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 · nidhir mama suh±ttama% kva tava hanta hå dhig vidhi% [Where is the moon risen from the family of Nanda? Where is the one who wears the peacock feather?

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Page 1:  · nidhir mama suh±ttama% kva tava hanta hå dhig vidhi% [Where is the moon risen from the family of Nanda? Where is the one who wears the peacock feather?
Page 2:  · nidhir mama suh±ttama% kva tava hanta hå dhig vidhi% [Where is the moon risen from the family of Nanda? Where is the one who wears the peacock feather?
Page 3:  · nidhir mama suh±ttama% kva tava hanta hå dhig vidhi% [Where is the moon risen from the family of Nanda? Where is the one who wears the peacock feather?
Page 4:  · nidhir mama suh±ttama% kva tava hanta hå dhig vidhi% [Where is the moon risen from the family of Nanda? Where is the one who wears the peacock feather?
Page 5:  · nidhir mama suh±ttama% kva tava hanta hå dhig vidhi% [Where is the moon risen from the family of Nanda? Where is the one who wears the peacock feather?

«el«elJep/j.te·. iuyA

The Fire Bed

of SeparationFrom the Heart Service Will Appear

Ír( Ír(la Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Gosw*m( Mah*r*j

After his so-called retirement Ír( K±!@aChaitanya Mahåprabhu was in thedeepest mood of separation fortwelve years in the Gambh(rå, hisroom in Jagannåth Pur(, in the com-

pany of Svar)p Dåmodar and Råmånanda Råya.Ír(la Ír(dhar Mahåråj writes in his PremadhåmaDeva Stotram:

ßr( svar)pa råya sa&ga gambhiråntya-l(lana^dvådaßåbda vanhi garbha vipralambha ß(lanamrådhikådhir)#ha bhåva kånti k±!@a kujara^prema dhåma devam eva naumi gaurasundaram

Ír(la Guru Mahåråj describes “a fire bed.” Andwhat kind of fire it is, we can notice within the

poetry of Mådhavendra Pur(’s sickbed ßloka.Mådhavendra Pur( was on his disappearance bed.At that time also this service ßloka come from hislotus mouth. In Chaitanya-charitåm±ta it is writ-ten: “This ßloka is spoken by Rådhå ¢håkurå@(.By her mercy it appeared in the heart and wordsof Mådhavendra. How Mahåprabhu savouredthis poetry¡ There isn’t a fourth man who cantaste it.”

“There isn’t a fourth man who can tasteit.” A very strong comment: Rådhårå@( herselfentered the fire bed of separation and this ßlokacame out of her. And Mådhavendra Pur(, at thetime of his disappearance, got that mercy. Whatkind of mercy? You see, the deep separation

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mood from K±!@a ismaking one mad, butnot fully becomemad. After that, whatposition will comewhen one still hasnot got K±!@a? Thatis deep separationand hopelessness.Hopeless deep sepa-ration {tå&ra k±påyasphuriyåchhe måd-havendra-vå@(}.

No hope.When we see that wehave no hope for our K±!@a consciousness, at that timedeep separation will come to the heart and from thathappiness will come out. “I am thinking there is nohope — what shall I do now {dayita bhråmyati ki^karomy aham}?” In explaining this verse, Ír(la GuruMahåråj expressed the deepest feelings we have everheard, but I do not want to say what they are. It will betoo much. Anyhow…

Rådhårå@(, Mådhavendra, Gaurachandra —but no fourth man. But there was Nityånanda Prabhuand other very exclusive devotees. At least four wereconstantly with Mahåprabhu... what was I talkingabout originally?

You were speaking about retirement in relation toK±!@a consciousness.

Oh, retirement¡ Yes. Service is not only oralways physical. It is not something that can always bephysically observed. Service is not always physically oreven mentally performed. But who is fully dedicated,from his heart, service will appear.

And there is no retirement, from the biggestdevotee to the smallest—everywhere—the serviceworld is like that sevåmaya bh)mikå {the land of dedi-cation}. When describing Sevå Bh)mi {the land of serv-ice}, or anything spiritual, it is always necessary to usethe word ‘chinmaya’ {transcendental} to make it clearthat we are speaking of a divine connection with thetranscendental plane. All the actions of those living inthe transcendental plane are for the service of K±!@a:eating, sleeping, working. Anything done will be serv-ice, if one is living within the transcendental plane ofdedication. Everything will be service there. AndMahåprabhu says that the best service is ßrava@, k(rttan{talking about K±!@a}.

prabhu kahe——åge kaha, ßunite påi sukheap)rvåm±ta-nad( vahe tomåra mukhe

When Råy Råmånandawas explaining thePastimes of Rådhå-K±!@a, Mahåprabhusaid, “Tell me moreand more— a g a i nand again. I am feel-ing too much happi-ness. It is a nectareanocean¡”

In our idea anocean is somethingsalty. But talk ofK±!@a and his pas-times is an ocean of

nectar. The Scriptures also say we are, in fact, all chil-dren of the nectar ocean {ß±!vantu vißve am±tasya putrå}.So there should not be any bad taste because our origi-nal wealth is nectar, but covered by illusion, everythinghas become bad. So it is necessary to come out fromillusion.

What ocean was churned by the gods and thedemons? It was a milk ocean {k!(r—condensed milk}.And from that ocean appeared the Moon, Lak!m( Dev(,Airåvata {Indra’s celestial elephant} and the DivineCow—Surabhi. As the moon rose out of the ocean ofnectar, K±!@a rose out of the family of Nanda Mahåråj{nanda-kula-chandra}. R)pa Goswåm(‘s ßloka in thisregard is very nice: kva nanda kula-chandra.‘Chandraka’ is also related with the peacock:

ålola-chandraka-lasad-vanamålya-va^ß(-ratnå&gada^ pra@aya-keli-kalå-vilåsamßyåma^ tri-bha&ga-lalita^ niyata-prakåß^govindam ådi-puru!a^ tam aha^ bhajåmi

[Delighting in pastimes of Divine Love, wearing a gar-land of V±ndåvan flowers, a peacock-feather locket dan-gles as His jeweled hands play the flute. He eternallymanifests an exquisite sinuous form of divine darkbeauty {Íyåmasundar}: Govinda, the Original Person, Iadore.]

R)pa Goswåm(’s poetry expresses so beautifullythe mood of separation from within the heart ofRådhårå@(:

kva nanda-kula-chandramå% kva ßikhi-chandrakåla&k±ti%kva mandra-mural(-rava% kva nu surendra-n(la-dyuti%kva råsa-rasa-tå@#av( kva sakhi j(va-rak!au!adhir nidhir mama suh±ttama% kva tava hanta hå dhig vidhi%

[Where is the moon risen from the family of Nanda?Where is the one who wears the peacock feather?Where is the deep sound of His flute? Where is my

6

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shining blue sapphire?Where is the rasa ofthe Råsa Dance?Where, my friend, isthe cure for the suffer-ing that has becomemy life? Where is thebest friend of myheart? Tell me where?Without Him, I cursethe life that I am des-tined to live¡]{ L a l i t a - M å d h a v a ,R)pa Goswåm( }

There aremany ßlokas we have seen expressing the mood of sepa-ration of Rådhårå@( or other devotees but none arelike…

ayi d(na-dayårdra nåtha hemathurå-nåtha kadåvalokyaseh±daya^ tvad-aloka-kåtara^dayita bhråmyati ki^ karomy aham

Ír(la Gurudeva, this ßloka from Chaitanya -chari-tamrita is very difficult for us to understand because itappears superficially to be so simple.

In Chaitanya-charitåm±ta it is revealed byK±!@a Himself that the chastisement of His belovedsteals His mind away from the prayers of the Vedas{priyå yadi måna kari’ karaye bhartsana, veda-stuti haitehare sei mora mana}. Actually everything is related withthis ßloka {ayi d(na dayårdra nåtha}. One day it will berevealed, and we will be able to understand the mean-ing. That is good. But it is true although KaviråjGoswåm( himself knows the inner meaning he does notclaim, “I know.” Who knows will never claim, “I knowthe meaning of that ßloka.”And that is the difficulty.Actually it is not a question of knowing or unknowing,or what is known or unknown. It is a matter of life anddeath¡

ka-i-avarahi-a^ pemma^ @a hi hoi må@use loeja-i hoi kassa virahe hontammi ko j(a-i

[Other than the false display of cheaters, real premacan’t be found in a human being in this world. For onewho actually has prema, separation results in death{pralåpo vyådhir unmådo, moho m±tyur daßå daßa}.]

akaitava k±!@a-prema, yena jåmb)nada-hema,sei premå n±loke nå hayayadi haya tåra yoga, nå haya tabe viyoga,viyoga haile keha nå j(yaya

[“Like the gold ofheaven, K±!@a premadoes not exist onearth. In human soci-ety it is only shownby pretenders. Whoreally has love forK±!@a, cannot livewithout it for amoment. Separationis not an option, it isan impossibility.”]But Mahåprabhu wassubmerged in thedepths of Rådhå

Bhåva in His boiler room {Gambh(rå} twenty-fourhours a day the last twelve years of his life {dvådaßåbdavanhi garbha vipralambha ß(lanam}. Those who haveK±!@a prema cannot live without it, but Mahåprabhuwas living in a fire bed of K±!@a prema for twelve years¡This is inconceivable.

This condition gradually manifested and inten-sified as Mahåprabhu’s l(lå progressed. Advaita•chåryya had originally requested K±!@a, asMahåprabhu, to descend into this world to save the fall-en souls. Mahåprabhu received news from Advaita•chåryya through a mystic poem that this desire wasfulfilled and now Mahåprabhu may, as he likes, fulfilhis own inner purpose {ßr(-rådhåyå% pra@aya-mahimåk(d±ßo vånayaivå}.

båulake kahiha,—loka ha-ila båulabåulake kahiha,—hå$e nå vikåya chåulabåulake kahiha,—kåye nåhika åulabåulake kahiha,—ihå kahiyåche båula”

“Tell whom is mad — everyone is mad,Tell whom is mad — rice retail is bad,Tell whom is mad — mad market is bad,Tell whom is mad — who speaks is mad¡”

When offered one or two sweets {sandesh} muchjoy will come to the heart. We will take that sandesh hap-pily. But when surrounded by thousands and thousands ofpieces of sandesh we will lose all interest in eating. Themeaning of the third line båulake kahiha,—kåye nåhikaåula: what he wants to give, the divine madness of K±!@aprema, is already given abundantly—not necessary to givemore. We have been engulfed in an ocean of nectareansweetness. If surrounded by thousands of pieces of nectare-an sandesh, then no one will buy, nor will anyone eat.Mahåprabhu inundated the world with K±!@a premathrough His Nåma sank(rttan and then entered into thefire bed of separation.

7

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Before His final Pastimes {Antya L(lå} Mahåprabhu wasalso within the fire bed of separation but sometimescoming out—coming and going, coming and going.But when he got news from Advaita •chåryya, “Moreis not necessary,” then he fulfilled his own desire andbegan exclusively tasting the deep separation mood ofRådhårå@( twenty-four hours a day for the last twelveyears of his life {Rådhå-bhåva, dvådaßa vatsara aichhedaßå—råtri-dine, k±!@a-rasa åsvådaye dui-bandhu-sane}.

Advaita •chåryya did not tell Mahåprabhudirectly to withdraw his Nåma sank(rttan pastimes butspoke cryptically. When asked, Mahåprabhu saidSvar)p Dåmodar knows the meaning of “Advaita’s madpoem.” But Svar)p Dåmodar was in a hazy positionand deferred to Mahåprabhu, “What is the meaning ofthis?” He knows everything, but to be doubly sure heasked Mahåprabhu’s opinion. Mahåprabhu answeredenigmatically, suggesting that Advaita •chåryya is atantric and he alone knows why he contracts a Deityand then dismisses him. Mahåprabhu said, “Maybe thisis the meaning, I do not know.” But Mahåprabhuknows, Svar)p Dåmodar knows, and from that day,Mahåprabhu’s emotional state changed dramatically;

His feelings of separation from K±!@a began doublingexponentially in intensity and magnitude.

Guru Mahåråj composed the ßlokas ofPremadhåma Deva Stotram not in one or two days, butin deep meditation, gradually, year after year. FirstGuru Mahåråj composed twelve ßlokas. He then extend-ed that—extended, extended, extended... In this way,he gradually included the entire pastimes ofMahåprabhu {Gaura L(lå}. When Ír(la Bhakti PrajånKeßava Mahåråj heard this composition he said,“Impossible¡ No one can compete with Ír(dharMahåråj.” He marvelled how Ír(la Guru Mahåråj“included within his poetry Mahåprabhu’s philosophyof Achintya-bhedåbheda siddhånta.”

We first published twelve ßlokas in GaudiyaDarshan. So first it was twelve ßlokas and then itbecome more, then more, then more, finally it becameseventy. Ír(la Guru Mahåråj put the whole Gaura L(låinside. That idea came to Ír(la Guru Mahåråj. Withinthe Premadhåma Deva Stotram he fully represented thepastimes and personality of Mahåprabhu including the‘fire bed’ of separation that characterised the last twelveyears of His divine pastimes.

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«el«elJep/j.te·. iuyA

Eat, Drinkand

be Merry......and attain the Highest Goal of Life

Ír( Ír(la Bhakti Rak!ak Ír(dhar Dev-Gosw*m( Mah*r*j

Once a sannyås( of upperIndia was the guest in thehouse of Íach(dev( andthere he tasted mochå-gha@$a, a curry preparedfrom the plantain flower

cooked by her. He got such an extraordinarytaste there, that when he was in På@#arapurain Maharashtra he met Mahåprabhu and hedescribed that transcendent taste to Him.

Mahåprabhu, when wanderingthrough the southern countries went to thecity of På@#arapura and there He met withthat sannyås(, Ír( Ra&ga Pur(, who told Him,“Your elder brother Ía&karåra@ya{Vißvar)pa’s sannyås name} he breathed hislast here in this place.” Mahåprabhu got thisinformation there from Ír( Ra&ga Pur( whoalso told Him, “Once, with our Gurudev, Ír(Mådhavendra Pur(, we were the guests in thehouse of Jagannåth Mißra and Íach(dev(,

your mother; that time she prepared thecurry of the plantain flower so nicely that wecannot ever forget that taste:

jagannåtha-mißra-ghare bhik!å ye karilaap)rvva mochåra gha@$a tåhå& ye khåila

{C.c. Madhya: 9.296}

Bhaktivinoda ¢håkur writes in his divinefashion,

ßach(r a&gane kabhu, mådhavendra-pur( prabhu,prasådånna korena bhojanakhåite khåite tå’ra, åilo prema sudurbår,bole, ßuno sannyås(ra ga@a

Once Mådhavendra Pur(, with hisdisciples, was guest in the house of JagannåthMißra and they were taking Prasådam in thecompound, and when taking that Prasådam,some wonderful flow of Divine Love awak-ened in his heart {khåite khåite tå’ra, åilo

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prema sudurbår}, he could not check it, such divineprema rushed in his heart {bole, ßuno sannyås(ra ga@a},then he began to address the sannyås( disciples there;

mochå-gha@$a phula-ba#i, dåli-dålnå-chachcha#i,ßach(-måtå korilo randhanatå’ra ßuddhå bhakti heri’, bhojana korilo hari,sudhå-sama e anna-byajana

“What you are taking here, that has been prepared byour Mother Íach(dev( {tå’ra ßuddhå bhakti heri’, bho-jana korilo Hari, sudhå-sama e anna-byajana} andbecause it has been cooked by her, Lord Hari, seeingthe heart of the cook, is attracted and He has taken thefirst taste of all these things, so I feel that it is more thannectar—so sweet¡ I have never experienced anythinglike that in my life.”

yoge yog( påya jåhå, bhoge åja ha’be tåhå,‘hari’ boli’ khåo sabe bhåik±!@aera prasåda-anna, tri-jagat kore dhanya,tripuråri nåche jåhå påi’

“What the great yog(s attain with huge effort {yoge yog(påya jåhå} by only enjoying such things as this Prasådwith our ordinary physical senses, we can attain that¡ Bygreat austerity and self-control—directing and pushinghis mind towards the higher substance, the higherenquiry—that attainment of the yog(, that can be easilyhad by us, only by enjoying the taste of this transcen-dental Prasådam, and {yoge yog( påya jåhå}, what theyare unable to get with so much austerity, you will get byenjoyment, it is the truth {bhoge åja ha’be tåhå, ‘hari’

boli’ khåo sabebhåi}, so go onchanting the Nameof Hari and takePrasådam¡”

Nåchiyå gåiyåkoilå sonå—this isanother thing saidby VåsudevaGho!a. He said,“What shall wespeak about thegreatness ofMahåprabhu Ír(Chaitanyadev? Hesimply asks us tosing and dancewith all our heartand we will betransformed fromiron into gold¡

What a new method and wonderful method He hasintroduced here, that only by rejoicing we will reach thegoal¡ And no penance and no austerity—nothing of thekind—are we to undergo for our great goal. Only bysinging and chanting and dancing we shall go—weshall walk to Goloka. What a new form and sweet formof sådhana the great Gaurå&ga has introduced in thisworld {nåchiyå gåiyå koilå sonå} everything, all the ironwill be converted into gold¡ {yoge yog( påya jåhå bhogeåja ha’be tåhå, ‘Hari’ boli’ khåo sabe bhåi, K±!@aeraprasåda-anna, tri-jagat kore dhanya, tripuråri nåche jåhåpåi’}. Be fully conscious to this fact, that K±!@era-praså-da is so great. We very rarely find the mention of theunexcelled greatness of the Prasådam of K±!@a, {tri-jagat kore dhanya}. It is not only my opinion, but it isbroadly accepted and only I am drawing your attentionto that, and tripuråri nåche jåhå påi’, Mahådeva him-self, the Íiva himself, he danced getting the taste of thisPrasådam once in Kailåsa, such a fortunate thing wehave come across here, be fully awake to this fact.

Ír( Ra&ga Pur( told this to Mahåprabhu, “Thatmochå-gha@$a that we tasted there in Nabadw(p we cannever forget that taste.” So Nabadw(p has got its specialcharm that through dancing and through merry mak-ing it can help you to reach the highest goal of your life,from the most ordinary plane. And so I have speciallyselected the Aparådha-bhajan pat where Mahåprabhuhas been most magnanimous—magnanimous to theextreme—to the fallen and absolved them from all sortsof offences. That place is the place of Ír( ChaitanyaSåraswat Ma$h¡

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So I have specially selected the

Aparadha-bhanjan Pat where

Mahaprabhu has been most

magnanimous—magnanimous to the

extreme—to the fallen and absolved

them from all sorts of offences. That

place is the place of Sri Chaitanya

Såraswat Math!Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj

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September—November 2006Festival report by

Ír(mån •nanda Vardhana Dås Brahmachår(

«el«elJep/j.te·. iuyA

RUSSIAN

REVOLUTION

r(la Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswåm( Mahåråj’s recent visit to

Russia was both unexpected and most auspi-cious for all the devotees. It was three yearssince His Divine Grace last came and prior tothat we had had the fortune of Ír(la Gurudevvisiting every year, so the wait for this momenthad been very difficult. It had been especiallydifficult for the many new people, who hadrecently taken initiation but still hadn’t metÍr(la Gurudev. Also it was a miracle becauseeverybody was well aware that Ír(la GovindaMahåråj’s health was not so good and that itcould have been a real strain and perhaps even

dangerous for him to take a flight. In light ofthis we all really understood that this could wellbe the last visit of His Divine Grace to Russiaand so the preparations were very careful, con-scious and auspicious.

Needless to say the mood of the devo-tees was very enthusiastic. Even before Ír(laGurudev’s arrival there was such an intensefeeling that some kind of incredible, impossi-ble event was about to happen—everybody feltit. This was especially evident in Ír(påd VijayRama@ Prabhu who led and inspired the devo-tees to make and prepare everything in the verybest way possible. Due to his leadership and

Í

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Bhaktisiddhånta Saraswat(¢håkur—to incorporate everythingfor service; huge festivals, differentpublic programmes and so manyvarious projects, etc. Ír(pådAvadh)t Mahåråj has fully dedicat-

ed himself to the service of Ír( Ír(Guru-Gaurå&ga and everybody whomeets him has some attraction tohim and through him those personswill come to K±!@a Consciousness. Ihave seen so many devotees who

have come in this way. And Ír(laGurudev has so much love forÍr(påd Avadh)t Mahåråj that dur-ing the festival he said that his Ír(laGuru Mahåråj—Ír(la BhaktiRak!ak Ír(dhar Mahåråj was fully

represented in Ír(påd Avadh)tMahåråj. And along with Ír(pådMådhav Mahåråj and Ír(pådBhakti Chaitanya Bhårat(Mahåråj we have an extremely

R)panuga •ch*ryya, Ír(la Govinda Mah*r*j addresses the devotees at the St. Petersburg Ír( Chaitanya S*raswat Ma$h on the occasion of the 111th

Anniversary of the Appearance of Ír(la Bhakti Rak!ak Ír(dhar Mah*r*j

Ír(p*d Vijay Rama@ Prabhu,the manager of the St.

Petersburg Ma$h, shares anaffectionate moment with

Ír(la Govinda Mah*r*j while presenting him with a 10 year

commemorative publicationof the Russian Mission

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Everything in spiritual life is always new andnothing is becoming old or stale. Afterjoining in Ír(la Guru Mahåråj’s Mission Imemorised all the songs of the Gau#(yaMa$h within one year. Nevertheless, day

by day I am seeing new revelation within those songs.When I first read and memorised them, they were atthat time only like poetry, the full meaning had notcome to me but day by day those songs are revealing somuch exalted and divine substance. And not just onesong but all of those songs, and Ír(mad Bhagavad-g(tåis also like that for me. I have read Bhagavad-g(tå andalso I memorised many of the ßlokas and heard so muchabout Bhagavad-g(tå from Guru Mahåråj, but overtime the Divine Form and glorious meanings of G(tå

have been revealed to me. It may not have been myoriginal understanding but happily that is beingrevealed and I am so much happy when I consider myfortune. One ßloka has so many meanings I know, butmore than that is the revelation of truth which isbeyond my thinking.

Satyam, Íivam, Sundaram.

What we are reading, that is Satyam {Truth}, and whenwe practise that is Íivam {Auspiciousness}, and whenthat is revealing its Divine Form that is Sundaram{Beauty}.

What Ír(påd Swar)pånanda Prabhu has pro-duced in this edition of Ír(la Guru Mahåråj’s G(tå, Ifeel it is a miracle. I did not know English originally, so

«el«elJep/j.te·. iuyA

Ír(mad Bhagavad-g(t*The Hidden Treasure of the Sweet Absolute

Ír(la Guru Mahåråj’sExplanation is

UniqueÍr( Ír(la Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Gosw*m( Mah*r*j

Ír(la Govinda Mahåråj expresses his deep satisfaction and feelings about thenew, recently published, revised edition of Ír(mad Bhagavad-g(tå and the

unparalleled commentary of Ír(la Ír(dhar Mahåråj

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Page 22:  · nidhir mama suh±ttama% kva tava hanta hå dhig vidhi% [Where is the moon risen from the family of Nanda? Where is the one who wears the peacock feather?

in the English language Swar)pånanda Prabhu translat-ed Guru Mahåråj’s G(tå. But not only that, Ír(la GuruMahåråj himself gave some confidential classes inEnglish and Swar)pånanda Prabhu heard that. I knowthe inner meanings of those ßlokas and he also knowsthat. So for this edition, I told him you must add that,and he has done it. I was surprised that what he heardfrom Guru Mahåråja and what he has heard from me,everything is included there and in a very short andclear way, and this is the type of G(tå edition I wanted.In my life I have seen so many different versions ofBhagavad-g(tå because I was involved in publishing andso I wanted to see which is the best production.

This kind of G(tå; I read so many G(tås nodoubt, because I was also in the printing department,and wanted to see where is best edition. TheRamakrishna Mission, Bhårata Sevå Ashram Satsa&gaand other missions had their versions, and the Gau#(ya

Mission published three editons of G(tå; the commen-taries of Vißvanåth Chakravart( ¢håkur, BaladevVidyåbh)!a@ and Ír(dhar Swåm(. I read all of these, butwhen Guru Mahåråja gave his explanation of G(tå wecould understand that this is unique. And not onlythat, Guru Mahåråja was very happy to give that con-ception to others but he did not get that opportunityuntil his meetings with the Westerners. When theWesterners came for Guru Mahåråja’s darßan, I wassurprised to see just what he revealed to them.

We know the Indian tradition, and that is whenyou accept Guru, that is your lifelong commitment.And you must serve your Guru without asking anyquestion of him, once you have surrendered there.Only service, and for the service if any question willcome you can ask Gurudev, “Is this sabji I have madefor you good or bad?” Like this, otherwise questioningis not proper.

Ír(la Govinda Mah*r*j clearly delighted reading the new edition of The Hidden Treasure of the Sweet Absolute

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We are studying everything under the guidanceof Guru Mahåråja but we are not questioning GuruMahåråja because our inquisitive tendency is not com-ing, only our service tendency we have got, but whenthe Westerners met with Guru Mahåråja, then theyhave asked so many questions. And my memory wasvery sharp and so I memorised everything. At that timemy memory was very strong, if once or twice I shallhear something, then it is memorised, like a computer.It is so and Ír(la Guru Mahåråja was very surprised tosee my memory.

I would work the whole day in the Ma$h andthen after the k(rttan in the evening Guru Mahåråjwould give a lecture. That particular evening I was lead-ing the k(rttan, then when Guru Mahåråj was speakingI was resting on the m±da&ga, I was hearing, and GuruMahåråja was giving a very good lecture but my eyeswere closing. And he was angry with me, he has givensuch a nice lecture and I am sleeping. I came to thema$h during Kårttik month and so that time I had beenin the ma$h about three or four months maybe.Anyhow, Guru Mahåråja was very angry with me, “Iam giving lecture, very valuable lecture, and you aresleeping there.” And I told Guru Mahåråja, “No, no Iam not sleeping.” Then Guru Mahåråja questioned me,“Then what I have told in my lecture this evening youwrite that and give me tomorrow morning.” And Iwrote and gave that to him, and Guru Mahåråja wassurprised. “I am seeing you are sleeping.” I replied, “YesMahåråj, but one ear is not sleeping.” Like that. Eventhough I was very much exhausted I am giving thatkind of attention for Guru Mahåråj’s lecture. If you seemy certificate from Guru Mahåråja you will be sur-prised. It is extremely rare that a Guru will give thiskind of certificate for his disciple and I am very muchobliged, what can I say?

Anyhow, before the Westerners’ meetings withÍr(la Guru Mahåråj, I never heard the many wonderfuland beautiful explanations given by Guru Mahåråjaabout G(tå, about Bhågavat, and I questioned GuruMahåråja, “Before you are not telling like this, thenwhy now you are giving these wonderful kinds of expla-nations?

For example, Guru Mahåråj’s explanation ofthe Gåyatr( mantra, he did not give that explanation tous {his Indian followers}.

gåyatr(-mural(!$a-k(rttana-dhana^ rådhå-pada^ dh(mahi

That is Guru Mahåråja’s composition and it is wellknown to everyone, but for maybe 38 or 40 years wehad not heard this from Guru Mahåråja. This kind ofmeaning we understood from Guru Mahåråja, but in

the full authentic form we had not heard it. But whenWesteners joined the mission and they questionedmany things, then Guru Mahåråja given us very manynew things. Swar)pånanda Prabhu heard those thingsfrom Guru Mahåråja, and his brain is very clear. Andwhen I asked him to make this new edition of G(tå inthis way to include Guru Mahåråj’s revelations, he hasdone it. In this G(tå the few ßloka explanations are veryclean and clear; the conception of Ír( ChaitanyaMahåprabhu, and nowhere else will you find this.‘Nowhere’ means that Vißvanåth Chakravart( ¢håkur,Ír(dhar Swåm(, and Baladev Vidyåbh)!a@, they havegiven some indication but that will not be fully clear orunderstood by most of us, but what Guru Mahåråj hasgiven it is very clear and perfectly presented. One ßlokaI can say to illustrate this:

te!å^ satata-yuktånå^, bhajatå^ pr(ti-p)rvakamdadåmi buddhi-yoga^ ta^, yena måm upayånti te

{Bg10.10}

Everyone has read this ßloka, and the general meaning iswell known, but within that ßloka is the Divine form ofMadhura-rasa, and that is not known or expressed byother commentators. Not only Madhura-rasa, but thehighest Paramour Love with God—that is expressed inthat ßloka, and no one else has shown that. But GuruMahåråj has given this meaning and Ír(la Swåm(Mahåråj Prabhupåd was very astonished when he heardthis explanation from Guru Mahåråj. Swåm( Mahåråjsaid, “Without this conception then no one can prop-erly explain this ßloka. It is a unique explanation for us,Mahåråj. It is not possible to tell anything more thanthis.”

Many unique things Ír(la Guru Mahåråja hasgiven, and we are so fortunate that we have got that.

In this material world everyone has some fault,no doubt, because this body is a faulty body but who isdoing sevå with this body, he is getting a good result.Then who is a pure Vai!@ava, who is a real servitor? Wemay not always be able to recognise that.

Hare K±!@a. Then if you will read this G(tå youwill get new illumination.

I am very happy. What is my desire in life, forthe service of Guru Mahåråj—everyone is helping meand giving their energy for the service of K±!@a. Whowill get this type of fortune?

The new edition of Ír(mad Bhagavad-g(tå: The Hidden Treasure ofthe Sweet Absolute by His Divine Grace Ír(la Bhakti Rak!ak Ír(dharDev-Goswåm( Mahåråj is available now from the Ír( ChaitanyaSåraswat Ma$h, Nabadw(p and its branches and centres Worldwide.

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«el«elJep/j.te·. iuyA

Ír(mad Bhagavad-g(t*The Hidden Treasure of the Sweet Absolute

AnanyaBhajan

Understand this treasure hidden in Ír( G(tå:If you can see beyond the apparent and recognise the substance and then

declare this to the world, then you will also get exclusive devotion.

Ír( Ír(la Bhakti Rak!ak Ír(dhar Dev-Gosw*m( Mah*r*j

Once we heard that Ír(la Bhaktivinoda¢håkur was chanting the Holy Name andwandering in the sky according to his ownsweet will. Suddenly he found that he wasjust near Yamålaya, where Yamaråj, the

Lord of Death holds court to judge the sinners of thisworld. Ír(la Bhaktivinoda ¢håkur also found present thereLord Brahmå, Nårada and others, discussing the meaningof two ßlokas spoken by Ír( K±!@a in the Bhagavad-g(tå, butthey could not find any solution.

api chet suduråchåro bhajate måm ananya bhåksådhur eva sa mantavya% samyag vyavasito hi sa%

{Bg 9.30}

“One who has devoted himself exclusively to Me, if hedoes any mischievous actions—sins—he should still beaccepted. He should be judged as a righteous man, as hon-est as any other person. Although externally a person may

commit many crimes, if he is exclusively given to My devo-tion, then he should be considered pure and spotless. Heshould be considered a saint. Whatever he does, he is doingcent per cent rightly.”

k!ipra bhavati dharmåtmå ßaßvach-chhånti nigachchhatikaunteya pratijån(hi na me bhakta% pra@aßyati

{Bg 9.31}

“Very soon he will become religious and will acquire realpeace in his life. O son of Kunt(, go and declare this to thepublic with firm determination. You may promise and givea guarantee to the public that My devotee never meets withdestruction – they can never be ruined.”

Yamaråj, Brahmå and others could not find a solu-tion to this point.

sarvva dharmmån parityajya måm eka^ ßara@a^ vraja{Bg 18.66}

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“Giving up all sorts of duties, one may come to My feet.This is called ananya bhajan. One who has given up all dif-ferent phases of duties and only accepts duties towards Meis My exclusive devotee.”

Now, after such exclusive duty, then he will againbe seen as a dutiful man, an externally pious man, a dhar-mmåtmå? This seems to be an anomaly. The meaning ofananya bhajan is that he will leave all sorts of duties—pureor impure—and come to My feet. Then, he will againbecome very saintly in his activity in the near future? Whatis the meaning of this?

At that time, they noticed that Ír(la Bhaktivinoda¢håkur was moving in the sky and taking the Holy Nameof the Lord. They said, “He is a pure devotee—not anordinary devotee—and hehas got deep knowledge ofthe Scriptures. Let him comeand explain this verse ofBhagavad-g(tå.”

Ír(la Bhaktivinoda¢håkur was invited and wentthere to give the meaning ofthe ßlokas. Who will be pious,who is dharmmåtmå? Hewho understands anddeclares this decision: “thatan exclusive devotee ofK±!@a—whatever his outerpractices may be—he is centper cent saintly. He whounderstands and utters thisprinciple will become dharm-måtmå—he will be pious inthe near future. The conclu-sion should be that he whodeclares that ‘My exclusivedevotee, despite his ill behav-iour, is cent per cent saintly’ and, his statement is also cent-per cent correct. So such a person will become very pureand very soon, he will also get the chance of accepting thepath towards eternal Truth.”

Ír( K±!@a said to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-g(tå,“Take this advantage and go to the public. Declare withboldness that My devotee who is given wholly and exclu-sively towards Me—if apparently or outwardly he may bedoing something wrong—he will never be destroyed. Hewill be saved, na me bhakta% pra@aßyati-—no destruction ispossible for My exclusive devotee, his life is insured. Go tothe public and declare this and receive the benefit ofbecoming saintly. You will have the chance of acceptanceof the path of spiritual eternal peace. It is so, because theyhave got that appreciation, that exclusive devotion forMe.”

Everything is for Him and not for any other part.We may obey or disobey the laws of the provincial or sep-arate interest. We may do or may not do, but we mustobey the rule: everything is for Him. This is the main rule.All other rules are subsidiary. We may carry on or we maynot carry on, but we must carry on our duty towards thecentre. This is the all-important factor in every case. Onewho can appreciate this and boldly asserts it to the publicmust have some substantial feeling in the matter. He is sureto survive to improve his future condition very soon. Hewill attain the path of eternal peace that is Myself. This isthe underlying meaning.

sarvva dharmmån parityajya måm eka^ ßara@a^ vraja{Bg 18.66}

This is the highest qualityof every part of the whole.Everyone must be dedicatedtowards the centre, evencrossing his dutifulness inrespect to other environ-ments. One who can feel this,appreciate this, and assertthis, he will also very soon getsuch a position because of hisinner heart’s appreciation. Hehas some realisation in thispath and that will also cometo be effected very soon. Thepublic will see, “Oh¡ He isalso coming to this path ofananya bhajan, exclusiveadherence towards the call ofthe Absolute Centre and thatis all in all.”

“Dharmma means moralduties to mother, country, society and humanity. But,neglecting all these duties, if one maintains a straight rela-tionship with Me, then he is considered not to be commit-ting any fault. He is in the line of exclusive devotiontowards Me. He is doing rightly.”

One who can appreciate this, he will also very soonbe converted to the same class. This is the verdict, the fullmeaning. Not only he who is following the exclusive devo-tional path, but who can appreciate this, he will also gainentrance in the path of exclusive devotion to the Lord. Inthe beginning of devotional practises, there may be somebad tendencies, but when the devotee matures, then allthese different tendencies will automatically disappear.These unwanted tendencies may disappear or may not dis-appear, but service to the centre is the all-important factorfor the devotee.

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d±!tai% svabhåva-janitair vapu!aß cha do!airna pråk±tatvam iha bhata-janasya paßyetga&gåmbhaså^ na khalu, budbuda-phena-pa&kairbrahma-dravatvam apagachchhati, n(ra-dharmmai%

{Ír( Upadeßåm±ta 6}

Ír(la R)pa Goswåm( has given the example, “The Gangeswater is sometimes seen to be externally filthy, but it neverloses its purifying capacity. The purifying capacity of theGanges water has got no connection with the externalpur(fying capacity of the Ganges water.”

In the same way, the devotees may have somephysical or mental defects. However, devotee means, ‘theåtmå—the soul’. In the åtmå—the innermost self—thereis a purifying agent which is the purest normal factor ofthe world. “Whatever externally you may see in My exclu-sive devotees is like the foam and dirt in the Ganges water.The purifying capacity of the Ganges water cannot be dis-turbed by any foam or any dirt mixed with the water –that is something separate. The spiritual capacity does notdepend in any way on this material, foreign capacity.”

So, some devotees may be seen to be a littlegreedy and some a little easily excited. Physically, one maybe blind, another may be deaf and another may be lame.But these external, apparent defects should not be consid-ered because a devotee’s saintly characteristic is independ-ent of the physical and mental planes.

In Ír( Chaitanya Mahåprabhu’s tour of SouthIndia, He met Våsudeva Vipra in K)rmak!etra. He was a

leper, but a great devotee. The leper,Våsudeva was also very exemplary in hisphysical conduct. If any worms fell onthe ground from his sores, then hewould put the worms back on the soresso they would not die. He was sufferingfrom leprosy, but he was a devotee centper cent. Ír( Chaitanya Mahåprabhuhappily embraced him and his leprosydisappeared. Also, when Ír(la SanåtanGoswåm( was coming back to Pur(from V±ndåvan, by the contact of badwater in the jungle, he contracted somesores on his body. Ír( ChaitanyaMahåprabhu used to welcome him butSanåtan Goswåm( would push back,“Don’t touch me. This is the body of asinful man with so many itches andsores that are oozing and emitting a badodour. Don’t touch me.” Then oneday, Sanåtan Goswåm( disclosed, “Ishall leave this place or I shall invitedeath by falling under the wheel of

Lord Jagannåth’s cart.” When Mahåprabhu heard of thisHe chastised Sanåtan and then forcibly embraced him—all the good qualities came out immediately and the sores,

etc. disappeared. Ír( Chaitanya Mahåprabhu told,“Sanåtan, you are a Vai!@ava. Your body is not defec-tive.—apråk±ta-deha tomåra ‘pråk±ta’ kabhu naya—I am asannyås(. K±!@a is testing Me to see whether I have got anydifference in the discrimination of My dealings with thedevotees. Whether I am seeing, ‘this sore is here’ or ‘thatdefect is there,’ in the devotee and thereby avoid theircompany. K±!@a is testing Me. It is seen only for this pur-pose. Your body is already pure. K±!@a has created this sit-uation only to test the public. If I cannot see this, then Iwill be deceived by K±!@a. So, it is nothing. It is a show,a mere show. Your body is pure and spotless. You are aVai!@ava, a devotee of Lord K±!@a. This is only shown toserve some purpose of the divinity of K±!@a. Wherever adevotee’s saintly devotion is present, such things cannotstand. Only to test My devotion, K±!@a has sent you toMe in this condition.”

He embraced Ír(la Sanåtan Goswåm( andshowed that he is cent per cent devotee. These circum-stances may or may not occur, but still the principle is

‘A devotee’s saintly characteristic is independent ofthe physical and mental planes’

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that our service, our wholesale dutifulness towards K±!@ais our primal necessity. In the ordinary sense, the Gop(sare also considered to be sinners. They are crossing thelaws of the society and the Scriptures so they are consid-ered sinners. However, they hold the highest position ofpurity as a result of their exclusive devotion towards K±!@aand no other—even at the risk of repeatedly crossing soci-eties standards of morality. They cannot check themselvesdue to their extreme hankering to serve K±!@a cent percent. Therefore, the Gop(s are considered to be in the

highest devotional mood. But this sort of devotion is notcheap. Persons of this world may take advantage of thesevery high ideals, but that will not be beneficial for them.Devotion must be there to a substantial degree. It is notby cheap imitation that anyone will pass in the name ofexclusive devotion to the Lord. That is sahajiyå—imita-tion—and cannot be allowed.

We should not be too particular about the con-duct of other devotees as we lose our own time and ener-gy—and it is also reactionary. “If I try to find fault withanyone, then that same fault will come back to me; andthis is especially true in the devotee section. By chewingthe poison in his body, that same poison will come back

to me.” So we should avoid that and try to find the goodqualities in others as that will also be of help to us.

There was a system in our Ma$h at the time ofour Guru Mahåråj. Our Guru Mahåråj used to orderopenly in an assembly that one devotee would stand andpraise the good qualities of another selected devoteewhom he especially did not like. So, he forced the criticto find out where the goodness lies in that devotee whomhe did not like. By finding out the good qualities in him,that helped the critic to eliminate the bad things in his

conception. He will search after that which is good andthereby, he will be benefited. There should be no cultureof any misconception, especially in the devotees becauseK±!@a has taken full charge of those who are surrenderedsouls. So whatever is good and bad there in the devotees,it is His responsibility. Any fault or evil in a devotee maydisappear at any time or K±!@a may continue that tenden-cy there in order to serve some purpose. We are to see likethat. Therefore, we must not go to criticise those who aredirectly under the charge of K±!@a or we shall be in greatdifficulty. We should try to find out what is good in themfor that will help us a great deal. This is not a theoreticalthing but these are the most practical topics.

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There is a beautiful lake of very sweetwater in the Yamunå which bears thename of Kåliya. This lake happened tobe infested by a most venomous serpentfrom whom the lake derives its name.On a certain day while the cow-boys of

Braja were out pasturing their calves on the woodedbanks of the Yamunå they happened to feel thirsty andnot knowing that the water of the lake had been poi-soned by Kåliya drank of its water which resulted in theirinstantaneous death. On being apprised of their plightK±!@a came to the spot andrestored them to life.

Thereafter K±!@a got down intothe lake with the intention ofsporting in its water. This enragedthe hideous monster, who forth-with came out of the depths of thelake in the company of his adher-ents and fell upon K±!@a, coilingHim up in their great hoods, forKåliya was a thousand-hooded ser-pent and his brood were equallyformidable.

Thus attacked by Kåliya with hiswhole brood K±!@a appeared tofaint away under their murderousonslaught. On seeing Him appar-ently slain by His enemies the cow-boys and all theassembled milkmen filled the air with their loud lamen-tations. But K±!@a soon showed that He was quite safeand He forthwith climbed up the hoods of Kåliya andbegan to dance on his thousand heads. He danced in aninfinite variety of the most marvellous of figures. Thepressure of K±!@a’s feet crushed the towering pride of themyriad-hooded monster. Kåliya lowered his hoods andvomited blood. But the dance of K±!@a did not cease.Kåliya was found tottering towards death when his wivescame out of the lake and with palms joined in prayerbegged K±!@a to spare the life of their husband. Theprayers of the wives of Kåliya who had faith in K±!@amoved the son of Nanda to have mercy on Kåliya. K±!@anow desisted from His terrific dance on condition thatKåliya was to quit the lake at once and to betake himselfto his original home in the island of Rama@aka. K±!@agave him His assurance that Garu#a would now do himno harm as he would respect the print of His Feet on thehoods of Kåliya. The water of the Kåliya lake was nowrendered immune from all poison and became as sweetas it was before the advent of Kåliya.

The taming of Kåliya is one of the V±ndåvan Pastimes ofBoy-K±!@a. Kåliya is the type of cunning and malice. Heis the embodiment of unrelenting cruelty. There is noplace for Kåliya in the happy realm of Braja. Deceit andcruelty are as poison to the artless loving nature of thedenizens of Braja. It is quite conceivable for the confid-ing chums of K±!@a not to entertain any suspicionregarding the malicious intention of cruel and deceitfulpersons whose purpose is to poison them against K±[email protected] may even unwittingly fall into the counsel of suchevil persons. But K±!@a is sure to rescue His own from

the wiles of His enemy.

Nay, K±!@a has also a plan for cur-ing the evil propensity of Kåliyahimself. The process consists inmaking him feel the touches ofHis dancing feet. But Kåliyaattempts to bear up against all cur-ative chastisement. Instead of feel-ing the joy of supporting the feetof K±!@a on his nasty hoods themonster finds it impossible to bearhis good fortune without under-going the pangs of actual death.Even the loyal wives of Kåliya whodesire the reformation of themonster and whose good wishesfor his well-being are the cause ofK±!@a’s mercy towards him are at

last forced to intercede by a prayer for his banishmentfrom the realm of Braja. But the pride of Kåliya hadreceived a mortal check.

The banishment of Kåliya from the lake of the Yamunåhas a most important spiritual significance. Those whohave a purpose to create trouble among the pure devoteesof K±!@a by infecting their nature with their own mali-cious disposition meet with a certain degree of initial suc-cess in their nefarious undertaking. This emboldensthem to make a direct attack on K±!@a Himself when Heappears on the scene of their depraved activities in orderto restore the living faith of His own bonafide associates.

Those who are not exceedingly clever can never be ser-vants of K±!@a. But the service of K±!@a is also neveravailable to those whose cunning is employed for depriv-ing K±!@a of the fullness of His enjoyment. Kåliya andthose who are actuated by a naturally malicious disposi-tion are also styled clever in the ordinary phraseology ofthis damned world. Such rascals may also have the impu-dence of taking their stand upon the texts of theScriptures by using their cunning in the graceless attempt

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of depriving K±!@a of the service of His own. This kindof conduct may also pass undetected and may even beregarded as possessing the perfect skill of confidentialservice. But K±!@a is sure to expose the real nature of thevillainy just at the moment when it has been successful inmisleading His best-beloved ones.

It is, indeed, very difficult to understand the ways ofK±!@a. K±!@a apparently permits almost every form ofoffence to be perpetrated with impunity against His mostbeloved ones. This has the effect of providing an oppor-tunity to His own for proving their incomparable lovefor Himself and by means of this unique exhibition oftheir love to defeat in the most fruitful manner themachinations of His worst enemies. The friends andchums of K±!@a are offered to the malice of cunning andrelentless brutes in order to bring out the differencebetween the two and thereby enable the latter to desistfrom troubling the devotees of their own accord.

But these brutes are never allowed to associate with theservants of K±!@a even after they forego their malicetowards them. They are eternally debarred from the serv-

ice of K±!@a in Braja. But the touch of K±!@a’s Feetmakes a real difference between the recipient of Hismercy and the other brutes. Kåliya is no longer regardedby Garu#a as the enemy of K±!@a. Kåliya is, therefore,allowed a place among the protected of K±!@a.

It does not follow that it is a paying business to poisonthe hearts of His servants against K±!@a which is sure tobe rewarded by the grant of His protection. Yet this is soafter the pride of the miscreant is thoroughly broken bybeing trod upon by K±!@a Himself. He is therebyinspired with a most wholesome dread which effectivelyprevents him from trying to breed mischief among thebonafide devotees by owning an unwilling allegiance toK±!@a and assuming the badge of His servitude by wear-ing on his head the print of His lotus Feet.

The mercy shown to Kåliya is so obviously and dispro-portionately great in its magnitude in face of the extremegravity of his offence that no rationalistic explanation cando justice to its full beneficent significance.

K*liya-gh*$ in V~nd*van Dh*m where Lord K~!@a jumped into the Yamun* River to chastise the wicked K*liya

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Ír(la Govinda Mahåråj visits the London Ír( Chaitanya Såraswat Ma$h

September and November 2006

Ír(p*d Bhakti Premik Siddh*nti Mah*r*j

«el«elJep/j.te·. iuyA

Devåßi! Prabhu has asked me to write a short articlefor the Gaudiya Darshan about Ír(la Gurudev’srecent visit to London. I feel honoured and

happy to do this service as I believe our London Ma$h ismuch more important than the recognition it has received.London is also an extremely important city. Ír(la Gurudevalmost always stops in London on his way to other coun-tries on his tours and too often the other countries getmore recognition than London. I have felt bad about thisbut I haven’t seen any opportunity to do anything about itbefore.

The Gaudiya Darshan is Ír(la Gurudev’s ‘ownmagazine’ as he started it some years ago. It has continuedon and off for many years but mainly in Bengali. WhenDevåßi! Prabhu revived it in English, recently, Ír(laGurudev was very happy. He said, “Now our movement ismostly in the Western countries and English is the mainlanguage there, so having our Gaudiya Darshan in English

is very good and necessary.” Ír(la Gurudev thought it wasnecessary to have our own magazine in English andDevåßi! Prabhu is doing this. So I am happy he hasengaged me in this service and I hope I can do it properly.

We all know London is an extremely importantcity. London was once the capital of the British Empirewhen it ruled the world and is still very important in cul-tural, financial and political circles. A recent article in theTimes of India referred to London as “The Capital ofGreater India” because so many of Indian descent livethere.

Ír(la Guru Mahåråj put the London branch of theÍr( Chaitanya Såraswat Ma$h directly under the manage-ment of the Nabadw(p Ma$h. Centres outside of India,except for London, are under their own locally controlledmanagement. This means the president of the Londontemple, as with all our temples in India, is Ír(la BhaktiSundar Govinda Dev-Goswåm( Mahåråj. One of the

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many qualities that Guru Mahåråj saw in him was he wasan expert manager. This system was begun by Ír(la GuruMahåråj himself and continues up to the present time.This alone shows the importance of the London Ma$h.This also means the London Ma$h and its devotees are veryfortunate because they have as their direct head and man-ager Ír(la Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswåm( Mahåråj.He is the temple president of London.

We also remember that Ír(la BhaktisiddhåntaSaraswat( ¢håkur wanted to send his most qualifiedpreacher, Ír(la Ír(dhar Mahåråj, to London. Ír(la A.C.Bhaktivedånta Swåm( Mahåråj sent his best disciples at thetime, four householder couples, to London to begin a tem-ple and as we know they were sucessful in a very short time.Another important aspect of London is it has always beenthe centre of the free world. People from politicallyoppressive countries all over the world come there seekingpolitical or economic freedom. Most seeking economicfreedom find employment and assistance from the govern-ment and those seeking political asylum are generaly givenit with good cause. The Londoners’ heart is very generousin many cases.

Ír(la Gurudev has been trying to get a large build-ing in London for many years. Whenever he comes there,just as this time, devotees and sincere seekers come from allover Europe and beyond; Hungary, Czech Republic, Italy,Poland, France, Spain, Norway, the Britsh Isles, and evenfrom as far away as Brazil, Venezuela and the USA. Spaceis short in the present temple and many of the visitors hadto rent hotel rooms. So Ír(la Gurudev would like to get a

large building whereeveryone can be accom-modated happily andcomfortably. London alsohas many sincere seekersespecially amongst themany younger peoplewho come to study orwork there from variouscountries. During theevening programmeswhen Ír(la Gurudev isthere, there is a variety ofpeople from many partsof the world and theatmosphere is definitely‘international’.

Ír(la Gurudevcame this time with atrick up his sleeve. On hisway to Russia he spentfive days in the LondonMa$h. He met with the

devotees in the upstairs front room of the temple andalthough it was crowded, everyone got the chance to seeand speak with him. Sometimes devotees had to come inshifts but still everybody was accommodated.

One thing I noticed about the London devoteesthat I have not seen anywhere else is that they are very ‘free’and spontaneous in their devotional activities. When Ír(laGurudev arrived they were having a big k(rttan in the tem-ple that continued regularly throughout his whole visit.The devotees such as Dayånidhi Prabhu, Dåmodar K±!@aPrabhu, K±!@a Bandhu Prabhu, Råm Gopal Prabhu,Ír(påd B. N. Nåråya@ Mahåråj and actually everyone,including the ladies, Íach(dev( Didi, Divyaßår( Didi andothers really like to chant and dance and the newer devo-tees from all over the world automatically join with them.There isn’t any pressure on anyone to do this as most livein their own homes but still they are inspired and simplycome to the temple to engage in devotional activities.

If a Nagar-sa&k(rttan party is organised to godowntown or in the immediate area, so many devoteesautomatically go and enthusiastically chant and dance formany hours. There is a Saturday night regular Nagar-sa&k(rttan organised by Dåyanidhi Prabhu and when Ír(laGurudev was there so many devotees from all over Europejoned and chanted through the crowded streets of Londonfor over four hours. The k(rttan is scheduled to be only twohours but everyone forgot about the time and it went onfor over four hours. There were literally tens of thousandsof Londoners and people from all over the world on thestreets on that night. I have never seen so many people

32

Ír(la Govinda Mah*r*j gives nourishment to the devotees in London

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International Headquarters

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat MathSri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Road

Kolerganj, P.O. NabadwipDistrict of Nadia, Pin 741302, West Bengal< India

Phone: {03472} 240086 ¤ {03472} 240752Web: www.scsmath.com

Email: mathÅscsmath.com

Main Centres WorldwideINDIA

Kolkata (formerly Calcutta)

Sree Chaitanya SaraswataKrishnanushilana SanghaOpp. Tank 3, 487 Dum DumParkKolkata, Pin 700055, WestBengal, IndiaPhone: (033) 2590 9175 and2590 6508

Sree Chaitanya SaraswataKrishnanushilana SanghaKaikhali, Chiriamore (byKolkata Airport)P.O. Airport, Kolkata, Pin 700052West Bengal, IndiaPhone: (033) 2573-5428

Puri (Orissa)

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat MathBidhava Ashram Road, Gaur BatsahiPuri, Pin 752001,Orissa, IndiaPhone: (06752) 231413

Mathura

Srila Sridhar Swami SevaAshramDasbisa, P.O. GovardhanDistrict of Mathura, Pin 281502Uttar Pradesh, IndiaPhone: (0565) 281 5495

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math& Mission96 Seva Kunja, VrindavanDistrict of Mathura, Pin 281121Uttar Pradesh, IndiaPhone: (0565) 245 6778

EUROPE

England

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math466 Green StreetLondon E13 9DB, U.K.Phone: (0208) 552-3551Email: [email protected]: www.scsmathlondon.org

Italy

Villa Govinda AshramVia Regondino, 523887 Olgiate Molgora(LC) Fraz. Regondino RossoItalyTel: [+39] 039 9274445

Hungary

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat MathAndras NovakNagybányai út 52. H-1025BudapestHungaryPhone: (361) 3980295

Turkey

Sri Govinda Math Yoga CentreAbdullah Cevdet sokakNo 33/8, Cankaya 06690Ankara, TurkeyPhone: 090 312 4415857 Web: www.govindamath.com

MEX ICO

Mérida Sri Chaitanya SaraswatSridhar Govinda Sevashramde México, A.R.Calle 69-B, No. 537, Fracc.Santa IsabelKanasín, Yucatán c.p. 97370,MexicoPhone: (52-999) 982-8444

USA

California

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat SevaAshram2900 North Rodeo GulchRoadSoquel, CA 95073, U.S.A.Phone: (831) 462-4712Fax: (831) 462-9472

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat SevaAshram269 E. Saint James StreetSan JoseCa 95112, U.S.APhone: (408) 288 6360 and(408) 287-6360

Oregon

Sri Chaitanya SaraswatAshram741 Lincoln St.Eugene, Or. 97401, U.S.A.Phone (541)434-1008 and(541) 687-1093

East Coast

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat MathP.O. Box 311Oaklyn NJ, U.S.A.Phone: (856) 962-0894Web: www.scsmathny.org and: www.scsmathnj.org

Hawaii

Sri Chaitanya Sridhar GovindaMissionRR1 Box 450-D, Crater RoadKula, Maui, HI 96790, U.S.A.Phone & Fax: (808) 878-6821www.krsna.cc/

RUSSIA

Pin 107031,Moscow, Bolshoy Kiselnyyside-street 7/2,RussiaPhone/fax: +7 (095) 928-8855,928-7404Web: www.harekrishna.ru

Pin 197229 St. Petersburg,p.LahtaSt. Morskaya b.13RussiaPhone: +7 (812) 238-2949,973-5881, 115-1788,Fax: +7 (812) 351-4080

SOUTH AMERICA

Brazil

Sri Chaitanya Sridhar GovindaSeva AshramKrishna Sakti Ashram, P.O.Box 386Campos do Jordao, SaoPaulo, BrazilPhone: (012) 3663 3168

Venezuela

Sri Chaitanya Sridhar GovindaSeva AshramAvenida Tuy con AvenidaChamaQuinta Parama Karuna, Caracas, VenezuelaPhone: [+58] 212-754 1257Web: www.paramakaruna.org.ve

AUSTRALIA

Sri Govinda DhamP.O. Box 72, Uki, viaMurwillumbahN.S.W. 2484, Australia.Phone: (0266) 795541Web:www.mandala.com.au/dham/

For a full list of centres please visit us on the Web at www.scsmath.com

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Ír(la Bhakti Rak!ak Ír(dhar Dev-Goswåm( Mahåråj

o give upyour wild-goose

chasing habitand collect andconcentrate allyour might to

progress in thisline; try to go to

the Temple ofLove Divine