of establishing and preaching Krishna consciousness.

When Bhaktivinoda Thakura discovered the Yogapitha, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati took up residence there in a grass hut and pledged to chant a billion names of the Lord. To complete this vow, he engaged in chanting the same number of rounds as Haridasa Thakura—192 rounds each day. Once, during a visit in the rainy season, someone noticed a leak in the roof of the grass hut. Instead of taking the time to repair the hole, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati simply sat in the hut with an umbrella and continued chanting his japa. This vow was a long-term commitment that took him several years to complete.

Around the same time, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati took spiritual initiation from Gaurakisora dasa Babaji—possibly before he undertook the vow mentioned earlier. Gaurakisora dasa Babaji had a policy of not accepting any disciples. However, Bhaktivinoda Thakura urged Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati to seek initiation from him.

Initially, when Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati approached Babaji Maharaja, Maharaja did not agree. After some time, Bhaktivinoda Thakura encouraged Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati to approach Babaji Maharaja again. This time, Gaurakisora dasa Babaji responded, “I will have to ask Gauranga. We will see what Gauranga decides.” On another occasion, when Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati inquired about Gauranga’s decision, Gaurakisora dasa Babaji did not provide a direct answer.

Giriraj Swami: He said he forgot to ask.

Sri Prahlada Dasa: Oh, yes. Finally, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati expressed that if Gaurakisora dasa Babaji did not give him spiritual initiation, he would end his life. Understanding Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s unwavering determination, Gaurakisora dasa Babaji agreed to initiate him. Often when this story is recounted, it is mentioned how Gaurakisora dasa Babaji was illiterate, while Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was a highly erudite scholar. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was sometimes referred to as a walking encyclopedia due to his extensive knowledge on a wide range of topics.

After completing that vow to chant one billion names, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati began his preaching mission. I believe disciples had already approached him while he was chanting; I am not sure about that. Nevertheless, he began his preaching mission. He started to travel to Calcutta and Puri. Eventually he founded a matha in Calcutta at Ultadanga Road, and more and more devotees, disciples, started to come and take shelter of him and assist him in preaching work.

There is an incident relating to Gaurakisora dasa Babaji’s disappearance. In his humility, he had expressed a desire: “When I die, I should be tied in rope and dragged through the streets of Navadvipa and then I will get some benefit.” Upon his disappearance, the babajis of Navadvipa wanted to do that—tie him with a rope and drag his body through the streets. When Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati came to hear of it, he crossed the river from Mayapur with a couple of disciples and strongly opposed the babajis’ plan.

The babajis were insistent but could not agree on the final resting place. A dispute had arisen among them regarding who would get to make his samadhi in their own matha. Knowing that he was a great soul, pilgrims would come and offer donations, and so there was this quarrel amongst them. When Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati came, he forbade any of them to touch the holy body of Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja. He said, “As a disciple, I have the right to honor the body of my spiritual master after his disappearance.” The babajis did not appreciate that argument. In response to their resistance, he challenged them, and as far as I understand, the local police constable was with him as well. He issued a challenge: “If there is anyone here that has not had illicit sex in the past six months, then you can come forward and touch the body of my spiritual master.” No one stepped forward. He then reduced the time frame: “If there is anyone that has not engaged in illicit sex in the past month, then you can come forward.” And no one came forward at that either. Then he then asked, “Anyone who has not had illicit sex in the past week, come forward.” And no one did. He asked about the past two days, and then the past day, and finally the past night—and none of the babajis came forward. With this, he picked up the body of his spiritual master and carried it to the banks of the Ganges, where he placed it in samadhi. Later, he relocated the samadhi to Sridhama Mayapur to the Chaitanya Matha, where the samadhi remains today.

After the disappearance of Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati felt a need to reestablish the sannyasa order in the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya to further the preaching mission. He sat before a picture of Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja and performed his own sannyasa ceremony according to the rites that he had researched while in South India during an earlier visit. There, in the Sri Sampradaya, Vaishnava sannyasa is still present and has been practiced for a long duration of time. At the time of his spiritual initiation, he had received the name Varsabhanavi-devi-dayite dasa, and on taking sannyasa he assumed the name Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

As a sannyasi, he continued his dynamic preaching, and he started awarding the sannyasa order to his disciples. I know of one case when a disciple of Bhaktivinoda Thakura took sannyasa from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati—Bhakti Pradipa Tirtha Maharaja. Bhakti Pradipa Tirtha Maharaja was one of the preachers who visited the home of Prabhupada in Allahabad. After that visit, Prabhupada became more actively involved in the Gaudiya Matha.

There is one other really wonderful story, out of chronology now, about Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s preaching—a famous incident. A debate had arisen concerning the position of a Vaishnava and the position of a brahman. Bhaktivinoda Thakura had been invited to speak at a sabha assembly of learned scholars, pandits who would present their views and debate with the other pandits holding opposing views. Bhaktivinoda Thakura was to represent the Vaishnavas and present the Vaishnava conclusions, but due to illness, he was unable to attend and requested Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati to go in his place.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati delivered a masterful presentation that is currently available as a book called Brahman and Vaishnava. He initiated his presentation by glorifying the brahmans, quoting numerous Vedic texts from the shastras glorifying the exalted position of the brahman. This was the first day of his presentation, and all the brahmans were pleased. They were all very happy after the first day of his presentation.

On the second day, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati began quoting verses establishing the position of the Vaishnava, highlighting how the Vaishnava was even more glorious than the brahman. He emphasized that whether the Vaishnava was born in a family of even dog-eaters or even in the family of a non-Aryan race, their position was still exalted, even higher than the brahman. When he concluded his presentation, the crowd that had assembled there rushed forward to touch his feet and take the dust. Organizers were worried about the danger of the crowd pressing forward, prompting one of them to pour water over Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s feet, mix it in with a larger container of water, and throw it over the crowd. And the people in the crowd were satisfied that they had received the mercy of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s lotus feet. It is also said that at the other side of the pandal where that program had taken place, as the crowd dispersed, Gaurakisora dasa Babaji was seen. He had been watching the entire proceedings and giving his mercy, his blessings, to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.

Now I want to touch on some things—first Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati organizing a mission, organizing a religion. In a sense, that was not done prior to him—in the sense of institutionalizing Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Before him, Gaudiya Vaishnavism had always been practiced informally, without the structure of an institution. In Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s time there was no established institution as such, and at the time of the gosvamis as well, it remained an informal association. When Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati established the matha at Ultadanga Road, he said that he was not creating a new institution but rather reviving that which had been already organized by Rupa Gosvami as the Vishva Vaishnava Raja Sabha. Vishva means universal or . . .

Giriraj Swami: Worldwide.

Sri Prahlada Dasa: Worldwide, international. Vaishnava Raja Sabha means the world assembly of the Vaishnavas. We would have it later translated as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. But Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati made that statement that he was reviving that Vishva Vaishnava Raja Sabha. Later he formalized it as the Gaudiya Matha. He thus formalized Gaudiya Vaishnavism in that sense, and he also reestablished varnashrama. It was always there, particularly in the time of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu—there were brahmacharis, grihasthas, sannyasis. But for a period after Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s disappearance pastime, Gaudiya Vaishnavism had been practiced mainly by monastic babajis residing in holy places—Navadvipa, Vrindavan, Radha-kunda—doing their solitary bhajana or meditation, chanting, hearing.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati organized groups of brahmacharis living in a city who would go out with the sannyasis and preach to the grihasthas. In that way he gave a different face to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission. He would strongly criticize the babajis, as we have heard in the story of Gaurakisora dasa Babaji’s disappearance. He saw most of them as hypocrites. In encouraging varnashrama, he made the practice of Krishna consciousness practical and acceptable to common people. The teaching, or the practice, of the babajis was that one should remain in a single place, live very simply, and just do bhajana. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s point was that for most people that is not possible. He wrote a song, or a book, in which he addresses the mind—dusta mana! tumi kisera Vaishnava?—“Crooked mind, what type of Vaishnava are you?” He spoke about the difficulties of trying to do nirjana-bhajana, sitting in one place and just focusing on hearing and chanting. He said, “You are sitting. You have the externals of a Vaishnava, but your mind is thinking of sense gratification. Your mind is thinking of the opposite sex, of money, of position and respect.” He saw that that practice of Krishna consciousness as it was attempted by the babajis was impractical for the conditioned souls of this age and that those who were attempting it were mostly cheaters of others and cheaters of themselves.

The other group that he preached against was the caste gosvamis. These were lines of devotees that had descended from a significant personality in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes—a line descended from Advaita Acharya, Advaita-vamsa; a line descended from Nityananda Prabhu, Nityananda-vamsa; and lines descended from the disciples of the gosvamis of Vrindavan. The teaching of these caste lines is that unless you are initiated by someone who is born in one of these families, you can’t make advancement in Krishna consciousness, receive the seed of love of God, and go back to Godhead. The qualification for a guru, according to this view, is to be born as a descendant of one of these personalities, and unless one had taken shelter there, there is no chance of awakening love of God.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati preached against both of these perversions of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings. One does not find that theory or that teaching in any of the scriptures or the teachings of Caitanya-caritamrta, Caitanya-Bhagavata. These perversions developed after Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s time. Many of the personalities born in these lines did not have much or any spiritual qualifications other than their birth. They were shallow in terms of learning or realization of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings and the practice of sadhana. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura reestablished the pure understanding—kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei ‘guru’ haya—that one may be a brahman or a sannyasi or a sudra, but if one understands the teachings of Krishna consciousness—yei krsna-tattva-vetta—that person is spiritual master. He spoke very strongly on these topics, on the practices of both the gosvamis and the caste brahmans, and therefore he made enemies as well as friends.

In speaking truth, he had enemies. It is said that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati developed a hernia and was considering an operation. In fact, arrangements had already been made for an operation in the hospital when a high-level policeman came to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and informed him that he had been offered a bribe by some of the people from this group. They planned that when Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati went for the operation, the doctors would kill him and that, as the high-level police officer, he should not investigate or convict them for the murder. Accordingly, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati did not undergo that operation; he remained with the hernia for the rest of his preaching mission.

It is also said that when he organized a parikrama around Vraja-mandala, the caste gosvamis and the others who saw him as an enemy would boycott the parikrama. Pressure would be put on the shopkeepers not to sell any food or supplies to the devotees in the group. At other times the devotees would be pelted with stones and bricks as they made their parikrama.

There is one story that once when Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was lecturing on parikrama a band of ruffians came and attacked the group. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was implored by one of his leading disciples, Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja, to exchange clothes. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati put on Kesava Maharaja’s brahmachari clothes, for Kesava Maharaja was a brahmachari at that time. And Kesava Maharaja wore Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s sannyasa clothes. And in the clothes of a brahmachari, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati escaped from that situation, and Kesava Maharaja risked his life for his spiritual master.

In another story, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was at Radha-kunda and one of the brahmans there—perhaps one of the brahman guides—was insisting that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati respect him. Because the brahman was not receiving the attention that he believed was his due, he said, “The gosvamis, they respect.” Even if you go to Radha-kunda today, they will tell you, “My grandfather was Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Maharaja’s priest. And I was Prabhupada’s guide.” And “I am the guide of Sivarama Maharaja and Giriraj Maharaja.” This brahman told Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, “Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was offering his obeisances to us brahmans here at Radha-kunda. Why are you not respecting us?” Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati took offense at that statement of that brahman as belittling the position of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, and he refused to eat. He said, “Unless that brahman apologizes, I am not going to eat.” In the camp, because the acharya was not eating, the disciples also would not eat.

Hundreds of devotees were fasting, and so they went to that brahman and said, “Please come and apologize to our guru maharaja, because hundreds of devotees are fasting.” It was a long period of fasting, but eventually the brahman came and apologized to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. In response, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said, “I have no personal grievance to be affected by your words, but as an acharya, as a teacher of disciples, I am obliged to establish the proper siddhanta and maintain the proper etiquette. Therefore, if someone speaks against or belittles the position of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, it is my duty to respond; I am not allowed to ignore it. Therefore, please don’t be offended by my response; it was my duty to respond in this way.” Once the brahman made his apology and begged forgiveness, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati took prasada. And all the Vaishnavas on his parikrama took prasada as well.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was very strict and uncompromising. Sometimes the devotees would call him “simha guru.” It is said that when he would come to town, the Mayavadis and the hypocrites would leave. Or, if they saw him walking on one side of the street, they would cross to the other side, or they would turn around and go in the opposite direction—so that they would not have to encounter him. He was very strict in establishing the pure teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and challenging wherever he saw perversion or misrepresentation.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati had a great desire that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings could come to the West. We all know how he instructed Srila Prabhupada in their first meeting on the rooftop at Ultadanga Road, Calcutta. As Prabhupada rose from paying obeisances, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said to him, “You are an intelligent young man. You should preach Sri Chaitanya’s message of Krishna consciousness in the English language.” Prabhupada felt it his duty also to challenge and test what Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was saying, so he replied, “Who will hear Sri Chaitanya’s teachings while we are still an occupied country? Who will hear the teachings of an occupied country? First, we need to be liberated; then we can show India’s glory to the world.” Prabhupada appreciated Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s strong reply: “Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings are too important to wait for political change. Political situations will always be in flux. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings don’t depend on an ideal political situation. Regardless of the political situation, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings must be spread.” Prabhupada appreciated that answer. He felt defeated and he felt happy—happily defeated. It is said that Prabhupada did not generally accept defeat, but in this instance Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati quickly defeated him and Prabhupada felt very happy. On leaving that meeting, Prabhupada’s friend Naren Babu asked him, “So what did you think?” And Prabhupada replied, “Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings are in very capable hands.”

At different times Prabhupada received from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati the same instruction to preach in the English language. Just weeks before Bhaktisiddhanta’s disappearance, Prabhupada wrote to him and asked, “Do you have some instruction for me? How can I serve you?” And he received the same response: “Preach Krishna consciousness in the English language.” Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati sent three disciples to England to establish Krishna consciousness, and he maintained them there, in London. He would regularly send them money so that they could establish a mission. But they were mostly unsuccessful, and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati eventually called them back to India.

We have spoken about Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s preaching drive, his missionary spirit. He also instructed Prabhupada to print books. This is an instruction Prabhupada heard from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati at Radha-kunda: “If you ever get money, print books.” On the Gaudiya Matha logo, there is a six-pointed star in the middle with Krishna’s six qualities—beauty, wealth, fame, strength, detachment, and knowledge—in each triangle. To the right there is depiction of Radha and Krishna with the word Raga. Just beneath them is depicted a printing press and a mridanga with the word Kirtanam, and above them is a book with the word Bhagavatam. To the left, there are deities of Lakshmi-Narayana and the word Vidhi. Just beneath them is depicted a bell and a lamp with the word Archanam, and above them is another book with the word Pancaratra.

This logo reflects Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati teachings on bhagavata-vidhi and pancaratrika-vidhi. Pancaratrika-vidhi is temple worship, vaidhi seva, service of the Lord according to strict Vedic rules and regulations. Bhagavata-vidhi means to hear about, remember, and glorify Krishna, particularly by hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati also explained preaching and book distribution as bhagavata-marga—hence the printing press in the logo. It is in the same line of spontaneously hearing and remembering Krishna, not according to the strict rules and injunctions of temple worship and Vedic injunctions, but motivated by feeling in the heart. Pancaratrika-vidhi, or temple worship according to the regulated duty of service, is particularly important for neophytes. It is often overlooked by the babajiis who focus solely on the bhagavata-marga. They are meant for hearing about, chanting the names of, and remembering Krishna—or at least they are supposed to be. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, while emphasizing that bhagavata-marga is superior to the pancaratrika-vidhi, nonetheless explained that both are necessary for advancement in Krishna consciousness.

As I said earlier, he gave more emphasis to varnashrama—brahmacharis living in the matha, trained in the matha according to a regulated program; the sannyasa ashrama; and grihasthas who lived around the matha. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati had thousands of grihastha disciples. I heard a figure, 60,000 disciples. Is that right?

Giriraj Swami: I hadn’t heard that. That is a lot.

Sri Prahlada Dasa: By equating preaching activity with bhagavata-marga, he gave it a very high position of significance. He taught that devotees can advance in the bhagavata-marga by actively engaging their senses in the preaching mission. He traveled tirelessly all over India and in Burma. To establish the preaching in bhagavata-marga, he employed means that were not always understood by the kanistha-adhikari or the neophyte, caught up in the rules and regulations of vaidhi-bhakti even though they may have thought of themselves as advanced bhagavatas. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati would drive an expensive automobile when the occasion called for it, especially in Calcutta. He wore expensive shoes, even polished leather shoes. A large Sikh man served as his driver and bodyguard. He exhibited opulence in that way to make Krishna consciousness acceptable, respectable, and understandable both to the British who held significant influence in India at that time, and to the educated Indians, many of whom were embarrassed to be associated with less sophisticated presentations of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati organized large functions, including exhibitions of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings and dioramas in different cities across India. He also hosted government leaders and scholars. There is a famous photo of the governor of Bengal being received in Mayapur at the Chaitanya Matha, where a prominent gate bears a sign that reads, “God Save the King.” As I heard the story, not everything at the banquet was prasada; some items on the menu were according to the taste of the British governor. In that picture you can see some of his brahmachari preachers dressed in distinctive attire—a black robe or suit with a white collar, complemented by pocket watches dangling from chains, and black turbans. This uniform reflected a smart appearance for the preachers interfacing with the British during that period in India’s history.

When Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati relocated his matha from Ultadanga Road to Bagh Bazaar, he hired a marching band to perform and play their music, as the Deities went in procession from Their old temple to Their new one in the heart of Calcutta. He would also preach and give lectures on the All India Radio in Calcutta, often on Saturdays. With these activities, he was recognized as a very powerful preacher dedicated to furthering Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s sankirtana mission.

There is a story about Subhas Chandra Bose and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. Subhas Chandra Bose was a radical nationalist, a freedom fighter. He had a different approach than did Gandhi, who was a pacifist, fighting the British by non-violent resistance. Subhas Chandra Bose advocated armed struggle. During World War II he had an agreement with Hitler that as the Indian soldiers fighting for the British were captured, rather than being kept as prisoners of war in a Nazi prison camp, they would be given to Subhas Chandra Bose for his Indian National Army being organized in Japan. From Japan they marched into Burma and fought the British, hoping to liberate India.

Subhas Chandra Bose once approached Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and said, “You have so many men. You are engaging them in chanting and preaching Srimad-Bhagavatam while our country is occupied by the British. Why don’t you give me some of your men and we will make them into soldiers to liberate India?” Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati replied, “No, these men are too weak. They are not strong enough to be soldiers. They are not suitable for your purposes, so don’t think about them.” What is significant here is that a political leader would consider making this request for Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s collaboration in liberating India from British rule.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was a powerful and revolutionary spiritual leader, teacher, and reviver of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission. At the end of his manifest pastimes, he resided at Cataka-parvata, near the Tota-Gopinath temple in Jagannatha Puri. Cataka-parvata is considered nondifferent from Govardhana Hill. According to one biography, while residing there he was often heard to say, nija nikata nivasam dehi govardhana tvam, “O Govardhana, please give me residence near to you.” That was his prayer and meditation near the end of his manifest pastimes. Finally he made his disappearance in Calcutta on January 1, 1937, and he was placed in samadhi at the Chaitanya Matha in Sridhama Mayapur.

In conclusion, we have contemplated Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s transcendental appearance, inspired by the prayers of Bhaktivinoda Thakura. His unwavering courage in preaching Krishna consciousness and his revolutionary methods to reestablish Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission, all while maintaining strict adherence to and intolerance of any deviation from Lord Chaitanya’s teachings, reflect his extraordinary spiritual commitment. Upon reflection, it becomes evident that he must be most pleased with Srila Prabhupada’s monumental achievement—successfully bringing Krishna consciousness to the West, establishing it as a household word worldwide without change or deviation, and subsequently returning to revive Krishna consciousness in India. It appears to be gaining momentum year by year—Krishna consciousness in India is like an explosion. We can be sure that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is most pleased with that success. Srila Prabhupada consistently attributed his success to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, saying, “If I have any credit, it is that I followed the instruction of my spiritual master,” or “I had faith in the teaching of my spiritual master.” On occasion, he even stated that his disciples were sent by his spiritual master. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is therefore pleased with this movement and actively watches over it. According to Prabhupada’s statement, he is aware of the movement and, consequently, is also aware of our service and prayers for his mercy. We aspire to be instruments in his mission, set examples for others, inspire them, and advance in the process of Krishna consciousness as he taught it.

There is a beautiful prayer, a poem that Srila Prabhupada wrote called Viraha Astakam. He offered it on Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s disappearance day in 1959, some twenty-two years after his physical departure from this world. In this lament, Prabhupada expresses concern over the degradation of modern society and the increasing sinfulness of people as Kali-yuga advances. He also laments the lack of unity and preaching focus in what remained of the Gaudiya Math. The refrain of this prayer—“You personally suffer to see the suffering of the fallen conditioned souls. On this day of your separation, I am utterly despondent”—conveys a strong sense of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s mood of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls and his desire to help the conditioned souls by preaching Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission. This also provides insight into how Prabhupada was able to imbibe Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s mood, compassion, and understanding of how Krishna consciousness can save the world. Both Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and Prabhupada shared that conviction.

My final concluding point is that by reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and understanding his mood as it is, one can also understand the mood and teachings of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati very clearly—because they are the same. Large passages of Caitanya-caritamrta are almost directly translated from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s commentary on the Caitanya-caritamrta. If you read The Nectar of Instruction, Upadesamrta, you will notice that the second half of Prabhupada commentary for each verse is a paraphrase of the commentary of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura on the same verse. Of course, he did that according to time, place, and circumstance. Prabhupada took Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s teachings as they were and translated them into our language in a way that we could understand. He gave them to us “as it is” without any distortion or dilution, watering down, or adding his own ideas from his studies or readings. He was a very faithful disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. This is also an example to us that if we are faithful followers of Srila Prabhupada, we will be placed as followers of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and we will be successful in practicing and teaching Krishna consciousness.

Giriraj Swami:

Thank you very much for that flow of nectar, Sri Prahlada.

Just two points about the history. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was such a brilliant student that one of the colleges in Calcutta offered him a post as a teacher when he graduated. That was another reason why he left college before he graduated—otherwise, they would have put pressure on him to join their faculties, which he did not want to do. Another point is that when his spiritual master left his body and he went to the site to claim the body and challenged the people that wanted the body to stay with them, according to the report of a brahmachari who accompanied him, when he challenged them, no one protested. They just walked away, one by one, and the police officer who had been there was so struck . . . Of course, the challenge itself was very bold and very telling, but the officer was also struck by the spiritual power of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. The opposition lost their spirit to fight with him.

My first experience of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s appearance day came in February of 1970. Srila Prabhupada instructed his students, his disciples, to write offerings to his guru maharaja. So, I took the instruction seriously, as did the other devotees, and not really knowing much, two facts struck me. One was that Srila Prabhupada, who was such an intelligent and powerful and realized soul, saw fit to surrender himself to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. I thought, “What must be his position, that someone like Srila Prabhupada had surrendered to him?” And the other fact that struck me was that he was the one who gave the order to Srila Prabhupada to come to the West and preach, and where would we have been if Srila Bhaktisiddhanta had not sent Srila Prabhupada to us?

The next year on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s appearance day, we were in Gorakhpur with Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada had us fast until noon and then break the fast, but he wanted to have a program in the evening so that more people could attend—mainly our friends from the Gita Press—and have the feast then. The feast was served downstairs on a veranda outdoors. So, we were honoring prasada. Others may have too, but I definitely had digestive problems then—drinking the water—so it was a mixed experience, relishing the feast but wondering what the consequences would be. Toward the end of the feast, Srila Prabhupada’s servant Nanda Kumar dasa came down. He would always bring us some remnants—at least some maha salt and maha ginger—and news. He informed us that while Srila Prabhupada was honoring prasada he had made two comments. “This prasada was so good that I could not control my senses.” And “My guru maharaja is pleased with all of you.”

One significant incident for me took place in 1989 or ’90, after I had just gotten back into India after seven years of visa problems, and I was on my way to Mayapur. I stopped at Chaitanya dasa’s house in Calcutta to spend the afternoon and night, and he received a phone call from a devotee in Bombay who asked him to get some books from the Gaudiya Matha. So, he said that he was going to go to the Bagh Bazar Matha to get the books and asked if I would like to come. So, I joined him, and while he was downstairs I went up to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s quarters. He had two rooms: a bedroom with the bed from which he left the world, and an office with a table and chair and cupboards with books and personal effects. I could feel his presence there very strongly. Then later I visited his quarters in Mayapur. Standing on the balcony of his house, looking toward ISKCON’s Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir, I felt how pleased he was with Srila Prabhupada and how Srila Prabhupada was really the one who had carried on his line and mission.

As far as his teachings, there is subtle point. He made adjustments and established the necessity both for pancaratrika-vidhi and bhagavata-marga, while at the same time he said that bhagavata-marga was more important and that bhagavata-marga included preaching. Ultimately, preaching is kirtan—glorification of Krishna and Krishna’s message. And the business of advanced devotees is to preach and write books. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura really took up the mood of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura to preach and to establish the proper understanding of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the proper presentation of His teachings.

Still, perhaps partly because people were becoming more influenced by the lower modes of nature and partly because Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was establishing an institution that had to have the same standards and principles for everyone, he somewhat avoided some of the practices about which Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura himself had written, especially siddha-pranali. Thus, some people concluded that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was not being faithful to Bhaktivinoda Thakura, was not continuing in the same line, and they criticized him for that.

Even now, although not in the exact same terms, there is criticism of ISKCON because we don’t emphasize certain esoteric topics (and perhaps practices). How does this criticism fit with the fact that we emphasize bhagavata-marga over pancaratrika-vidhi? The answer is that we do want to chant and hear, but we want to chant and hear about topics that are considered appropriate for us by our masters, by Srila Prabhupada and by his spiritual master, Sarasvati Thakura. And they have given emphasis to the holy name and to the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. Everything is included in what they have given us, but in a certain proportion.

Now, there may be some truth to the idea that we need to hear and chant more. Of course, ISKCON is a big society and different leaders in different places give more or less emphasis to hearing and chanting. But overall, there may be a point to be made that there should be more hearing and chanting. Yet at the same time, the hearing and chanting should be of the topics that are considered appropriate for us. There are many statements by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to the effect that one can attain the highest realizations of Krishna consciousness just by chanting the holy names and that everything will be revealed through pure chanting. Sri Bhakti-sandarbha also confirms that the highest sentiments in bhakti are best evoked through congregational chanting, sankirtana.

So, I feel very grateful, ultimately to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and more immediately to Srila Prabhupada, for placing me in a situation where there are devotees nearby—especially Sarvatma Prabhu, who is such a qualified singer and speaker—so that we can meet together and engage in the most important process of hari-nama-sankirtana.

Srila Prabhupada sometimes said that the grandfather is more kindly disposed to the grandchildren than is the father, and he told us that he asked his guru maharaja to take care of us. At the same time, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta was very strict. Srila Prabhupada himself said that his guru maharaja was very strict but that he himself was very liberal. So, ultimately, we can just try to serve Srila Prabhupada. Of course, even Srila Prabhupada did not tolerate hypocrisy or any obstacle that would interfere in our relationship with him. But ultimately his goal was to encourage us in devotional service and help us in our efforts to serve his servant. So, I believe, as you said, that he is pleased with Srila Prabhupada and that if we are connected with Srila Prabhupada, somehow we form some small part of his effort, knowingly or unknowingly.

We can take advantage of this occasion to pray to His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to help us in our service to Srila Prabhupada and to bless us with his mercy that we can chant and hear without offense and be instrumental in his hands and in the hands of his servants to further his mission—the only panacea for the world’s problems.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura did things that were shocking. In those days hardly anyone—only the richest people—had a car. It would be comparable today to having your own jet. And then the way he dressed. So, that was in Srila Prabhupada. His original idea for Vrindavan was to build a skyscraper, which really would have shocked local people. That was there, but again, time, place, and circumstance, I feel that Srila Prabhupada was not as confrontational, and his mood in Vrindavan was actually quite different. Of course, his preaching was the same. Once, he told Gurudas and Yamuna, “In Vrindavan there are five thousand babajis, five thousand gosvamis, and five thousand widows. We have to keep good relations with all of them.” I think part of it may have been because we were foreigners, we were guests.

In Bombay, when the police commissioner refused to give permission for the temple because the kirtans were a “nuisance,” Prabhupada became furious. A group of disciples came down from Vrindavan (they had been there for the Mayapur-Vrindavan festival), and Prabhupada was saying, “We will have satyagraha. We will march to the police commissioner’s office and go on a hunger strike.” He was getting us to hold meetings all over the city and preach. He really got us going. That side was there. But in the end he said, “Maybe we shouldn’t do that.” Then he cited the saying “Don’t pick a fight with an alligator while in the jurisdiction of the water.” It was like, “We’re in India, and this is their territory,” and if they don’t like us, they can just say, “We don’t want you. Get out.” So, certainly, his preaching was like that. It was completely pure and without compromise, but in terms of his interaction with others . . . But even Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, when Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose came, he did not say, “What is this nonsense, freedom movement? You should preach the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.”

I guess that is always the challenge: to preserve the integrity and purity of the teachings and the spirit of not compromising, as well as to adjust according to time, place, and circumstance. Because of that order to preach in the English language, Srila Prabhupada’s priority really was that. But he was perfect: he did everything perfectly. But considering us, he had to take care in certain ways that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta did not have to worry about with his disciples.

[Talks by Sri Prahlada Dasa and Giriraj Swami on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s appearance day, February 21, 2005, Carpinteria, California]

On March 2, the historic inauguration ceremony of the new Nrsimha Wing and Maha Nrsimha Yajna will take place in the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP). 21 sponsorships called Yajamanas are available for the yajna, and only eleven are remaining.

This is a last chance opportunity to be part of history in the making with the opening of Mayapur Prahlad-Nrsimhadeva’s new home. If you have the desire and the means, please jump on this chance. If you are presently in Mayapur, you will be provided a seat in the yajna arena. Otherwise, your name will be announced to the Lord.

For more information and to become a Yajamana for Lord Nrsimhadeva, go to the Yajamana Sponsorship page today on the TOVP website before this opportunity disappears.

“O devoted one, one who builds a beautiful temple for Lord Nrsimhadeva will be freed from all sinful reactions and he will enter the Vaikuntha planets.”

Narasimha Purana

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The GBC thought it would be a good idea to meet face to face in Mayapur with Iskcon temple presidents from around the world. Those who couldn’t make it came on via Zoom and cameras and big screens were set up throughout the tent.

The meeting was held near the goshala in the old boys school so it was nice to be in such a natural setting with cows and bullocks nearby. There were about 300 in attendance and later everyone broke into smaller groups to talk about expansion and concerns.

On February 29, 2024, during the most auspicious observance of the 150th Appearance Anniversary of ISKCON Param Guru His Divine Grace Ashottara Sata Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada, the Kolkata-based Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC), in association with the Saraswata Gaudiya Vashnava Association, will be opening the doors to the largest exhibit in history of any Gaudiya Vaishnava Acharya, in the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) in Sridham Mayapur, West Bengal, India, the World Headquarters of ISKCON.

Two thousand square feet of space will showcase the life of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada, from his appearance to his disappearance. It takes one through his rise to becoming a world acharya and preacher, the innumerable contributions he made to modern Gaudiya Vaishnavism, his extensive travels, the installation of the footprints of Mahaprabhu in eight locations, his theistic spiritual exhibitions held in various places of India, his prolific writing and publishing of innumerable books and articles, culminating in the opening of 64 maths throughout India.

On display will be original publications, rare photos, newspaper articles about the Gaudiya Math, handwritten manuscripts and documents and much more. This will be a memorable tribute to the life of the Founder-Acharya of the Gaudiya Math, to whom we are all eternally grateful.

The exhibit, Revolutionary Acharya Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada, will remain on display for several months, allowing pilgrims to Mayapur the opportunity to view this unprecedented and inspiring presentation during his 150th Vyasa-puja celebration throughout the year.

For more information contact the Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC):
www.brcglobal.org
info@brcglobal.org
+91 87790 71763 / +91 98200 20505

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On February 10, 2024, by the desire of HH Jayapataka Swami, the lotus footprints of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu were installed at ISKCON Juhu, Mumbai. Present were HH Jayapataka Swami, HH Radhanath Swami, HH Gopal Krishna Goswami, HG Ambarisa prabhu and HG Svaha mataji, along with HG Braja Vilasa prabhu.

This video is a clip from this auspicious occasion highlighting the speeches of Ambarisa prabhu and Svaha mataji. In glorifying this important event, they encouraged one and all to fulfill Mahaprabhu’s and Srila Prabhupada’s desire to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world. And particularly by assisting in the completion of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium in Sridham Mayapur, ISKCON’s World Headquarters.

It is the initiative of Jayapataka Swami to install the lotus footprints of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in one hundred ISKCON locations and temples.

To watch the full ceremony and speeches click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/live/wLKtAR9qG_8?si=MfEW_ExNNDULrJl9

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Three special Vahanas (palanquins), an elephant, Garuda and lion vahana, will be used to transport the Utsav Nrsimha murti to the TOVP for His glorious homecoming festival from February 29 – March 2, the Sri Nrsimha Vaibhavotsava. Each day, one of these beautiful vahanas carrying the Lord will be accompanied by throngs of devotees chanting and dancing in ecstasy to celebrate Prahlad-Nrsimhadeva’s new home.

These three vahanas are now available to sponsor through an exclusive Sri Nrsimha Vaibhavotsava service arrangement. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime, time-sensitive seva opportunity for any devotee with the desire and means to finance. Their name will be permanently inscribed on the vahana as the sponsor, and each palanquin will be used for many years of future festivals.

If you are interested, contact Braja Vilasa prabhu directly by calling or messaging on WhatsApp: +91 96359 90391 or visit the TOVP office if you are now in Mayapur. There is less than one week left to take advantage of this seva, and we are certain there will be many supporters anxious to jump on this opportunity.

CALL OR SEND A MESSAGE TODAY FOR THE SEVA OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME!

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“The Miracle Is Happening!” – The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium Nrsimhadeva Wing, the largest Nrsimha Temple in the World, is opening! From February 29 – March 2, 2024 the TOVP will reach its next milestone towards the completion of Srila Prabhupada’s dearmost project during an ecstatic and historic festival, the Sri Nrsimha Vaibhavotsava.

We humbly request all ISKCON leaders and devotees to spread the word to all their temple members and congregation. The events each day can be watched live at www.mayapur.tv.

Below are several links to relevant and inspiring videos, flyers and flipbooks that can be shared with others to promote this auspicious occasion:

“The Miracle Is Happening!” Video (watch and subscribe):

Full Announcement and Schedule (view, download and share):

Nrsimha Wing Opening Flyers (for print and social media):

Nrsimha Wing Images and Development (view, download and share):

Exclusive Nrsimha Vaibhavotsava Sponsorships:

Help Open the Lord’s Temple.

Miracle in the Making ~ Home of Our Divine Protector

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I had the wonderful opportunity of participating in Lord Nityananda’s appearance celebration at Sri Sri Radha Syamasundara temple in Adelaide.

Srila Prabhupada has written in Chaitanya Charitamrta:

Srila Nityananda Prabhu was born in the village of Ekacakra, in the district of Birbhum, as the son of Padmavati and Hadai Pandita. In His childhood He played like Balarama.

When He was growing up, a sannyasi came to the house of Hadai Pandita and begged to have the pandita’s son as his brahmacari assistant. Hadai Pandita immediately agreed and delivered his son to him, although the separation was greatly shocking, so much so that Hadai lost his life after the separation.

Nityananda Prabhu traveled on many pilgrimages with the sannyasi. It is said that for many days He lived at Mathura with him, and at that time He heard about Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes in Navadvipa. Therefore He came down to Bengal to see the Lord.

When Lord Nityananda came to Navadvipa, He was a guest at the house of Nandana Acarya. Understanding that Nityananda Prabhu had arrived, Lord Caitanya sent His devotees to Him, and thus there was a meeting between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu

Srila Prabhupada preaching to a large crowd in India. Srila Prabhupada, founder of the worldwide Hare Krishna Movement, vigorously presented the Vedic culture and the teachings of Sanatana Dharma throughout the world in the last ten years of his life. This was a monumental and singular achievement for a man who had not stepped outside […]

The post India’s Vedic Revival appeared first on ISKCON News.

We welcome you on this most auspicious occasion of the appearance day of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. According to the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, the Absolute Truth is realized in three features. Preliminary is Brahman, the impersonal light that emanates from the transcendental form of the Lord. Next is Paramatma, the localized Supersoul within the hearts of all living entities. And the last word in realization of the Absolute is Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. The jnanis who realize the impersonal Brahman experience only the sat, eternal, aspect of the Absolute Truth. The yogis who realize the Paramatma within the heart experience the eternal, sat, and cognizant, cit, features of the Absolute Truth. Only the devotees, who realize Krishna, experience ananda, bliss, which is the goal and ultimate nature of every living entity.

When an interviewer once asked Srila Prabhupada, “What is the goal of life?” Srila Prabhupada replied, “The goal of life is to enjoy.” Now, the effort to enjoy materially, through the mind and senses, leads only to frustration and misery, but spiritually one can enjoy in relation to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and that pleasure, unlike the temporary so-called happiness of the material world, is eternal, and that eternal happiness can be realized through the mercy of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Nitya means “eternal” and ananda means “bliss.” So, if we can come in touch with Lord Nityananda, we can realize that eternal bliss for which we are hankering.

How do we become eligible for Lord Nityananda’s mercy? That we can learn from the description of His qualities and pastimes in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, the most authorized book, biography, about the teachings and activities of Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda and Their associates. There are a number of verses that summarize the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda, but one is especially instructive, from Adi-lila, Chapter Seventeen: “The Pastimes of Lord Caitanya in His Youth”:

TEXT 17

tabe saci dekhila, rama-krsna—dui bhai
tabe nistarila prabhu jagai-madhai

TRANSLATION

Thereafter Mother Sacidevi saw the brothers Krsna and Balarama in Their manifestation of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda. Then the Lord delivered the two brothers Jagai and Madhai.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

One night Sacidevi dreamt that the Deities in her house, Krsna and Balarama, had taken the forms of Caitanya and Nityananda and were fighting one another, as children do, to eat the naivedya, or offering to the Deities. On the next day, by the will of Lord Caitanya, Sacidevi invited Nityananda to take prasada at her house. Thus Visvambhara (Lord Caitanya) and Nityananda were eating together, and Sacidevi realized that They were none other than Krsna and Balarama. Seeing this, she fainted.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

The story is that Sacidevi had a dream and told her son Nimai, “Last night I had a wonderful dream, and in this dream You and Nityananda went into my Deity room, and You picked up the Deity of Balarama, and Nitai picked up the Deity of Krishna, and the Deities started to protest, ‘You can’t take Us from the altar. You can’t take Us out of the Deity room.’ And You and Nityananda replied, ‘Your days of stealing butter and playing pranks are over. Now You are appearing as brahmans to chant the holy names.’ ” Then They started to fight over Mother Saci’s offerings, and Krishna and Balarama said, “These are meant for Us. You can’t have these.” And Gaura and Nitai were saying, “But now You have appeared as Us, so We can take them.”

Mother Saci asked Lord Chaitanya, “What do You think of this dream?” and Lord Chaitanya said, “This is a very wonderful dream, but don’t tell anyone about it.” Because He was concealing His identity as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He didn’t want anyone to know that He was Krishna and Nityananda was Balarama.

Then Lord Chaitanya said, “I would go into the Deity room to have maha-prasada and see that half of it was gone.” His wife, Vishnu-priya, was listening to this, and He knew that she was listening, so He said, “When I would see that half of the offering was gone, I would suspect that it was Vishnu-priya who took the maha-prasada, but now I am seeing that these Deities are very mystical, and I am suspecting that They Themselves might be eating half of the remnants meant for Us.” He continued, “Anyway, I think tomorrow you should invite Nityananda for lunch.” So, she did, and as They were having lunch, she saw Them transform Themselves into Krishna and Balarama, and she fainted.

PURPORT (continued)

Jagai and Madhai were two brothers born in Navadvipa in a respectable brahmana family who later became addicted to all kinds of sinful activities. By the order of Lord Caitanya, both Nityananda Prabhu and Haridasa Thakura used to preach the cult of Krsna consciousness door to door. In the course of such preaching they found Jagai and Madhai, two maddened drunken brothers, who, upon seeing them, began to chase them. The next day, Madhai struck Nityananda Prabhu on the head with a piece of earthen pot, thus drawing blood. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard of this, He immediately came to the spot, ready to punish both brothers, but when the all-merciful Lord Gauranga saw Jagai’s repentant behavior, He immediately embraced him. By seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face and embracing Him, both the sinful brothers were at once cleansed. Thus they received initiation into the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra from the Lord and were delivered.

COMMENT

This is a very important pastime of Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda, and it is worth considering in detail, because it will give us an insight into the actual mission of Gaura-Nitai and, through parampara, disciplic succession, the mission of Srila Prabhupada and consequently the mission of his followers.

So, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ordered Nityananda Prabhu and Haridasa Thakura to go into Navadvipa to approach whomever they met on the way and to go door-to-door and approach people at home and request them to chant the name of Krishna, to worship Krishna, to accept Krishna as their life and soul and the treasure of their wealth—and not to distinguish between who was qualified and who was not. Many people in Navadvipa were pious, and when Nityananda Prabhu and Haridasa Thakura approached them, they accepted the request. And they all developed pure love for Krishna.

One day, as Nityananda and Haridasa Thakura were making their way around Navadvipa, they saw a large crowd of people watching a spectacle from a distance. When they approached, they saw two drunken brothers, Jagai and Madhai. “They were born in a respectable brahman family,” the townspeople explained, “but in their youth they fell into bad association and have engaged in all sorts of sinful, horrible activities. They drink wine, they murder people, they burn down their houses, they loot and rob and plunder them. They rape women. They eat cows’ flesh. There’s not a sin they have not committed. They are extremely dangerous, and the whole of Navadvipa lives in fear of them.”

Nityananda Prabhu thought, “So far, we have been approaching pious folks and they’ve taken up the order of Mahaprabhu and become pure lovers of Krishna, but no one really knows the glories of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy. If we can convert Jagai and Madhai, then everyone will know the magnitude of Mahaprabhu’s mercy.” So, Nityananda, accompanied by Haridasa, approached the drunken brothers and delivered the message: “Chant Krishna’s name, worship Krishna, follow Krishna’s instructions, glorify Krishna, and give up your sinful activities.” The two were physically powerful, though—very powerful and very arrogant—and they became enraged: “Who are these people to tell us to worship Krishna and give up our activities?” They decided to kill Haridasa and Nityananda and started to pursue them, shouting, “Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!” They were running after them, and Nityananda Prabhu and Haridasa Thakura were running for their lives.

While they were fleeing, Nityananda Prabhu said, “Haridasa, I think this is the end of both of us. This is it.” And Haridasa replied, “I think You are right.” Then Nityananda said, “But you were caned in twenty-two marketplaces and Krishna saved you, so why don’t you pray to Krishna to save us now?” And Haridasa said, “Yes, that’s true, but at that time I wasn’t associating with a madman like You. You went up to the two biggest demons on the planet and told them to chant Hare Krishna and give up their sinful activities! All the townspeople told us, ‘Stay away from them; they are very dangerous,’ but You didn’t listen.” Nityananda defended Himself: “You are blaming Me, but actually I’m not the one to blame. It’s your master, Gauranga Mahaprabhu, who’s responsible. Never in the history of the world has a brahman acted like Him, like a king ordering people to go out in the town and approach people whether they are pious or sinful and ask them to chant Hare Krishna. I was just following His order. So don’t blame Me; blame Him.” And He added, “If we don’t obey His order, we’re finished, and if we do obey His order, we’re finished.” Like that, they were joking and laughing as they were fleeing for their lives, Jagai and Madhai in hot pursuit.

Eventually Jagai and Madhai, though strong and powerful and angry, couldn’t keep up. They were a little heavy and quite drunk, so eventually they fell behind, and Nityananda and Haridasa Thakura ran to Mahaprabhu. The Lord had asked them to come report to Him every evening after their preaching, and they told Him what had happened. When He asked, “Who are these Jagai and Madhai?” Gangadasa Pandita and Srivasa Thakura explained, “They are most sinful. The whole of Navadvipa lives in terror because of them. They kill people, they rape women, they burn down people’s houses, they plunder their riches, they drink strong liquor, and they eat cows’ flesh.” Mahaprabhu said, “I will kill them. I will cut them to pieces.” But Nityananda Prabhu—and this is His extreme mercy—said, “No, Lord, don’t do that. Don’t harm them. In Kali-yuga our mission is not to kill the demons but to deliver them. And in Kali-yuga pretty much everyone will be like Jagai and Madhai. So don’t kill them. You give them to Me; I will take charge of them.” Gauranga Mahaprabhu agreed, “All right, I put them in Your charge, and because You want to give them mercy, I predict that very soon they will be delivered.”

While Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was speaking with Nityananda, Haridasa Thakura, who was sitting with Advaita Acharya, said, “You do not know how difficult it is to have a sankirtana partner who is a madman. He is an avadhuta. He goes to people’s houses and steals their butter and yogurt.” If the householder came out and pursued them, Nityananda Prabhu, who was younger, would be gone, and they would catch Haridasa. Sometimes Nityananda would ride on people’s bulls and say, “I am Mahesh!” And sometimes He would milk the cows and drink all the milk. Sometimes He would approach small boys and say, “I’m going to beat you!” and they would become frightened and run home to their parents, and their fathers would come out with sticks to protect their child. And Nityananda would escape, but they’d catch Haridasa, and he would fall at their feet and plead, “Please, please, it’s not what you think.” And sometimes Nityananda would go up to innocent young girls and say, “I want to marry you.” “But the worst was today,” Haridasa said. “Everyone told us to stay away from these drunken demons, and He went right up to them and said, ‘Give up your sinful activities, surrender to Krishna, and chant Krishna’s name.’ They almost killed us! We barely escaped with our lives.”

Advaita Acharya began to laugh in ecstasy but with a little anger and said, “Why are you surprised? It is the nature of drunkards to associate with other drunkards. Nityananda Prabhu is always intoxicated with krsna-prema, prema-rasa, so it’s natural for Him to want to associate with other drunkards. But you are a naistika-brahmachari, sober and learned, so why are you associating with those three? You let them associate with one another. Why should you get involved with them?” Then He said, “I know the power of My Nityananda, and you will see within one or two days that these rogues will be chanting and dancing in kirtan with us.”

A day or two later, as Nityananda Prabhu was wandering around Navadvipa in His playful mood, He again came upon the two drunk brothers. And again He approached them and delivered the same message, and again Madhai was enraged: “Who is this person? We almost killed him the other day, and still he is coming back. Who does he think he is?” Then he asked, “Who are you? What is your name?” Nitai replied, “I am avadhuta.” And that was it. Madhai picked up a clay pot, and with all of his immense strength he smashed the head of Nityananda Prabhu and cut a big gash. Blood covered Nitai’s face and gradually His whole body. “I don’t mind that you struck Me,” He told Madhai, “but what really pains Me is how much you are suffering in ignorance. Please accept the mercy of Gauranga Mahaprabhu and you’ll be happy.”

That infuriated Madhai even more, so he picked up another pot, wanting to kill Nitai—he was ready to smash Him—but Jagai intervened and said, “Stop it! Can’t you see that this is a genuine saintly person, that he actually has love for you and feels compassion for you? He is trying to help you. What will you gain by killing such an innocent soul?”

Meanwhile, the news of Madhai’s attack reached Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and He rushed to the scene—as Prabhupada said, angry as fire—and immediately called for His Sudarshan chakra to kill them. The chakra came like the blazing sun, but Nityananda Prabhu intervened. “Lord, don’t kill them,” He beseeched Mahaprabhu. “I am going to,” Lord Chaitanya replied. “They have harmed My Nitai, and I am going to kill them.” Still, Nityananda said, “But Jagai saved Me. Madhai was wanting to kill Me, but Jagai stopped him; he saved My life.”

When Mahaprabhu heard that, His heart melted and the chakra immediately disappeared. He embraced Jagai and said, “You have saved My Nitai. You have saved My Nitai. I forgive you for all that you have done.” After embracing him, He manifested a four-armed form with the symbols of Vishnu—the club, disc, lotus, and conch—placed His lotus foot on the heart of Jagai, and filled him with ecstatic love for Krishna. And Jagai was weeping in ecstasy.

Then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu turned His attention back to Madhai. He was still angry and ready to kill him, but Madhai’s heart had also changed. The Caitanya-bhagavata describes that the two of them, Jagai and Madhai, were so close they were like one soul in two bodies. So, by Jagai’s heart changing, Madhai’s heart also changed. And, of course, he didn’t want to be killed. He said, “You have given mercy to Jagai, but we’re together; we’ve done everything together. Whenever we plundered someone’s house, we did it together. Whenever I burned down someone’s house, he was with me. Whenever I drank liquor, he was with me. Whenever I ate cows’ flesh, he was with me. We did everything together, so why are You giving him mercy and not me? You should give me mercy, too.” Mahaprabhu replied, “No, I will not give you mercy, because you have hurt My Nitai.” Madhai said, “We’ve read in scriptures that so many demons attacked You with weapons and You delivered them all. So You should deliver me too.” And Mahaprabhu replied, “No, I will not deliver you. Nityananda’s body is more dear to Me than My own. Those demons attacked My body and I delivered them, but you attacked Nitai’s body, which is more dear to Me. I will not forgive you.”

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was poised to kill Madhai, and Madhai pleaded for mercy. Then Mahaprabhu showed the way: “You beg for Nitai’s mercy. If He gives you mercy, then I will spare you.” So Madhai prayed to Nityananda Prabhu, and Mahaprabhu told Nitai, “If You actually forgive him, then You should embrace him.” And Nityananda, His whole body still covered with blood, picked up Madhai, who had prostrated himself, and embraced him. That is how merciful He is. Then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, “All right, I will spare you.” Nitai said, “Now I give him to You.” Then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave Madhai prema-bhakti. This is inconceivable—He gave him something that Lord Brahma doesn’t have. He gave him something that great rishis and sages and devas are endeavoring to get. He gave it to Madhai and Jagai, and they were the most horrible, sinful reprobates.

So, all that Nitai wanted came true. Later, back at Mahaprabhu’s house, the devotees had sankirtana, and Mahaprabhu said that all of Nitai’s desires would come true. Nitai was thinking, “If these two demons, the worst on the planet, could receive Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy, then My traveling everywhere and preaching will be successful.” He thought, “If I can convert these two demons to accept the mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, then I can actually consider Myself a servant of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And if these two demons can chant and dance in ecstasy with the Vaishnavas, I can consider that My name, Nityananda, has value and is true.”

There was a big festival of kirtan, and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, “Don’t any of you think that Jagai and Madhai are sinful. I will accept all their sinful reactions. Just watch.” And as Gauranga, in His beautiful golden form, began to accept their sinful reactions, His body turned black. “What do You see? What do I look like?” He asked Advaita Acharya. “I see Syamasundara,” Advaita replied. “Gaurasundara has become Syamasundara.” Then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked, “Now how will I get free from these sinful reactions? It will be through hari-nama-sankirtana. So, all of you do hari-nama-sankirtana, and I will be relieved of these sinful reactions. But then where will the sinful reactions go? Into the hearts of those who blaspheme Vaishnavas, who criticize devotees.”

So, they had ecstatic kirtan, and Mahaprabhu with His black form was dancing in ecstasy, and gradually the black went away; His form became lighter, and He resumed His original beautiful fair Gauranga golden hue.

After this, the Vaishnavas accepted Jagai and Madhai, but especially Madhai felt guilty, because he had tried to kill Nityananda Prabhu, who was the cause of his deliverance. He was very sad. Nityananda Prabhu could see this and inquired, “You’ve been liberated, you’ve been given prema-bhakti—why are you so sad? Don’t be sad.” Madhai replied, “When I think that I tried to kill You, I feel terrible. I just can’t forgive myself.” Nityananda told him, “I accept you like My son. Sometimes a child will hit the parent, but the parent doesn’t take it seriously. I forgive you.” Madhai said, “But what about all the other people I wronged and caused pain to? I was so intoxicated, I don’t even know who they are. I don’t even know how to ask them to forgive me. I hurt so many.” And Nityananda Prabhu said, “You should make a ghat—a very beautiful ghat—with your own hand, and when people come to take bath, you prostrate yourself before them and ask them to forgive you. And serve whoever comes, in any menial way. Being close to the Ganga, you will be purified.”

So, Madhai did that, and when people saw how humble he and his brother had become, their hearts melted and they gave them all affection and respect. But there were some people who were still angry, who had been so hurt by the brothers, by Madhai in particular, and seeing him in that humble position, they would take up a stone and throw it at his head. Madhai was now so meek, however, that he would pick up the stone and return it to them, saying, “I am so sinful. I’ve caused so much pain to others. Once is not enough; you should hit me again.” Even the people who were the most upset and angry had to forgive him and embrace him.

This is the mercy of Gaura-Nitai, and that was what Nityananda Prabhu wanted: that people should understand the glory of Mahaprabhu’s mercy. Srila Prabhupada took up the same mood of approaching anyone and everyone—pious or sinful, qualified or unqualified—without discrimination. As Nityananda Prabhu said, in Kali-yuga practically everyone will be like Jagai and Madhai. That may be more apparent in America and Europe than in India—though I did hear a talk in which Srila Prabhupada was discussing how demonic Western civilization is and how the leaders, and pretty much everyone, are demons, but then added, “Actually in my country also, 80 percent are demons.” But still, what Prabhupada encountered in 1965 when he came to America was something that people now, especially people in India, can’t even imagine.

Krsna Candra Prabhu (Hrishikesh Mafatlal), from Mumbai, used to say that people cannot imagine who Srila Prabhupada faced when he went to America. He recommended that everyone see the DVDs of Srila Prabhupada when he came to America, first at 26 Second Avenue in New York, then at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. You just can’t believe, can’t imagine, the type of people he was approaching. And they didn’t always receive him well.

There was one incident when Srila Prabhupada was in New York—I hope you’ve read Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta; everyone should read the Lilamrta, as well as see the series Following Srila Prabhupada—living in a loft in the Bowery, which was the most degraded part of the city, its “Skid Row,” inhabited mostly by drunks. But even they had a little respect. They would be sprawled out on the sidewalk and on the stairs leading up to Prabhupada’s apartment, but somehow they sensed that Prabhupada was a saintly person, and they would try to move over and make room for him to pass.

Prabhupada was staying with a young man who seemed interested in Krishna consciousness. In fact, Prabhupada thought, “I’ll train him as a Vaishnava.” But one day the young man went crazy, probably from taking LSD or something—the 1960s equivalent of the strong wine that Jagai and Madhai were taking five hundred years ago. He went crazy and wanted to attack Srila Prabhupada. And he was ready to kill him, like Madhai was ready to kill Nityananda Prabhu. Srila Prabhupada bolted out of the room and ran down the stairs, with this young man in pursuit—very similar.

It is quite a history, how Srila Prabhupada stayed in different people’s places, and what he endured for the sake of delivering the mercy of Gaura-Nitai is inconceivable. On the boat to America he had suffered two heart attacks, and even in America he had a lot of physical problems. But he endured everything—all these attacks of maya—for the sake of delivering Gaura-Nitai’s mercy to us. And what Nityananda Prabhu wanted in India has been fulfilled by Srila Prabhupada outside India. What Nityananda Prabhu wanted was fulfilled in Bengal, but through Srila Prabhupada it’s been fulfilled throughout the world. So, Srila Prabhupada is really the embodiment of that mercy of Nityananda Prabhu. There’s no one in the history of our sampradaya, no one after Nityananda Prabhu, who has taken up that mood of approaching anyone and everyone without discrimination, without considering who is qualified and who is not.

And it’s the same message: chant Krishna’s name, worship Krishna, follow Krishna’s instructions (bolo krsna, bhaja krsna, koro krsna-siksa)—but not in so many words, because the people that Srila Prabhupada was approaching didn’t even know who Krishna was. When Nityananda approached people in Navadvipa, “Chant Krishna’s name, worship Krishna, accept Krishna as your life and soul,” they knew who Krishna was, they knew what He was saying, but in America and Europe nobody knew who Krishna was. So even “Chant Krishna’s name, worship Krishna” had to be explained in detail in books, and thus Srila Prabhupada wrote so many books to explain who is Krishna, what is Krishna’s name, how to chant Krishna’s name, how to worship Krishna, why we should accept Krishna as our life and soul, why we should surrender to Krishna—the same message that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked Nityananda Prabhu to deliver to everyone, but in an expanded form, because the people Prabhupada was approaching had no idea of Krishna’s identity or instructions.

When we go out with Srila Prabhupada’s books, it is like when Mahaprabhu sent Nityananda and Haridasa to approach people with that message. Sometimes devotees are not well received, but even Nityananda and Haridasa were not always well received. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would have nocturnal kirtans in Srivasa Thakura’s house, and if anyone was proud, he was not allowed to enter. Only humble, pure devotees were allowed. So, all these proud people in Navadvipa were upset and angry that they weren’t allowed to join the kirtan, and when Nityananda and Haridasa came, they were angry with them—“Oh, you’ve come from that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Srivasa Thakura”—and they spread rumors about them: “They are thieves. They come to your door and say to chant Krishna’s name and worship Krishna, but really what they’re doing is looking in your house to see what you have so that they can come back at night and steal it.” They were spreading a lot of false propaganda. So, we have to accept that, expect it and accept it, without being deterred. It didn’t stop Nityananda Prabhu, and it didn’t stop Srila Prabhupada, and it shouldn’t stop any of us.

So, this is the continuation of Nityananda Prabhu’s mission, and Srila Prabhupada really had that mood. When one of his early disciples came to India and the Calcutta temple president phoned Prabhupada in Bombay to tell him that the devotee was smoking ganja, marijuana, and asked what to do, Prabhupada told his secretary to relay his response: “Tell him that if he doesn’t stop smoking ganja, I will reject him.” Afterwards, Tamal Krishna Goswami asked Prabhupada, “Is it true that if he doesn’t stop smoking ganja, you will reject him?” And Prabhupada said, “No—I cannot reject anyone.” Tamal Krishna Goswami asked, “But don’t you have to draw the line somewhere?” And Prabhupada replied, “The mercy of Lord Nityananda is unlimited.” So that was Srila Prabhupada’s mood; he was in the mood of Nityananda Prabhu.

We are the recipients of Gaura-Nitai’s mercy through Srila Prabhupada. By Prabhupada’s mercy, we are chanting Krishna’s name and worshipping Krishna, accepting Krishna as the goal of our lives. And it is also by Prabhupada’s mercy and order that we should preach the same message to others. We can speak to our capacity, and whatever our capacity to speak may or may not be, we can give people Srila Prabhupada’s books, which convey the same message of Mahaprabhu. We just elaborate on it and present it in a way that people without any background in Vedic knowledge can understand.

So, on this most sacred and blessed occasion, we can pray to Nityananda Prabhu to inspire and empower us with His mood of humble persuasion. When He approached people, after giving the instruction He would say, “If you accept this instruction, I will consider you more dear to Me than My own life.” And if someone did not accept the sacred instruction, He would prostrate Himself at their feet and beg them to take it. He is Lord Balarama, the first of all of Krishna’s expansions; He is the origin of Maha-Sankarsana, who is in turn the origin of Maha-Vishnu, Karanodakasayi Vishnu, by whose breathing universes are generated from the pores of His body. And then a portion of that Maha-Vishnu is Garbhodakasayi Vishnu, and He enters into every universe and gives birth to Brahma and engineers the creation of every universe. And Ksirodakasayi Vishnu is the Supersoul in everyone’s heart. Nityananda is that Original Supreme Person, and He is rolling in the dust of people’s feet and begging them, “Just chant Hare Krishna.”

I saw that mood in Srila Prabhupada. He often instructed us, but I saw it personally. When we first came to Bombay, there was a program on the terrace of the house where we were staying—Seksaria Bhavan, on Marine Drive. It was very nice, very glamorous, near the sea, and our host, Kailash Seksaria, had invited all the elite, affluent aristocratic people he knew in Bombay. And Prabhupada, with the same humility as Nityananda Prabhu, implored them, “I am taking the straw in my mouth and begging you, please chant Hare Krishna”—just like Nityananda Prabhu.

Prabhupada often quoted a verse by Prabodhananda Sarasvati about how we should approach people the way Nityananda Prabhu approached them. The verse is, dante nidhaya tånakam padayor nipatya: “I take a straw in my mouth.” It is a sign of utter humility. “And I bow at your feet.” kaku-sataà krtva caham bravimi. “And I flatter you a hundred times.” He sadava: “O great learned man.” Sakalam eva vihaya durad: “Whatever you have learned, you keep it far away from you.” And caitanya-candra-carane kurutanuragam: “Just accept the mercy of Lord Gauranga, just surrender to Lord Gauranga, become attached to Lord Gauranga’s lotus feet.” And Srila Prabhupada did it himself.

There was a big shipper in Bombay who was avoiding me. I had been successful with many big people in Bombay, but I just couldn’t get through to him at his office—too many secretaries and too many doors. So, one weekend I took a chance and went to his house. The man was totally unprepared, and when he opened the door and saw me, there was a little respect, or etiquette: he didn’t slam the door in my face; he invited me in. I could see that he was very smug, and the first thing he said was, “What can I do for you?” I responded, “I haven’t come so you can do something for me. I’ve come to do something for you.” And he said, “You’ve come to do something for me? What can you do for me?” “I’ve come to engage you in Krishna’s service.”

That evening, when I gave my report to Srila Prabhupada (as Haridasa and Nityananda would give their reports to Mahaprabhu), Prabhupada said, “To preach, you have to be very humble. If you approach a materialistic person and say . . .” Of course, sometimes Prabhupada would say the opposite, so it really depends on the context, but in this case he said, “If you approach someone and say, ‘Everything is Krishna’s property—you’ve stolen it all from Krishna, and you should return it to Krishna, the sooner the better,’ they will get angry: ‘What do you mean? It’s my hard-earned money. What do you mean it belongs to Krishna?’ But if you say, ‘We’re building a temple—I’ve come as a beggar to your door,’ ‘Oh, a beggar has come. Oh, okay, take something and go.’ ”

So, in that humble mood, Nityananda was begging. He wasn’t begging for money; He was begging for people to take the holy name—literally begging, falling at their feet, rolling in the dust, and begging them. And that, in essence, is what Prabhupada did with us.

And none of us would be here today if Srila Prabhupada hadn’t done what he did.

Many Indians have told me, “I’m so glad I met the devotees here in America and became Krishna conscious here.” They say, “I can’t be Krishna conscious like this in India, because of the association of the family members.” I have devotee friends who, when their family members and friends want them to drink alcohol and eat meat, refuse and are questioned, “What’s wrong with you? You went to America and now you’ve come back. You’re supposed to be the leader in these things. Now you won’t even touch them.” So, people everywhere are pretty fallen.

I’ll conclude with one of my favorite statements of Srila Prabhupada’s. He said, “To approach Radha and Krishna, you need the mercy of Lord Chaitanya, and to get the mercy of Lord Chaitanya, you need the mercy of Lord Nityananda, and to get the mercy of Lord Nityananda, you have to approach people like Jagai and Madhai.” So, if we ever feel, “Oh, I’m too high, I’m too holy, I can’t approach these people,” we should think of that instruction and Srila Prabhupada’s own example and Nityananda Prabhu’s example and really pray, beg, to be humble instruments of their love and mercy and compassion. As Srila Prabhupada’s guru maharaja told him, that will be good for you and good for the people who hear you. Most of all, we should loudly chant the holy names: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Hare Krishna.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Nityananda-trayodasi, February 12, 2014, San Diego]

Today is Varaha-dvadasi, the appearance day of the boar incarnation, Varahadeva. To celebrate His appearance, we shall read one verse about Him from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Two, Chapter Seven: “Scheduled Incarnations with Specific Functions.”

TEXT 1

                         brahmovaca
yatrodyatah ksiti-taloddharanaya bibhrat
    kraudim tanum sakala-yajna-mayim anantah
antar-maharnava upagatam adi-daityam
    tam damstrayadrim iva vajra-dharo dadara

TRANSLATION

Lord Brahma said: When the unlimitedly powerful Lord assumed the form of a boar as a pastime, just to lift the planet earth, which was drowned in the great ocean of the universe called the Garbhodaka, the first demon [Hiranyaksa] appeared, and the Lord pierced him with His tusk.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Since the beginning of creation, the demons and the demigods, or the Vaisnavas, are always the two classes of living beings to dominate the planets of the universes. Lord Brahma is the first demigod, and Hiranyaksa is the first demon in this universe.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

From the beginning of creation, there have been two classes of human beings in the universe. One is the demigods, or the devotees, who are favorable to Lord Vishnu, and the other is the demons, who are against Lord Vishnu. The difference between them has existed from the beginning of creation, and the competition between them has continued until now. There are always struggles and fights between the devotees and the demons.

Even to get the place where we are so comfortably sitting now, Hare Krishna Land, Juhu, there was a great struggle. Srila Prabhupada, the devotee, wanted to purchase the land to build a temple for Radha and Krishna, and so many enemies, demons, joined together to oppose him. Month after month, the struggle continued, until ultimately Srila Prabhupada and the devotees were successful.

Even after they acquired Hare Krishna Land, the struggle continued. So many enemies tried to stop the construction of the temple, but again, in the end, the devotees were successful and Srila Prabhupada was able to build this temple for Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihariji.

Even after Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance, so many enemies tried to capture Hare Krishna Land and take the management of the temple from the devotees. They accused the devotees: we were CIA, we were spies, we were smugglers, we were this, we were that. They even claimed that the chakras on top of the temple domes were radio antennas for sending and receiving secret messages, and such ridiculous stories were published all over the newspapers. Finally these enemies induced the police to make a thorough search of the entire premises.

The police came to look for radios, contraband, and whatnot, and eventually they wanted to search Srila Prabhupada’s personal quarters on the fifth floor of the west tower. His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami was the GBC for Bombay, so he accompanied the officer to Prabhupada’s quarters. When the officer saw the quarters, he paused and asked, “Do you know why we are searching Hare Krishna Land?” Goswami Maharaja replied, “Because there are so many foreigners here.” The inspector in charge of the investigation said, “There are more foreigners at the Holiday Inn, so why are we not searching there?” Tamal Krishna Goswami replied, “I don’t know. Maybe you should say.” Then the officer said, “At the Holiday Inn they eat meat, they take intoxicants, they gamble, and they have illicit sex, so no one bothers about them. But here you don’t eat meat, fish, or eggs; you don’t take intoxicants; you don’t have illicit sex; and you don’t gamble. And you broadcast very loudly that people should not eat meat, should not take intoxicants, should not have illicit sex, and should not gamble. That is why we are investigating you. People are comfortable with sense gratification, so where there is sense gratification they feel comfortable. But you are giving up sense gratification, announcing it, and telling others to give it up as well. So, people get disturbed, become suspicious, and want to know what’s happening, because they can’t understand how people can actually give up sense gratification. That’s why we are investigating you.”

Shortly thereafter, I happened to read a purport in Srimad-Bhagavatam in which Srila Prabhupada states that the demons want to create a godless society in which they can enjoy sense gratification without restriction: “Demons are very much disturbed when devotees worship the Lord in the prescribed ways recommended in the scriptures. In the Vedic scriptures, the devotees are advised to engage in nine kinds of devotional service, such as to hear and chant the holy name of God, to remember Him always, to chant on beads Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, to worship the Lord in the form of His Deity incarnation in the temples, and to engage in various activities of Krsna consciousness to increase the number of godly persons for perfect peace in the world. Demons do not like such activity. They are always envious of God and His devotees. Their propaganda not to worship in the temple or church but simply to make material advancement for satisfaction of the senses is always current. . . . Demons are always anxious to have a godless society for their sense gratification.” (SB 3.18.5 purport)

So, that is the motive of the demons. They want to create a state of godlessness where they can indulge in sense gratification without restriction, and the devotees stand opposed to godlessness, opposed to sinful activities in defiance of God’s laws. Therefore there is always conflict and struggle. From the beginning of creation to the present, there is always a struggle between the devotees and the demons. The devotees want to establish the order of God, and the demons want to tear down God and God’s order.

Hiranyaksa is described as the first demon, and he was killed by the boar incarnation at the beginning of the creation.

PURPORT (continued)

Only under certain conditions do the planets float as weightless balls in the air, and as soon as these conditions are disturbed, the planets may fall down in the Garbhodaka Ocean, which covers half the universe. The other half is the spherical dome within which the innumerable planetary systems exist.

COMMENT

The universe is a hollow sphere. In the lower half of the sphere is the Garbhodaka Ocean, and in the upper half is space, and within space so many planets are floating or orbiting. There is a very delicate balance that keeps the planets in space, and if the balance is disturbed, the planet may fall down into the Garbhodaka Ocean.

PURPORT (continued)

The floating of the planets in the weightless air is due to the inner constitution of the globes, and the modernized drilling of the earth to exploit oil from within is a sort of disturbance by the modern demons and can result in a greatly harmful reaction to the floating condition of the earth.

COMMENT

The demons do not appreciate the order of the universe created by God. They take everything for granted. They think they can transgress the laws of God without any reaction. They do not know that the creation is engineered very precisely and that if they disturb the natural order, there could be severe consequences. Now people are becoming aware of the threat to the planet and the environment. Just a slight shift in the earth’s axis or orbit will completely change the temperature, change the seasons, change the climate, and affect the ecology. But the demons don’t understand or care that by drilling the earth and extracting oil they can actually disturb the orbit of the earth, what to speak of other harmful effects. The devotees understand the laws of God and the laws of nature and try to act accordingly. And the demons defy the laws of God and do whatever they want. But the result of such independent activities is that they create disturbance for themselves and for others. The earth is surrounded by air and space. We cannot measure the atmosphere around the earth, it is so vast. But the biggest things we know—the oceans and the air—are now being polluted because of disregard for the laws of God and nature.

It is not that the devotees are competing with the demons because they want to enjoy supremacy. Actually, devotees have no selfish interest. They just want to see that the people of the universe, all living entities in the universe, are peaceful and happy. But they know that people can be happy only if they surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead and follow His orders. So, out of compassion for others—not for any personal self-interest—they want society to be organized according to the laws of God. And because the demons disturb the natural order and cause innocent people to suffer, devotees feel concerned, and therefore, if necessary, they intervene. They fight with the demons to place the universe in the right hands, in the hands of persons who are submissive to the will of God, to the scriptures.

PURPORT (continued)

A similar disturbance was created formerly by the demons headed by Hiranyaksa (the great exploiter of the gold rush), and the earth was detached from its weightless condition and fell down into the Garbhodaka Ocean. The Lord, as maintainer of the whole creation of the material world, therefore assumed the gigantic form of a boar with a proportionate snout and picked up the earth from within the water of Garbhodaka.

COMMENT

Sri Varaha Bhagavan ki jaya!

The Lord is the creator of the universe. As the father of all living entities, He is concerned for all of His children in the universe. So, when the earth fell down into the Garbhodaka Ocean, the Lord assumed the form of Lord Varaha in order to pick it up. He assumed a form that was suitable for the purpose—the form of a boar with a long snout, which could enter into the water and lift up the earth planet.

PURPORT (continued)

Sri Jayadeva Gosvami, the great Vaisnava poet, sang as follows:

vasati dasana-sikhare dharani tava lagna
  sasini kalanka-kaleva nimagna
kesava dhrta-sukara-rupa
  jaya jagadisa hare

“O Kesava! O Supreme Lord who have assumed the form of a boar! O Lord! The planet earth rested on Your tusks, and it appeared like the moon engraved with spots.”

Such is the symptom of an incarnation of the Lord. The incarnation of the Lord is not the concocted idea of fanciful men who create an incarnation out of imagination. The incarnation of the Lord appears under certain extraordinary circumstances like the above-mentioned occasion, and the incarnation performs a task which is not even imaginable by the tiny brain of mankind. The modern creators of the many cheap incarnations may take note of the factual incarnation of God as the gigantic boar with a suitable snout to carry the planet earth.

COMMENT

As any sensitive and intelligent devotee would notice, most of the public media is controlled by demons. They use the media to promote materialism, and quite often they use the media to defame spiritualism. During the struggle for Hare Krishna Land, the demons were very active. And apart from the articles that appeared against us, there were many articles that were designed to make a farce of religion. There was a newsmagazine, The Illustrated Weekly of India, that was very popular, and based on its editorial policy, the editor, Khushwant Singh, seemed to be a demon. “Demon” doesn’t mean having ten heads and twenty arms. Demons can also look like you or me. But they are considered demons because they are against the supremacy of the Lord. So, this Khushwant Singh published an article by Dr. Agehananda Bharati, an Austrian scholar who had become a sannyasi, in which Dr. Bharati gave his account of his debate with our Hridayananda dasa, in which he had claimed that Lord Shiva was supreme and advocated the chanting of Lord Shiva’s name.

I could understand that the idea of the article was to make both Bharati and us look foolish—religious fanatics fighting like children over nothing: “Krishna is supreme.” “No, Shiva is supreme.” “You should chant Hare Krishna.” “No, you should chant Shiva Shiva.” So, I wrote Srila Prabhupada what the editor had done, and Srila Prabhupada agreed: “Yes, Giriraj is right. Bharati is a fool, but Singh is a demon.”

Demons try to make religious people look silly so that intelligent people reject religion. Of course, much of what passes as religion is actually fanaticism, and Srila Prabhupada commented that in the present age intelligent people will be skeptical because so many cheaters adopt the guise of religious leaders. But then again, Srila Prabhupada also said that just because there is counterfeit money, it doesn’t mean there is no real money. Just because there are false religious leaders or false incarnations, it doesn’t mean there are no true representatives of God or true incarnations of God.

A real incarnation of God does things that no one else can do, that ordinary human beings cannot even imagine. The Lord assuming the form of a boar and lifting the earth from the bottom of the Garbhodaka Ocean? We can’t even imagine it. These are the activities of real incarnations—not making ashes. Anyone can make ashes just by burning agarbatti, incense. You don’t need an incarnation to make ashes. So, we should judge. Who is an incarnation? One who can do something that no one else can do.

In one sense, Srila Prabhupada is also an incarnation—saktyavesa-avatara. He did what no one else could do: spread Krishna consciousness to every town and village in the world. Of course, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the incarnation of Krishna for the age of Kali described in the scriptures, had desired it: prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama / sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama: “In every town and village in every country of the world, the glories of My name will be chanted.” (Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya 4.126) But five hundred years passed, and it was actually Srila Prabhupada who fulfilled the prediction and desire of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, which no one else had been able to do. Therefore Srila Prabhupada is accepted as saktyavesa-avatara, a living entity who is imbued with the potency of God. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya 7.11) confirms:

kali-kalera dharma-krsna-nama-sankirtana
krsna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana

“The fundamental religious system in the Age of Kali is the chanting of the holy name of Krsna. Unless empowered by Krsna, one cannot propagate the sankirtana movement.” The religious system for Kali-yuga is the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, sankirtana. And krsna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana: unless one is blessed with krsna-sakti, the energy of Krishna, one cannot spread the chanting of the holy name all over the world. Because Srila Prabhupada was blessed with krsna-sakti, he was able to spread the sankirtana movement throughout the whole world.

Still, Srila Prabhupada presented himself as the humble servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord, and generally we also worship him as the humble servant of the servant of the servant of Lord Krishna. And we want to be his servant, or the servant of his servants. That is the position of a Vaishnava: gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah. Even Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu presented Himself as such:

naham vipro na ca nara-patir napi vaisyo na sudro
  naham varni na ca grha-patir no vanastho yatir va
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramananda-purnamrtabdher
  gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah

“I am not a brahmana, I am not a ksatriya, I am not a vaisya or a sudra. Nor am I a brahmacari, a householder, a vanaprastha or a sannyasi. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krsna, the maintainer of the gopis. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance.” (Cc Madhya 13.80)

“But if you are not a brahman, not a kshatriya, not a vaishya, and not a sudra, if you are not a brahmachari, not a grihastha, not a vanaprastha, and not a sannyasi, then what are you?” Gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah: “I am the servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna, the maintainer of the gopis of Vrindavan.” So, that is the identity of a Vaishnava. He has no other identity. He doesn’t identify with the material varnas and ashramas. He identifies himself as the servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord.

In fact, Sisupala, who was also a great demon, criticized Lord Krishna, “No one knows Your caste. Sometimes You act as a cowherd boy, and sometimes You act as a warrior. So nobody knows Your caste, whether you are a kshatriya or a vaishya or what.” In Vedic civilization, to accuse someone of being without a caste is a great insult. Yet although Sisupala meant to criticize Krishna, indirectly he was glorifying Him, because the Lord—and the Vaishnava—is transcendental; he doesn’t belong to any caste. He doesn’t belong to any varna or any ashrama. So, mundane people or demonic people may criticize, “What are you? You are not a brahmana, not a kshatriya, not a vaishya, not a sudra. What are you? You don’t fit into our categories.” Or in the West, when we used to perform hari-nama-sankirtana in the streets of major cities, people would come up to us and shout, “Get a job!” But our business is to serve Krishna, and Krishna’s business is to enjoy transcendental bliss. Actually, Krishna and Krishna’s devotees are beyond material designations and categories. Although materialists may try to fit them into some category and then become bewildered or disturbed that they don’t fit, devotees know their own identities: they are just the servants of the servants of the servants of Krishna, the maintainer of the gopis of Vraja.

PURPORT (concluded)

When the Lord appeared to pick up the earth, the demon of the name Hiranyaksa tried to create a disturbance in the methodical functions of the Lord, and therefore he was killed by being pierced by the Lord’s tusk. According to Srila Jiva Gosvami, the demon Hiranyaksa was killed by the hand of the Lord and after being killed by the hand of the Lord, the demon was pierced by the tusk. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura confirms this version.

COMMENT

The Lord is absolute: He can perform any function with any limb. But He chose to kill the demon with His hand, and then He pierced the demon’s body with His tusk.

Now, what can we as devotees learn from this pastime? Of course, there are many lessons to learn from every pastime of the Lord. But we are also like planets in the sense that we stay afloat in Krishna consciousness by a delicate balance, and if there is a disturbance to that balance, we may fall down into the ocean of material existence. So we have to be careful to maintain our wholesome condition in spiritual life. And what is the balance? In general, Srila Prabhupada said that the balance is between hearing and chanting about Krishna in the morning and the evening and working for Krishna during the day. Thus Srila Prabhupada established the daily schedule for ISKCON: every morning from 4:30 to 8:30 the devotees come together in the temple and hear and chant about Krishna, and then again every evening from 7 to 9 they gather in the temple to hear and chant about Krishna, and during the day they engage in so many different activities for the spreading of Krishna consciousness. I don’t know if Srila Prabhupada himself used the term, but some devotees call it a “transcendental sandwich.” A sandwich is two pieces of bread with a filling in the middle. Similarly, we have the morning and evening programs, and in the middle we have our practical activities to spread Krishna consciousness. So, we have to keep the balance. We cannot imitate Haridasa Thakura and think that we can sit down and chant 300,000 names daily, because we can’t do it and don’t have the time to do it. Nor should we work like materialistic people, just keeping busy going here and there to get and spend money with no time to hear and chant about Krishna. We need to do both: hear and chant about Krishna and engage in practical service to spread Krishna consciousness.

And we should cultivate favorable relationships with devotees. Because we are social animals, if we don’t develop relationships with devotees, we will make relationships with nondevotees. Relationships with nondevotees will lead us into nondevotional activities or sinful activities, and ultimately we will commit offenses against devotees. So, to maintain the delicate balance, we need the association of devotees. Otherwise, if our outside engagements become too much and our spiritual association becomes too little, we may fall down into the material ocean.

But even if we fall down, grossly or subtly, the Lord, who is very kind, will pick us up. Specifically, the spiritual master will come and pick up the devotee if by chance the devotee falls from the standard of pure Krishna consciousness. So, we are not alone in our struggle. We do our best to follow the instructions we have received from sadhu, shastra, and guru. Still, because the material energy is very powerful, we may become bewildered and fall from the pure principles of Krishna consciousness. But the spiritual master will not leave us. As long as we are sincerely trying to serve him, he will not leave us; he will pick us up again and again. Just like a child who is learning to walk—because the child is weak, sometimes he or she might stumble and fall, but the parent will pick up the child and help him or her to walk again. The parent will actually hold the hand of the child, and the child, being helped by the parent, will walk without any fear or difficulty. So, in Krishna consciousness we are not alone. We don’t try to succeed by our own strength or our own intelligence. Rather, we are helped by the hand of the Lord, who extends Himself in the form of the spiritual master. And if we allow ourselves to be guided by the spiritual master, we can be relieved from all distress and disturbance.

For example, Arjuna was so confused; he did not know what to do. He saw arrayed on the battlefield before him his uncle, his cousin-brothers, his teachers, his superiors—people who loved him, who had fed him, who had trained him—and he was thinking, “How can I fight with them? How can I kill them? Even if I win the kingdom, how will I be able to enjoy it?” People want to enjoy some kingdom or some success or some facility with people they love. He was thinking, “Even if I win the battle and gain the kingdom, I won’t be able to enjoy it, because all the people I would want to enjoy it with will be dead, and I will be responsible.” He was bewildered, and eventually he became overwhelmed with grief. His limbs were shaking, and his eyes were full of tears. Although Arjuna was such a powerful kshatriya, such a fierce warrior, the material energy is so strong that even he was trembling, his eyes brimming with tears.

And then Arjuna made a critical decision. He decided to surrender to Krishna and accept Him as his spiritual master. He had been enjoying a relationship of friendship with Krishna. They would sit together as equals, dine together as equals, and in general enjoy together as equals. And Arjuna had relished that friendly relationship. But when he was bewildered about what to do and what not to do, he could not get any solution just by being friends with Krishna and talking with Him as equals. It was only when Arjuna decided to surrender to Krishna and accept Him as his spiritual master and take instruction from Him that Lord Krishna began to teach him the knowledge of the Bhagavad-gita. Arjuna said, “I am confused about my duty—I do not know what to do—so now I am surrendering unto You. Please instruct me.”

karpanya-dosopahata-svabhavah
   prcchami tvam dharma-sammudha-cetah
yac chreyah syan niscitam bruhi tan me
   sisyas te ‘ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam

“Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.” (Gita 2.7) When Arjuna surrendered to Krishna, he asked Krishna to instruct him—what to do, how to solve this problem. And when he accepted Krishna’s instructions, all of his problems were solved.

Srila Prabhupada once wrote to a disciple, “Your enthusiastic response to my instructions is very encouraging. Actually, the disciple is supposed to find relief from all of his problems just by carrying out the orders of the spiritual master. In the beginning Arjuna was completely confused and lamenting, but after accepting Krishna and hearing from Him he said, ‘Now my illusion is over, and I am prepared to do whatever You say.’ If the guru is a representative of the Supreme Lord in disciplic succession and the student is sincere, only then he can get him out of the clutches of the material energy to become situated in spiritual happiness above all material desires, in Krishna consciousness.” (SP letter dated 4.5.1974)

So, this is our process. We don’t try to stay afloat by our own efforts, by our own intelligence. We take help from Krishna and Krishna’s representatives, and that will lift us up. Even if we have fallen down and become bewildered and confused—we don’t know what to do and what not to do—when we surrender to Krishna’s representative, he will pick us up by his guidance and mercy.

Today I read a letter from a devotee in Mauritius. In the beginning he related how after spending a few minutes with me and discussing some problems he had, his chanting improved. But then, after some time, the same problems came again—not as bad as before, but still, the same problems returned. I had given him five instructions, and he was not following one. So he wrote, “Please give me your mercy that I may follow your instructions.” Now, that appeal may sound nice, but in one case when a disciple prayed to Srila Prabhupada, “Please give me your mercy that I may follow your instructions,” Srila Prabhupada replied, “It is like a man who has fallen to the bottom of a well. I come and send down a rope to pull him out, and the man at the bottom prays, ‘Please give me your mercy. Please make my fingers curl around the rope.’ ” And with that, Srila Prabhupada made such a face of disgust. The person is giving you his mercy by sending down the rope. All you have to do is hold on to it and he will lift you up, and you are praying, “Please give me your mercy that my fingers will curl around the rope.” So, the spiritual master comes and sends down the rope of his instructions, and all you have to do is follow his instructions and he’ll lift you out of the deep, dark well of material existence and situate you at the lotus feet of Krishna. But at least you have to hold on to the rope. At least you have to try to follow the instructions—not even to follow perfectly, but at least try to follow the instructions—and he will lift you up.

Actually, our process, the descending process, is very easy. Knowledge descends from above. Mercy descends from above. We just have to accept it, and then the Lord will lift us up out of our abominable condition, just as Lord Boar lifted up the earth when it had fallen into the Garbhodaka Ocean. This is the mercy of Krishna. Sometimes Krishna comes personally, as one or another of so many incarnations, but generally He sends His representatives. And for us, the rope that can take us out of the material world back to Krishna is the disciplic succession. If we just hold on to the rope of the disciplic succession—the instructions of the disciplic succession—the disciplic succession will lift us out of the well of material existence and situate us at the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari in pure devotional service.

Hare Krishna.

Are there any questions or comments?

Mataji: [inaudible]

Giriraj Swami: The question is: When we do something wrong, is it misuse of our free will, or is it the Lord’s arrangement to purify us?

Both may be true. We may misuse our free will and come into difficulty, but even then we are not alone. The Lord is there, and He wants us to learn from our mistake and rectify it. So, although the Lord is not responsible for our mistakes (nadatte kasyacit papam)—we are responsible—by the Lord’s mercy we can learn from our mistakes and be reinstated in our constitutional position and be stronger and better than we were before we made the mistake. Because we have learned from the mistake, we are actually better situated than before.

Devotee 1: [inaudible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, by the misuse of the free will we make the mistake, and by the mercy of the Lord we get the intelligence to realize our mistake and rectify it. Of course, the Lord’s mercy is open to everyone; it is the devotee’s openness to receiving the Lord’s mercy and being rectified that allows the devotee to be reinstated. Not everyone who makes a mistake is purified. But it is to the credit of the devotee that even after making the mistake he or she tries to take shelter of the Lord, to take shelter of the spiritual master, and by the mercy of the Lord and the spiritual master is able to improve, to come back to the proper standard.

Devotee 1: [inaudible]

Giriraj Swami: She says that in Mumbai people work late at night and then sleep late in the morning, so how to make our transcendental sandwich—how to strike a proper balance between spiritual activities and the material world?

Everyone has their minute independence. In most cases, if someone wants to take rest early and get up early, they can. Although there may be some jobs that require one to work late, still, if we give priority to hearing and chanting about Krishna, we will be able to find time. “Be there a will, and wisdom finds a way.” Many people watch television at night, or read the newspaper or go to clubs. They find time, because nobody can work day and night without recreation. They need some recreation. Generally, people work in the mode of passion, so they want relief from that mode. Sinful people get relief through the mode of ignorance: they go to a bar and get drunk; they engage in meat-eating, illicit sex, and gambling. They try to get relief from the mode of passion by plunging themselves into ignorance. And pious people get relief through the mode of goodness. They want to rise early, to chant Hare Krishna, to attend mangala-arati, to read Srimad-Bhagavatam. So, there is time for recreation. Nobody can work day and night, without recreation. And according to the person’s desire, he or she can seek recreation in sinful life or spiritual life.

If someone is really confused about how to organize their time, they can speak to some experienced devotee and get some suggestions. There are many devotees, even in Mumbai, who work during the day, but they still chant sixteen rounds, come to the temple, attend satsangas, and read Prabhupada’s books. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Devotee 2: [inaudible]

Giriraj Swami: He says that he read in an article by Khushwant Singh himself that Singh came to Hare Krishna Land, stayed in the guesthouse, closed the doors so that he wouldn’t be disturbed by conchshells, and drank whisky. He himself has written so.

When the sun rises, the owl goes into the cave; the owl doesn’t like sunlight, so he goes into the darkness of the cave. Krsna—surya-sama; maya haya andhakara / yahan krsna, tahan nahi mayara adhikara. Godhead is light, and nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead, there is no nescience, or darkness. Singh came here; he could have been in the light of Krishna consciousness, in the glory of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. But he went to his room, closed the door, and drowned himself in the bottle. That was his free will. We do not force. Even Krishna does not force. After explaining everything to Arjuna, Krishna did not force him to fight. Rather, He told Arjuna, “Now you have heard everything that I have said; now yathecchasi tatha kuru—whatever you like you can do.” And immediately Arjuna replied, smrtir labdha: Now my memory has come back; now I remember my actual position. Now I am prepared to act as You instruct me. Karisye vacanam tava: I am prepared to act according to Your order. Krishna never forces. He gave Arjuna the choice. He explained everything, but in the end He gave Arjuna the choice, and Arjuna voluntarily surrendered: Karisye vacanam tava: Now I am prepared to act according to Your order.

So, I am sure that those who want to take the benefit of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari’s splendor and mercy and glory will do so. And those who want to close the door and open the bottle—they too have their free will. They too are free to do as they like—and enjoy or suffer the consequences.

Sri Varahadeva ki jaya!
Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari ki jaya!
Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Sri Varaha-dvadasi, February 8, 1998, Juhu, Mumbai]

Ramanuja was born in India during the year 1017 A.D. when, according to astrological calculations, the sun was in the zodiacal sign of Cancer.

His parents were Asuri Keshava and Kantimati, both from aristocratic families. Rumanja passed his childhood days in Shriperumbudur, the village of his birth. At the age of 16 he was married to Rakshakambal.

Only four months after his wedding, Ramanuja’s father was struck with a severe illness and died. Upon the death of his father, Ramanuja became head of the household and decided to move to Kanchi, a holy city famed for its scholars and magnificent Temples.

Shortly thereafter, Ramanuja opened a small school at his home, and in no time many people began to come to him to hear his devotional discourses. Ramanuja’s lectures were wholly theistic. He rejected the concept that the jiva, a living entity, could be equal to the Supreme Brahman or become God as postulated by Shankara.

The living entity, Ramanuja taught, is a particle of Godhead, and as such, his position is to serve the complete whole. He said that as the hand is part of the body and thus a servant of the body, similarly the living entity is part of the Supreme and thus his constitutional position is to serve the Supreme.

The fame of Ramanuja continued to spread far and wide. One day as Ramanuja sat in the solitude of his study, a venerable saint named Yamunacharya came to his door for alms. Extending his full courtesy, Ramanuja welcomed the saint into his home. Ramanuja learned that Yamuna was from Shri Rangam, the famous Temple of Vishnu.

In the course of their discussion, Ramanuja soon realised that Yamunacharya was a qualified spiritual master of the science of devotion. Overwhelmed with ecstasy and jubilation, Ramanuja fell at his feet and asked to be accepted as his disciple.

 Yamuna instantly raised Ramanuja up from the floor, and embracing him with deep love, said, “My child, I am blessed today by seeing your devotion to God. May you live a long and fruitful life always being intent in the service of Narayana, the Personality of Godhead.” Ramanuja then circumambulated his guru to invoke auspiciousness, and Yamuna left for Shri Rangam.

Although he lived for many years as a successful householder, Ramanuja was destined to accept the path of renunciation. Eventually he took up the renounced order of life, sannyasa, by going before the Deity in the Temple and praying to be exclusively engaged in the service of Godhead.

From that day forward Ramanuja always wore the the symbol of Narayana on his forehead, dressed in saffron cloth, and carried the renunciate’s three-sectioned staff, which signified service to God by body, mind, and words.

Ramanuja began living at Shri Rangam, serving the Deity of Narayana and imparting enlightenment to whoever came to him until he was 120 years old.

One day while worshipping the Deity, he prayed, “Dear God, whatever I could do to preserve the essence of the Vedas, to uplift the fallen souls, and to establish the shelter of Your lotus feet as the supreme goal in life, I have done. Now my body has grown tired after many years in this world. Kindly allow me to depart from this mortal world and enter Your supreme abode.”

Ramanuja spoke his last instructions to those who were most near and dear to him:

“Always remain in the company of and serve those souls devoted to Godhead just as you would serve your own spiritual preceptor. Have faith in the teachings of the Vedas and in the words of the great saints. Never become the slave of your senses: always strive to conquer the three great enemies of self-realization: lust, anger, and greed. Worship Narayana and take pleasure in uttering the Holy Names of God as your only refuge. Sincerely serve the Devotees of Godhead: by service to the great Devotees, the highest service is done and one quickly gains the supreme mercy. Remembering these things you should live happily in this world for the attainment of the next.”

With these departing words, Ramanuja, keeping his head on the lap of Govinda and his mind fixed in spiritual trance, relinquished his mortal body and entered the realm of Vaikuntha.

Today is the disappearance anniversary of Sripada Ramanujacharya, the principal acharya in the Sri, or Lakshmi, sampradaya. Srila Prabhupada wrote, “We find great shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Ramanujacharya because his lotus feet are the strongest fort to combat the Mayavadi philosophy.” (letter 22.11.1974) And in the early days of ISKCON in India, before we had Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is in Hindi, Prabhupada would refer people to read the Hindi edition of the Gita with Sri Ramanujacharya’s commentary.

Srila Prabhupada often told a story about Sri Ramanujacharya’s merciful, compassionate nature. As he related it in Ahmedabad in 1972, “The servants of Krishna take all risk for Krishna’s sake. Just like Ramanujacharya. Sri Ramanujacharya’s spiritual master said, ‘My dear son, the mantra which I am giving, you chant silently and you will be delivered. It is so powerful. Don’t chant this mantra loudly so others can hear.’

“Ramanujacharya thought, ‘If this mantra is so powerful that if others hear it they’ll also be delivered, then why not?’ He immediately went to the market and began to chant the mantra. So, his spiritual master became very angry, that ‘I told you not to chant loudly, so others may not hear.’ And Ramanujacharya replied, ‘My Lordship, I have done offense unto you. That’s all right. For this I am prepared to go to hell. But if this mantra is so powerful, I must speak it to everyone.’ ”

In this mood, following in the footsteps of Sripada Ramanujacharya, Srila Prabhupada broadcast the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita everywhere, to everyone.

We pray and aspire to follow in their footsteps.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami