Nandotsava and S.BV. Svami Prabhupad's sweet lilas

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NANDOTSAVA AND PRABHUPADA'S AVIRBHAVA TITHI

1 September 2002, 8 am

Sri Kesavaji Gaudiya Math, Mathura

 

SRILA BV NARAYANA MAHARAJA

 

Today is very auspicious. Last night Nanda Baba and Yasoda had a very handsome, beautiful son, and they were so happy. Vasudeva and Devaki also had a son in jail and became happy, but not so happy because there were guards. Who? Putana, Aghasura, Bakasura, Canura, Mustika, Sala, Kosala, so many. Like now, Janma-Bhumi is like a jail. Sala, Tosala, Canura, Mustika and so many demons are there. You cannot enter. I wanted to go yesterday morning and every year on Janmastami I have gone for more than sixty years, but yesterday I could not go. Why? Demons will not allow. They will see what you have, even they will see your beadbag and think there is a bomb inside bomb, bomb, bomb! So I could not go. I am very sorry, but I will go another time.

So, Vasudeva and Devaki were very happy but they could not do anything for Krsna. They wanted to donate 10,000 cows and jewels and so many other valuable things, but they could not because they had nothing. They were in prison and did not have a farthing. But on the other hand, Nanda-Yasoda had everything. Nanda donated how many cows? Lakhas and lakhas. However many cows he had, he donated all! Only the calves were with him, the cows went. And after some time, the calves became cows, and again lakhas and lakhas he donated. He donated what he had, keeping nothing for himself in the house. Yasoda said, "My all ornaments and jewels,everything should be given in charity."So Nanda Baba gave away everything. God only knows from where so many jewels and so much wealth were coming, endless, unlimited. And that is why his treasury was always full. This was a very great miracle, because Krsna had come.

 

And everywhere in Vraja:

 

jayati te dhikam janmana vrajah

srayata indira sasvad atra hi

dayita drsyatam diksu tavakas

tvayi dhrtasavas tvam vicinvate

 

Indira, Laksmi devi, the goddess of fortune, wealth and opulence was brooming everywhere in Vrndavana and in the kunjas. She was also brooming in the house of Nanda Baba, so unlimited wealth was coming. Everyone received charity, and at last, there was no one left to donate to. All were satisfied fully and fully. Even demigods came in the shape of gopas and gopis—all came. And they were taking some donation. They were saying, "O Mother Yasoda, O Nanda Baba, I have come to give you badhai, good wishes and congratulations. You should give me something because I am singing and dancing. You should donate for your son." All the demigods had come, even Brahma and Sankara. Everywhere there was great happiness because the goddess of fortune was there. What was she doing? Brooming, decorating the kunjas and everything in Vraja.

It was a great fortune that Abhaya Carana came on this next day, when Nanda Baba was giving in charity. It is not an ordinary thing. On these special days, only high class of devotees may come, otherwise not. So by this, we know that Abhaya Carana Prabhu was not an ordinary person. He was special.

 

Now others should give their glorification.

 

 

SRIPAD BHAKTIVEDANTA ARANYA MAHARAJA:

 

I was never blessed with the good fortune to have the darsana or the association of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. I never met with him or heard from him, but I have heard some words from the lotus lips of my Gurudeva, and I think that seeing through the ears from the Vaisnavas is more important than seeing through the eyes. On the basis of whatever I have gathered by the causeless mercy of Srila Gurudeva, I will try to speak one or two words in glorification of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja.

 

Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja received diksa, initiation, from nitya-lila pravista om visnupada astottara-sata Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. This is very very significant. Upon receiving diksa from his Gurudeva, we see that he had the pastime of gradually trying very very hard to follow the order of his Gurudeva. What was that? To preach all over the world, especially in the English language. So even when he was in his household life, a grhastha, he ussed to write so many articles. His talent for writing articles was highly respected and recognized by his godbrothers. Thus, he was appointed editor-in-chief of Gaudiya Patrika (in Bengali) and Sri Bhagavat Patrika (in Hindi), the monthly journals of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti, and he contributed many powerful articles.

 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura departed from this world in 1937, and in 1940, on Aksaya Trithiya, Sri Abhaya Caranaravinda, along with his seniormost godbrother, nitya-lila pravista om visnupada astottara-sata Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja, he took part in the founding of Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti. His signature is there as one of the first trustees of Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti. We see that immediately after the disappearance of his Gurudeva, he came in the anugatya of Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja. Along with Srila Kesava Maharaja, Sri Abhaya Caranaravinda and the other godbrothers cooperated together to push on the mission of their spiritual master. He never considered that the mission of his spiritual master was the institution of Sri Gaudiya Math, but rather, namaste sarasvati deve gaura-vani-pracarine, the mission of his spiritual master was "gaura-vani-pracarine"The mission was to explain, to follow and preach gaura-vani, the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

Once I remember Srila Gurudeva was explaining what it means when we are glorifying Srila Swami Maharaja by the phrase "gaura-vani-pracarine." Swami Maharaja himself gave this verse to his disciples, so it is very significant. This phrase "gaura-vani-pracarine" refers especially to the message that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given in His Siksastakam (6):

 

nayanam galad-asru-dharaya

vadanam gadgada-ruddhaya gira

pulakair nicitam vapuh kada

tava nama-grahane bhavisyati

 

Srila Gurudeva explained that Swami Maharaja came to give this "that one should chant, and with melted heart, weeping, ", when will that day come when my eyes will be decorated with tears of love, when my hair will stand on end, and my voice will be choked, gad-gad, completely overwhelmed with emotion, chanting Your names"

 

Then Srila Gurudeva gave an example. Once Krsna came to meet with Srimati Radhika, but Krsna had made some offenses. Radhika had been doing mana (transcendental anger), but now She could no longer tolerate this separation from Krsna. She wanted to look at Him, speak with Him, and embrace Him. But at once, Lalita Sakhi was standing over Her in a very strict mood, and telling Radhika, "Don't look at Krsna. Don't speak with Him. He will take advantage of You." Because She wanted to give up Her mana but Lalita Sakhi was controlling Her, She began to cry. Tears were coming from Her eyes. At that time, Her dasis began to feel the same heart's moods as Radhika. As Radhika was crying, tears were also coming from their eyes. Srila Gurudeva said, This is "nayanam galad-asru-dharaya vadanam gadgada-ruddhaya gira". This verse is not only applicable after prolongued separation, but there and then, being with Radhika and being with Krsna also, upon chanting, remembering and realizing this pastime, tears will come from our eyes. Srila Gurudeva said, "This is "gaura-vani-pracarine."

Swami Maharaja came to give the same message that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu implanted from His own heart into the heart of Srila Rupa Gosvamipada; the same message taught by Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and all of our Guru-vargas. Srila Prabhupada came in this world to give this.

 

We can see that it is very significant that after receiving sannyasa from Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja, Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja went to do bhajana. Where? In Seva Kunja. This Seva Kunja is the heart of Vrndavana and the heart of the rupanuga Gaudiya Vaisnavas. There he was doing his bhajana right next to the samadhi and bhajana kutira of Srila Rupa Gosvamipada. At those times, my Gurupada-padma would go there and associate with him, and they would have hari katha together. At that time Srila Swami Maharaja told my Gurudeva, "I will go to the West and preach there. I don't know if there will be anything to eat there."Prabhupada did not know what it was like in the West. When he arrived there, he used to write letters to Gurudeva and tell him, "Oh, this place is very strange. Everyone has cars and they have to drive a hundred miles to go to work on a highway with five lanes."In this way, he was amazed by the atmosphere.

 

However, before going there, he did not know what it was like. He thought perhaps there was no food there, but he said, "I don't care."And he told my Gurudeva, If I have to do it, I will make a hostel and I will serve meat. Anyone can come. I will serve tea and meat to encourage them to come. And I will tell them the message of Bhagavad Gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. This shows how strong his determination was to preach the message of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura all over the world. While he was in Radha-Damodara, Srila Rupa Gosvamipada appeared to Srila Prabhupada in a dream and told him, "Now is the time for you to go. Historically, it was a very perfect time, a great opportunity. It was 1965; 1966 was about to come" a very big revolution was going on in the consciousness, hearts and minds of all the young people of the world. Many of the educated young people were leaving their homes and trying to find spiritual life. So at that time, Srila Rupa Gosvamipada directly ordered Swami Maharaja, "Now is the time to go."

 

Srila Swami Maharaja left with nothing, no money, no man-power, nothing. And he came on a boat, undergoing great difficulties to reach the West. Why? To carry out the order of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja. That crossing on the steamship was very difficult. There were huge storms and during the storm he had two heart attacks. It was as if he was about to leave this world. Swami Maharaja himself told that at that time he had a dream: he saw that Krsna and all Dasa Avataras had come. They were pulling the boat through the water and bringing it to America. Why? Because Krsna and all Avataras, every one was behind Swami Maharaja, and they wanted to take him there because there was something very important that he had to do.

 

When he arrived in America, for one year he was trying to preach, but nothing was happening. He had no followers. He had even typed the Bhagavad Gita and commentary by hand and his manuscript and typewriter were stolen. He had nothing. You can see in his diary, he would write, "Today I have only 250 grams of dal left in my bag. And the next day, he had nothing, and in his diary he wrote, "Today I have fasted because I have no money and nothing to eat. "He was in a completely poverty-stricken condition, trying again and again. Despite having nothing to eat, he kept going and kept going. Then one day he came to Tompkins Square Park in New York only with kartalas, no mrdanga player, no harmonium player, nothing. Standing beneath the tree in Tompkins Square Park, he began to chant, Sri Krsna Caitanya Prabhu Nityananda Sri Advaita Gadadhara Srivasdi Gaura Bhakta Vrnda. Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

 

And like a miracle, thousands of worms began to crawl out from the stool. He told this later when he came back to India for the first time. Upon his arrival in India, there was no one to meet him no one. There was only one person my Gurudeva, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja was there at the airport to meet him. He came to Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti and he was telling some godbrothers and especially all the disciples of Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja, You cannot believe it. I began to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, and you know, worms never leave stool. If they fall out by accident, they will quickly crawl back. But I began to chant the maha-mantra, and so many people, addicted to drugs, addicted to sex, all types of intoxication and meat-eating, began to emerge. These worms, first one, then two, then five, then twenty, and now hundreds and hundreds of worms are crawling out of the stool and putting on tilaka and kanthi mala.

 

As Swami Maharaja was telling this, he began to cry out of compassion for all the jivas of the world. At that time, all the members of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti were struck with wonder and they began to cry, remembering:

 

sri-krsna-caitanya-daya karaha vicara

vicara karile citte pabe camatkara

(CC Adi 8.15).

 

If one will deliberate on the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, then his heart will be struck with wonder. One must be amazed. Thus, Swami Maharaja began his preaching in a very simple way. In a few years only, he preached all over the world. But after 12 years of preaching, he returned to Vrndavana, where he became completely absorbed. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja was a very rasika Vaisnava. Being in the West, he had no association, and he would cry for this. He would request my Gurudeva, Please come and help, but Gurudeva was busy serving his Gurudeva in Mathura. I have heard from others, from Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaja, to whom Prabhupada wrote, "Please come and be with me. "Even on one occasion, when he invited Srila Sridhara Maharaja to come to Mayapura, he showed him the property and said, "Please come and be with me. "Srila Sridhara Maharaja replied, "I am old. I cannot go up the stairs. "Swami Maharaja said, "I will install an elevator for you. We will make an elevator right here to take you up to the roof."

 

So he was always praying and feeling separation from his godbrothers and others. Why? Because he had no one to talk to and reveal his heart. Who was qualified to understand his moods? Prabhupada used to sing before class every day:

 

jaya radha-madhava kunja-bihari

gopi-jana-vallabha, giri-vara-dhari

yasoda-nandana, braja-jana-ranjana

yamuna-tira-vanacari

 

I have heard from my Gurudeva about the purport of "yamuna-tira-vanacari"? Krsna is meeting with Radhika, but She is not entirely satisfied. She also wants Krsna to meet with Her sakhis. So Radhika is taking Krsna by the hand to so many kunjas on the bank of Yamuna and bringing Him to meet with Lalita, Visakha and others to enjoy sweet pastimes together. Swami Maharaja would sing this kirtana for the pleasure of Radha and Krsna and to impart this mood to the hearts of the devotees. But, in his own words, he had no one to speak to. Who could understand his mood? Some of you may have seen Swami Maharaja when he was singing this song Jaya Radha-Madhava, he would go into samadhi; he would begin to cry and become unconscious for a long time. After some time, when he came back into sense, he would just look at his disciples and tell them, "Chant Hare Krsna and be happy!

 

In his final days when Swami Maharaja was in Vrndavana, he told his disciples, Bring a bullock cart. Put me on a bullock cart. I want to go to Govardhana. I want to be in Govardhana. But they did not understand and they told him, "If you go on a bullock cart, your health is so bad, you will leave this world, so we cannot do this to you."But this was his desire. I have heard from the lotus lips of Srila Gurudeva that when Srila Swami Maharaja was telling his disciples, "Put me on a bullock cart and let me go to Govardhana," then what was his mood?

 

pramada-madana-lilah kandare kandare te

racayati nava-yunor dvandvam asminn amandam

iti kila kalanartham lagnakas tad-dvayor me

nija-nikata-nivasam dehi govardhana! tvam

 

As Raghunatha dasa Gosvami in his final days was praying, "O Giriraja Maharaja, O Govardhana, I know that Radha and Krsna are performing their sweet keli-vilasa in the secret caves and kunjas of Govardhana. Because you are the witness of Their sweet pastimes, you have the power to benedict me with the same vision. Please give your mercy to me. Kindly give me eternal residence at Govardhana, especially at Radha Kunda so that I may serve the lotus feet of Radha and Krsna in Their pastimes at Radha Kunda and Govardhana, under the guidance of Sri Rupa Manjari. "This was his mood. This is actually the glory of Swami Maharaja, that he was rupanuga, that he was absorbed in the service of the lotus feet of Radha and Krsna in the line of Srila Rupa Gosvamipada, following in the footsteps and guidance of Sri Rupa Manjari. The mysteries of Srila Swami Maharaja are so great that I cannot understand them but whatever I have heard from the lotus lips of Srila Gurudeva and other rasika Vaisnavas, I have tried to convey.

 

Srila Gurudeva has just explained that on Nandotsava, on behalf of Krsna, Nanda Maharaja exhausted his entire treasury. He gave everything. Similarly, on this day Nandotsava, Krsna wanted to give to the world His best donation; He wanted to give everything; what was that?

 

anarpita-carim cirat karunayavatirnah kalau

samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam

 

So on this day Krsna gave His best donation. He gave Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja, to distribute service to the lotus feet of Srimati Radhika to the whole world.

 

 

SRILA BV NARAYANA MAHARAJA

 

First of all, you should know that Swami Maharaja's glorification is by his pranama mantra gaura-vani-pracarine. Almost all the ISKCON leaders never gave any importance to his acceptance of sannyasa,never. They thought that, Oh, this is an ordinary thing or a formality.They thought that because Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakura had given him the order, he was able to preach in Western countries, but if he had not taken sannyasa from our Gurudeva, could he have preached over the whole world like this? Without sannyasa? Never and never. He could not. Even so many sannyasis prior to him went to Western world, even high class of sannyasis, but they could not do so much. Why? Though he was ordered by his spiritual master, but if he was not given sannyasa, he could not have done anything. So there is great importance in sannyasa ;not only for preaching, but for bhajana also. The highest greed for bhajana is in sannyasa. Gopi-bhava comes by sannyasa mantra, not by another. This is not less than Gopala Mantra. We give even more importance to sannyasa mantra than Gopala Mantra. So it is not a formality only.

 

Second thing: once in this hall many ISKCON leaders were here.They were glorifying him by so many means and ways. But I told and preached "this brought a big revolution" I told that Swami Maharaja had not come only to preach and do kirtana here and there, Hare Krsna Hare Krsna. No, not this. This was not so important. This was not primary, this was secondary. As in Caitanya Caritamrta, it has been told that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu preached sankirtana everywhere, but this was gauna, secondary. What was primary? Sri-radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayaiva; anarpita-carim cirat karunayavatirnah kalau. This was the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So Rupa Gosvami has fulfilled the mission, the heart’s desire of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

Swamiji has not come only to preach Hare Krsna Hare Krsna here and there. His primary. goal was to preach the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that Rupa Gosvami had fulfilled. He wanted to express all these things, but there was no time. So I have told you, and I have told in so many places, that his main mission was what? To preach Radha-dasya, like Rupa Gosvami told, like Raghunatha dasa Gosvami told. What was the madanakhya-bhava of Srimati Radhika? Swami Maharaja wanted to explain this but Krsna called him, "You have preached everywhere Hare Krsna Hare Krsna and you have established that Krsna is not an ordinary cowherd boy; He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Everywhere He has established this. And everyone accepted this.

 

Even in a very short time he translated so many authentic books, like Gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Caitanya Caritamrta, Nectar of Instruction and so many others; I think more than a hundred. He preached his mission everywhere in the whole world in just a couple of years. He made hippies happy. Otherwise, all were hippie, and now you are happy. He used to tell, "India is lame, and Western countries, especially America, are blind. But they can perform so many important things if they are helping each other. Lame person will be where? On the shoulder of blind person, and blind person will carry him. Otherwise, both will fall off the road and they will be finished." He used to say, "My head office is in Bombay, my place of sandhana-bhajana is Navadvipa/Mayapura, and my eternal home is in Vrndavana."

 

Then he became somewhat uneasy and at last he returned to India to Vrndavana. He wanted to be in Govardhana and Radha Kunda but his disciples could not understand him, but I think that his soul is eternally there. Now we will go to offer puspanjali at his lotus feet.