Sri Navadvipa Mayapur Dham ki Jai !!! Srila Prahupada ki Jai !!! Sri Harinaam Sankirtan ki Jai !!! Ananta koti Vaishnava Vrinda ki Jai !!!
By the power of the blessing of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada, our most exalted and beloved acarya of the Brahma-Madhwa-Gaudiya parampara, we have gathered here in a place where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu performs his eternal pastimes. Srila Prabhupada writes in the “Krishna” book that one cannot enter into a holy place simply by buying a plane ticket or railway ticket or renting a bus or a taxi or a chariot or a rickshaw or even walking or even crawling, because a holy dham is not a place of this material world. It is the spiritual world manifesting itself and the holy dham is non-different from Krishna. Krishna tells us in Gita –
ye yathā māḿ prapadyante
tāḿs tathaiva bhajāmy aham
mama vartmānuvartante
manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ
According to the nature of our surrender, according to the quality of our love Krishna reveals Himself. Similarly Krishna reveals the holy dham according to the spirit of our prayerfulness, our humility and our sincere devotion.
Srila Bhakti Siddhanata Saraswati Thakur would say, “Don’t try to see Krishna, try to serve Krishna, to please Krishna in such a way that Krishna is happy to see you.” That is the way we approach Mayapur dham. Our acaryas teach us that in this age of Kaliyuga, the purifying sanctifying powers of all holy places are diminished. But Sri Navadvip is the special place of deliverance for this age of Kali. Therefore however much the people of this world become degraded, the powers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in this holy land always increase.
Radhanath Swami explains why Prabhupada chose Mayapur as International HQ
Its very interesting to ask the question, why of all the places in this world did Srila Prabhupada deice to make Mayapur the international head quarters? Why in this place was he willing to dedicate and sacrifice most of his energies of his world-wide society? From a rationalistic mundane perspective it really didn’t make sense. Srila Prabhupada taught utility is the principle but vaishnavera kriya mudra bhigena bhujaya, what does that mean? It is a very deep subject. Srila Prabhupada had a magnificent skyscraper building on the island of Manhattan in New York – the center of the whole world, as far as the activities of humanity – with excellent telephones, excellent communications, all facilities, also few minutes from airport. Srila Prabhupada had a beautiful building. These were purchased buildings, a fantastic full city block of homes, and also a big church in LA just a few blocks away from the major production studios, where Hollywood movies are made, just a few seconds walk from one of LA’s main roads. He had a wonderful large building in Chicago, in London, one of the most important influential cities in planet.
Srila Prabhupada had center not only in downtown near the British museum, but he had a beautiful mansion with an estate and wonderful property with many acres of land given by George Harrison. He had a large church in Montreal, Canada. There was a wonderful temple in Paris. These are prime locations, super excellent locations as far as accessibility is concerned. Why he chose to make his international head quarters, a place where there was no electricity, no city plumbing, no telephones, and also to get here was hours and hours journey by road from Calcutta; that too Bengali roads! And all that was here was a straw hut, which was just surrounded by endless fields. During the monsoon, there would be so much rain. Practically all the neighbours were hostile, and there was no law to protect us from them. During monsoon, devotees would go on roof-tops, and sometimes their roommates were poisonous snakes, which were taking shelter in those straw roof-tops.
When he had so many facilities and so many prime material places in the world, why Srila Prabhupada very powerfully proclaimed that Sri Mayapur will be our International headquarters? He was not seeing with material vision, he was seeing Mayapur as the most powerful place in world. It is a place where people from all world can connect with deepest most profound manifestation of Krishna’s grace. There was hardly anything, but a straw hut. They had started to build a few rooms. So, once Srila Prabupada was in Gainesville Florida, it’s kind of out of the way, but still there is a beautiful airport and a nice highway. Srila Prabhupada said, “We are in this very remote place, so far from Sri Mayapur dham.” He was seeing Mayapur as the center of the universe as far as its relevance. As far people in west, even devotees, before Srila Prabhupada came, no body ever heard of Navadvipa or Mayapur. Since all the developments that been in the last 40years at Mayapur, it is hard to imagine what it was like at that time. Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda along with Pancatattva performed their most beautiful intimate pastimes here in Navadvipa. The Supreme personality of Godhead appeared here.
Radhanath Swami speaks on contributions of Bhakti Vinod Thakur and Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur
Bhakti Vinod Thakur understood the importance of revealing Mayapur to whole world back in 1800, but not many people were thinking like this. He was doing extensive research in scriptures, approaching many saintly people, going though government archives and seeing ancient maps over 400yrs before. Finally, he found the actual place of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu birth, the place which people were accepting it on other side of river and making lot of profit and which didn’t match with what holy-scriptures explained. Bhakti Vinod Thakur did not just pray but worked with great devotion and Krishna revealed a magnificent light in an isolated jungle. He brought Jagannath Das Babaji, the greatest of the vaishnavas at that time, his own shiksha guru there. Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj was old, over 120yrs, and was carried in a basket. He had not been able to walk on his legs for many years and his assistant Biharilal would carry him on his shoulders. Bhakti Vinod Thakur took him to this remote isolated jungle. When they came here they saw right in the middle of these weeds, there were tulsi plants growing and none of the local people planted them. When basket was placed on the ground, Bhakti Vinod Thakur asked his guru maharaj’s realization, and Jagannath Das Babaji jumped in the air. According to what people say, his feet were above every one’s head, he jumped, he danced, and he wept, “Jai sacinandana! Jai sacinandana!” Thus Bhakti Vinod Thakur confirmed this as the birth place of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu according to records, maps, sadhus, and now confirmed by the greatest of the saints of his time.
In this remote place Bhakti Vinod Thakur was a very distinguished magistrate, a judge in the British courts. Also proclaimed as a great scholar, he wrote many books on religion and philosophy, and also wrote wonderful songs and poems. Even the highest people in religion, politics, spirituality honored him. He went house to house begging to engage more and more people in service of building a nice temple for Lord Chaitanya in His birth place. He had a son, Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, for whom Bhakti Vinod prayed that an eternal associate of Lord Krishna descend from spiritual world to help carry on this great mission. Thakur Bhakti Vinod had a vision; it is an inconceivable vision. He perceived 1000s of people all over the world of all colors, races, religious backgrounds and castes, he was seeing Americans, Africans, Europeans, Australians along with Indians with their arms raised dancing in ecstasy in Sri Mayapur dham, crying out the names of Lord Gauranga.
Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati was born in Puri. With his father, he lived in many places, in Calcutta and later Navadvip. He understood his father’s mission; he understood will of Lord Nityananda and Lord Chaitanya. To prepare himself, he sat where is now the Sri Chaitanya math, just a few minutes from where we are sitting, from 1905 to 1915 he sat in one place to chant 1 billion names of Sri Sri Radha Krishna. He was in a little straw hut; he didn’t have disciples. Somebody gave him an umbrella and in rainy season he would sit in his hut under an umbrella and chant, chant and chant. After fulfilling his vow in Sri Mayapur dham, he took sanyasa and with blessings of Lord Nityananda and Lord Chaitanya he want to Calcutta. What was his purpose? He went to Calcutta and ultimately started centers all over India, 64 mathas. He sent some of his leading disciples to London and Germany. In his writings he tells us that it was all to expand the grace of Sri Mayapur dham.
In Calcutta, in 1922, he gave Srila Prabhupada that most prophetic historical directive on their first meeting. Our Srila Prabhupada, then Abhay Caran, bowed down for the first time to a person he never met before and he was given these words, “You are an intelligent young man. Take this message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the English land all over the world.” He was married, he recently had a baby child, but that seed was planted in his heart.
In 1965 Srila Prabhupada left Vrindavan and went to Mumbai. Mumbai is a good place to accomplish things; it’s not easy but its a good place to struggle. He struggled a lot; he begged for his ticket on a cargo ship. He took a train back to Vrindavan. It was the mail train, which takes 48 hrs to get to Calcutta. Before boarding the Jaladuta, he wrote in his diary. He came to Mayapur dham. This is where it all began and ultimately this is where he as going to bring people. That was his vision.
Radhanath Swami shares pastimes at Shantipur
In Mayapur dham the Pancatattva plundered the storehouse of prema bhakti or love of God. How did they plunder it – through harinama sankirtan, through hari katha, and through satsangh with each other. They tasted the ecstatic sweetness of prema bhakti and in intoxicated state took this unlimited wealth of treasure house, and distributed profusely to anyone and everyone, not seeing ones qualifications or disqualifications. The only qualification was their willingness to receive it. Krishna is eager to come in to our heart and reveal himself in full, to mitigates all suffering and elevate us to the spiritual platform of ananda, transcendental ecstasy. As Lord Chaitanya, the only qualification is we open our hearts to receive him, by just following the simple process he has given.
Srila Prabhupada came here in 1965. Previously, it is described in lilamrita by HH Satsvarupa Goswami Maharaj, Srila Prabhupada would come to Mayapur dham to visit his guru Bhakti Siddhanti Saraswati. But now it was over 20 years since his guru left his world and he came to Mayapur dham and spent the day praying at the samadhi, the memorial of his gurudev because he was given an impossible mission. Taking the blessings of Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, Lord Chaitanya, Lord Nityananda and Pancatattva he went close by to Shantipur.
My dear Godsister, Mula Prakrti devi dasi writes of an incredible incident. Advaita Bhavan is a place where Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda would have kirtans and take Prasad. It is that very place where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, after leaving early one day left to become a sannyasi. He left everyone in Navadvip in a devastated condition. “He did not even tell us. And as a sannyasi we may never see him again. His brother Vishvarupa took sannyasa and we never heard of him again.” It was impossible for them to live when a dear person in our lives passes from this world. We can understand the feeling of hopeless and pain that could be there because there is affection. The love between Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his devotees in Navadvip, Srivas, Advaita, Murari Gupta, Vishnu pruiya, Haridas and especially his mother Sacidevi, was unlimitedly more deep that any conception of affection in this world and now he was gone and they were thinking possibly forever.
As the Lord was leaving, Sacimata was standing at door-way to stop him. She felt this was the night he would leave. She was like a stone statue, she could not move, the only movement was incessant tears pouring from her eyes. To show the etiquette of a devotee, he asked his mother for permission and by his own powers beyond her own, she shook her head. He touched her feet, put the dust from her feet on her head and circumambulated her and left. After taking sannyasa in Khatwa, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to go to vrindavan. But Lord Nityananda had another idea and somehow created a detour and by his compassion to all devotees and brought Lord Chaitanya to Shantipur. They invited Sacimata and all devotees to come and see the Lord again. Vipralamba separation increases the intensity of the joy of union, sambhoga. How many of you would like to be here at this festival where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, after hopelessly leaving his devotees in separation returned to Shantipur to meet them all? (everyone says ‘Haribol’).
There were days and days of kirtan and when Sacimata came Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw her and he prostrated himself at her feet. He was the crest jewel of all sannyasis. She took him and put him on her lap, and looked at his moon like face with tears pouring from her heart. Sachi Mata had one request for all devotees, “As long as my son was here, let me cook for him.” Everyone wanted to cook for him. But, it is the nature of a true vaishanva, para sukha suhki, others happiness is our happiness. Ultimately, the highest happiness for all devotees was to see Sacimata’s happiness, and the greatest pain for all the devotees is to see Saci mata’s sorrow. Even Nityananda Prabhu, when he learned that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was going to leave, he went to a secluded place and incessantly cried, thinking, “What would become of Saci devi?” Now, in the reunion Sacimata was cooking, devotees were having beautiful kirtans; they were together again. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, on request of Saci devi and all the devotees, agreed to go to Jagannath puri, where he would see all of them almost every year, and Saci mata would continuously hear about His pastimes. This incredible and so many others pastimes took place in Shantipur. Lets us go back.
Advaitacarya was the crest jewel of all Brahmans. He was the leader and most respected of all esteemed brahmanas of community: his scholarship, his family that he descended from, and his incredible qualities. At that time in India there was a strong prevision of caste system. If someone was not born in a respectable caste they were considered to be a very low character. If someone was not from any caste, they were considered un-seeable and untouchable. And according to the brahmanas misconception, there was nothing you could do for such a person. If they serve the brahmanas very nicely from a distance, in their next birth they could be elevated to a higher caste. Advaita acarya, in Shantipur, accepted Haridas Thakur as his most dear brother and friend, who was of an untouchable birth. Before he came to Shantipur, wherever he was, he was being prosecuted, criticized, and condemned. People were trying to kill him, to destroy him, to disgrace him. Nowhere he went was he not subjected to that. Now somebody with that background, usually to become their friend is not so good for your reputation but Advaita Acarya didn’t care for anything or for any of that. He embraced Haridas Thakur, “By embracing you I am becoming purified!” He wanted to arrange his accommodation but Haridas Thakur preferred caves. So, Advaita Acarya arranged a cave for him right at the bank of the Ganges in Phuliagram, right near Shantipur. Everyday he would feed him and they would reveal their hearts with one another, and chant the holy names in kirtan.
It was in Shantipur that Advaita was performing the shraddha, a very significant event in those days, and during the shraddha the most esteemed and qualified of all Brahmans are honored. Because Advaita was the leader of the whole community, the top most brahmanas from Shantipur came for that event. Acarya means he teaches everyone by example. He shocked everyone and right in front of everyone, Sri Advaita Acarya called Haridas Thakur to accept the first and highest honors. This was the culmination, the crescendo of the whole shraddha ceremony that he was performing, that to honor the most qualified person to receive Krishna’s blessings. Even Haridas Thakur was shocked, “In front of everyone he is worshipping me.”
Radhanath Swami on Advaita Acarya praying for Lord’s descent at Shantipur
Advait Acharya saw within this world how Kaliyuga was prevailing, how morality, ethics and true spiritual principles were degrading rapidly. In previous times, people were pious and if they did un-pious things they kind of kept it secret. But as Kaliyuga is progressing, it was the fashion. It was the popular and famous prestigious thing to do: to sin, to be impious. And even in the name of religion there is so much hypocrisy, so much misconception. Advaita saw that so called religious people were spending large sums of money to worship the snake goddess to get money, to get power, to get fame, but nowhere would anyone chant the names of Hari, the Supreme lord.
Advait Acharya, with tears in his eyes, was praying for Krishna to descend from Goloka Vrindavan to spread the Yugadharma of the chanting of the holy names. Advait Acharya is Mahavisnu – Karunadakshayi Vishnu. He is also Sadashiv. Sadashiv’s expansion is Rudra, who is the destroyer of the whole cosmic manifestation; when he dances, you know what happens. And as Karunadakshayi Mahavisnu by his mere glance he impregnates the mahatatva with all life, with all the jiva’s, all the eternal souls. He is the creator and destroyer of all cosmic manifestation, and he was thinking himself, “I don’t have the power to rescue these people and to give these people of Kaliyuga this kind of Bhakti. Only Krishna can do it himself!”
He felt such deep compassion, not only for the people of the time, he was feeling compassion for you and me and all our families and everyone on this world today. He had that vision. He was seeing all the living entities in this earth planet, for thousands of years to come, and he was crying to see what the condition would be. He was worshiping the Shaligram shila. He read in the Gautamiya Tantra where Krishna tells, “If one worships me as Shaligram and offers me water from the Ganga and Tulsi Leaves and cries out my holy names I will fulfill his desire.” He spent his days and nights weeping, praying, crying and chanting for the lord to descent.
And at the same time Haridas Thakur shared that same compassion. He was chanting minimum 3 lac names of Krishna, that’s about 192 rounds. That was Haridas Thakur’s minimum, and he wasn’t falling asleep or he wasn’t thinking of all the things he would do after finishing his rounds, and he wasn’t doing it just for the month of Kartik. He had vowed to do this till the day he dies. He was specially chanting to bring Krishna down from Goloka to manifest the Sankirtan movement in this world. They would meet together, and discuss their passions, discuss their prayers, discuss their hearts on how to bring Krishna down. They would chant together, they would do Kirtan together, they would hold Hari Katha together, and they would do puja to bring Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to this world.
What an incredible lesson! Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in his very advent showed the world, an untouchable and a high class Brahmins as brothers intimately in the principle of bhakti together, chanting together, and it was that combination that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu surrendered his heart to: to come, to show compassion to the whole world. – Radhanath Swami
This is Shantipur.
Radhanath Swami speaks on Srila Prabhupada’s visits to Shantipur
Srila Prabhupada went to Shantipur and the pujari there tells a story of how early back in the 1930s, the 40s, and 50s, Srila Prabhupada would come to Shantipur every now and then as a grihasta. He would come to visit Mayapur and then he would go to Advait bhavan, and then he would sit in the back quietly in total deep prayer, chanting the holy names. The pujari told, “This person just seemed to be so engrossed in prayers. I never spoke to him, and didn’t want to bother him. He would quietly sit for hours at a time in the prayer and then leave without saying a word to anyone. Then many decades past and this person never came back.”
And then one day, in 1965, the pujari saw that the same man, who used to be dressed in white as grihasta, who would just sit and pray so deeply, now he was praying so deeply in the same place at the back of the temple, but he was in a sanyasi, in saffron robes. For the first time, as Srila Prabhupada was leaving the pujari spoke to him.
He asked and Srila Prabhupada explained, “My spiritual master has given me an impossible instruction to go to the western world, to travel the world, to spread the Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu mission of Sankirtan movement.” He was so humble. He felt he had no qualifications but in a few days he was going to board the Jaladuta for that purpose.
Srila Prabhupada said, “I have come to pray for the blessings.” He had gone to YogaPeeth, he had gone to Advait Bhavan, and he had gone to the samadhi of his Guru Maharaj.
Srila Prabhupada then boarded the Jaladuta, then 38 days at sea, New York City, established a little store-front after much struggle. At one time, somebody, some young very crazy American type hippy started taking interest and invited Srila Prabhupada to stay in his loft, just a one room apartment. Srila Prabhupada wrote to his God-brothers all over India, “Please send some people, send some funds, we have temple now in New York City. Our Gurudev’s mission is being spread.” But no one could take it seriously; replies were, “Just come back. It is impossible.” Then Srila Prabhupada had a few little followers in a tiny little storefront in the run down part of the lower east side.
He invited some of his followers to bring a lawyer to register the ‘International Society for Krishna Consciousness.’ Nobody could understand and they didn’t think it would ever go beyond that storefront. Srila Prabhupada had the vision of millions of people coming to Mayapur Dham. Srila Prabhupada travelled around the world 11 times to bring the blessings and the mercy of Sri Mayapur to the world. He established this as his International centre so that the whole world could come to experience the supremely purifying grace of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityanand Prabhu. It is his prayer, his grace that has brought all of us here together for this yatra.
Radhanath Swami explains how rare is appearance of Krishna on earth
Rupa Goswami prays –
namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te
krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah
“There are many avatars, but Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is most munificent because he is doing what no other Avatar has ever done.” Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita gives us some clues of what Sri Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has given the world. He describes how throughout the ages, Krishna descends to establish or re-establish the religious principles.
yada yada hi dharmasya
glanirva bhavathi bharatha,
abhyuthanam adharmaysya
tadatmanam srijami aham
Sometimes he appears in every Yuga as Yuga-avatar to establish the Yuga Dharma for that age.
In Satayuga Yuga-dharma was meditation, in Tretayuga it was Yagya, sacrifice, in Dwaparyuga it was Worship in the temple, and in Kaliyuga it is Harinaam Sankirtan. He also appears as leela avatar, manva-avatars, and guna avatars.
Once in a day of Brahma, Krishna appears in his original form, the Svayam Bhagavan, the source of all other incarnations, the full complete absolute truth, in his most intimate, ecstatic lovable feature of Krishna. Kaviraj Goswami explains how rare is Krishna’s advent in his original form; once in a day of Brahma. There are 4 yugas that comprise of 1 divya yuga, 71 divya yugas are there in 1 manvantar, there are 14 manvantars in 1 day of Brahma and in 7th Manvantar in 28th Divya yuga Krishna appears. That’s one time every 4 billion 320 million years. I’m not good with numbers, even small numbers. In my whole life, I’ve never been able to memorize a telephone number. I only know one telephone number when I was child, our home number, because it was there for all 19 years: 8431413. It’s the only telephone number I’ve ever known in my life.
So once in 4 billion 320 million years, Krishna appears. And when Krishna appears, he reveals the eternal pastimes of Goloka. He comes with Srimati Radharani, his Lhadini Shakti, and Sri Balramji, his original expansion, and his eternal mother and father, Nanda & Yashoda. The sakhis, the sakhas, the manjiris, the gopas, the gopis, the surabhi cows, Sri Giriraj Gowardhan hill and the eternal Yamuna River descends from Goloka to assist in his past times in Vrindavan.
In our holy scriptures, Krishna tells Srimati Radharani “I’m going to descend into this world of the earth.”
And in Goloka Srimati Radharani is saying “I must come with you.”
And he says, “Yes. I cannot go without you. You are coming with me. We are non-different.”
And she says, “How can I go anywhere without the forest of Vrindavan, the Govardhan hill, and the river Yamuna.”
He said, “I already sent them.” So Krishna performed his beautiful past times in this world and Sukhdev Goswami has described them with all authority and in ecstatic love in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Srila Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami explains Krishna’s thinking.
In the Bhagvad Gita we hear the Krishna’s words. In Srimad Bhagavatam we hear about Krishna’s incredible leelas and his words and his loving relationships with the devotees. In Chaitanya Charitamrita we are getting Krishna’s thinking, “I have descended to establish the 4 rasa’s: Dasya rasa as servitude, sakhya ras as friendship, vatsalya ras as Parenthood, and madhurya Ras as conjugal love. Unconquered by the intimacy of that love, in most of the great religions that I’ve established in this world, people honor me and worship me as the absolute supreme, all powerful creator, maintainer and destroyer of all that exists. They fear sin, but that’s preliminary. That is necessary.” But for Krishna in Vrindavan this reverential attitude cripples this sweetness of devotion. We must have that at the beginning stages until we are purified.
And Krishna says, “In this age of kali, I want to establish the rasa’s of Brijbhumi, where Yashoda mai conquers me with her love and binds me with a little rope, where my little cowherd friends joke with me and I carry them on my shoulders and sometimes they carry me on their shoulders. Sometimes I’m taking food that they are eating and eat it, and giving it back to them and they eat something and give it to me. I’m conquered in the love of gopis, when they reproach me, when they chastise me.” No one but the original Krishna can establish that within this world. Krishna was thinking, “I will descend and through Sankirtan movement I would establish the rasas of Vrindavan and make the world dance.”
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu descended with a garland, with a mala, made of Naamkirtan and Prema Bhakti and he came to place that garland on the whole world. That is Lord Chaitanya.
radha krishna pranay vikriti lhadini asmat
“The absolute truth is one.” The Srimad Bhagavatam explains –
brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti
“Those who are knowers of the truth understand that there are three features eternally of the absolute truth: Brahman, the all-pervading, apparently impersonal light that pervades everything; The apparently formless manifestation of the absolute truth, Paramatma, the lord who was in and between every atom and seeded in the heart of every living being as the witness and the ultimate guide and Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavan has an eternal form which is full of bliss and knowledge.” It is not of this world; it is purely spiritual. Some people, not understanding the principle of true spirituality think, ‘Why would God have a form like us? This is some sort of anthropomorphism or some sort of symbolism and analogy that God comes with two arms and he has girlfriends and boyfriends and mother and father. He is coming to teach is something, no doubts, but this can’t be God.’ The bible tells that the man is made in the image of the god.
You see, our acharyas tell us that the human being is the species of life within the creation that has the capacity to awaken the love of God. There are 8400000 species of life and of all the species, plants, the trees, the aquatics, the insects, reptiles, birds, animals can’t enquire into the nature of the truth. By the blessings of God through humans they can become purified, but they don’t have that free will. The human being is the crescendo of the creation, in the sense that we have the power for sharanagati, to surrender to the absolute truth.
durlabha manushya janma
Bhakti Vinod Thakur explains that this human life is so rare and we shouldn’t waste it. It is so precious; human life is the rare species. It has the facility to fall in love with Krishna. So our acharyas explain that Krishna has actually arranged that this species of life is in his form so that it is easy to fall in love with him. No doubt that we can fall in love with him even when he is a bore, when he is a lion, a fish or a tortoise. But Ram, Krishna are attracting our love in a very special way.
Radhanath Swami explains the position of jiva and its free will
Bhagavan, within innumerable spiritual planets of this spiritual sky, which is endless, as the absolute truth is performing eternal past times with devotees in many different forms as Sri Ram, Sri Narayan, Sri Narsimha, Sri Varaha. They have their planets where they are enjoying intimate loving reciprocations with all of these devotees, according to the nature of their devotion. Goloka, or Krishna Loka is considered the most inclusive because all other aspects of love of God are there included within the incredible spontaneity of Krishna lila. That absolute truth is one. Nothing is separate from Krishna. The Vaishnav philosophy teaches us this and it is agreed upon by the Vishnu swami, Ramanujacharya, Nimbarkacharya, Madhvacharya. These are great paramparas from the disciplic successions from the beginning of creation originating with Lakshmi, Brahma, the 4 kumaras, and the Shiva. That the absolute truth is one, and everything is manifesting, emanating from that one absolute truth –
ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
itimatvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
The jiva, the tatastha Shakti is the source of life within every living being. What gives consciousness and life to every living species is that jiva.
mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah
manah-sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati
It is part and parcel of Krishna. Krishna is the origin of the Jiva. We are infinitesimal part of Krishna, like a ray of sun which is qualitatively one with the sun, it is achintya bheda bhed tatva “One and Different.” The Upanishads describe the nature of the difference.
nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam
eko yo bahunam vidadhati kaman
(Katha Upanisad 2.2.13)
“There is one eternal, the absolute truth and from that one eternal has expanded the unlimited eternals. The unlimited eternals are forever support to the one eternal.” The jiva is tatastha Shakti.
There are three primary energies.
• The Antaranga Shakti- the internal spiritual potency
• The Bahiranga Shakti- the external material energy ,
• And the tatastha Shakti – the Jiva
We have free will. Krishna gives this gift for us. He is fully independent. He is complete cognizance of everything and everywhere, and as a particle of Krishna we were created to love Krishna, and we were created to be loved by Krishna.
Krishna never stops loving us, no matter what we do. But we have the choice, whether we reciprocate with his love, or by the free will we can be put unto the covering of the bahiranga or the maya Shakti. –Radhanath Swami
Hence Mayashakti is very powerful. Krishna tells in Gita –
maya ‘dhyakshena prakritih suyate sacharachram
“This maya is my energy, it’s my potency. She is all powerful.” We have no power to escape her illusions. The general person is simply captured.
janasya moho ‘yam aham mameti [SB 5.5.8]
“I’m this body and whatever in relationship to this body is mine: my body, my family, my friends, my property, my intelligence, my skills, my life, ”
janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi duhkha-dosanudarsanam
But nothing is ours. Birth, old age, disease and death are inevitable. The power of time will take everything away. This is power of Maya. Even when we see everything around us dying, even when we see bombs exploding, so many of our desires being frustrated and so many betrayals, and so many anxieties, we still want to be controller, the proprietor and the enjoyer and even when we have knowledge it is very difficult to give up these conceptions. They are so deeply habituated within us. Has any of you have ever had that experience?
Radhanath Swami describes different religious paths and also shares his experience on a cruise ship
So there are different ways that through religious paths, people respond to this. In the Karmakand path, by completely moral, completely ethical, completely philanthropic, and pious in every aspect of our life, keeping ourselves completely clean and our homes clean and offering worship by our good works, the limit that we can achieve is elevation to higher planets, where there is a longer life with less disease and less anxieties. But ultimately when the karma is exhausted, we are back in the same situation. And others through the tapasya of various processes of yoga, after many births of cultivation, we can develop miraculous incredible supernatural powers
• We can read people’s minds.
• We can jump on the sunray and go to the sun planet.
• We can jump in the Ganga and say a mantra and go Badrinath without taking those buses where everyone is vomiting and everything.
• We can say a mantra and create gold, create palaces.
• We can develop cities.
We saw to the extent of mystic cities. Kardamba muni, wanted a nice place to stay for his wife and himself. So he just chanted a mantra and by his yogic powers he made an airplane. Now in my travelling and preaching, sometimes I am asked to be on somebody’s private jet with just two people flying. They are very nice jets but nothing compared to Kardamba muni’s airplane. There were no seat belt signs. There were parks and lakes and swans and peacocks and trees and beautiful palaces. And he didn’t have to sit on a seat. There were musicians and entertainers and cooks, It was wonderful. You just enjoy like anything.
Recently, HH Bhakti Charu Swami and HH Sacinandana Swami, HH Bhakti Purushottam Swami, HG Malati Devi, HG Yadubar Prabhu, they all kind of forced me to go on this ocean cruise. Some of you were there I see. I remember when I was going on this ship. I was walking up. There wasn’t like I was expecting to be going on steps like I see photos of Prabhupada on Jaladuta, but there were these marble staircase, and there was an elevator, brass handles and everything. I was like “My God!” I said, “Bhakti Charu Swami, this is nothing like the Jaladuta. This is little more like Kardama Muni’s”. It was a boat that was about 2 city blocks big and it was 12 floors high. There were restaurants, and casinos, and there were health spas, and auditoriums, and theaters, and everything was marble and brass; like heaven. I remember I turned to HH Sacinandana Swami and I said, “Not the kind of place where sanyasis usually go.” But there were 250 other devotees there. We were going to have kirtans and lectures and wherever we went on port; we were going to do Harinaam. So I was thinking, “Oh! How nice!” Should I tell you this story? (Audience responds with a roaring ‘Haribol’)
Anyways, I asked about this ship. And they told me that it was leaving from the South Hampton port. The South Hampton port is very historical because this year is the 100th anniversary of the most famous thing that ever happened from the South Hampton port. It is where a boat began its journey. The name of the boat was ‘The Titanic.’ So everyone was really excited. We were going to be here for I think 9 days and the boat started moving. There was the sound of the boat as it goes Uummmmm…. Phooooo… and at the same time and almost in perfect harmony, my stomach went Uummmmm…. I was totally seasick. Immediately, as soon as it moved, I got seasick. How many of you have been sea sick? Please raise your hands. It’s really hellish. You are so nauseous, and you are so dizzy, and you lose your balance and you are Uummmm. and what can you do? I was thinking, ‘9 days!’ And I was sea sick every minute for the next 9 days. Except, I’ve to admit, I was supposed to give some classes. At the 8th day after my class, I deserted the ship in France.
But I remember the seasickness was too much! We were on this beautiful 5-star kind of hotel ship with all opulences, and all enjoyments like anything are there, and I was looking out as the boat was moving. I saw in the land, some part of England. There was this filthy dirty, what do they call them, factory where they have those big chimneys and black smoke gushing out. It was some sort of refinery with the most polluted looking thing you can find. It was some oil refinery or something, and it was black and chimney and steel. I was on the beautiful ship and I was thinking as I was seeing this factory, ‘I wish I could be there. It is Vaikuntha compared to here.’ You know, I did my service, but I didn’t enjoy anything; so that was Krishna’s protection.
So anyways, for Kardama Muni, there was no seasickness, there was no air sickness, it was magnificent. And that’s just a tiny little sample that one could do through the yogic process of getting mystical siddhis, of performing all sorts of miracles and actually manipulating accordingly to your desires. But that’s the extent.
Through the perfection of the gyana marg, one can attain mukti, liberation. Through analytical discriminating knowledge, through tapasya, renunciation, through meditation, one could be liberated from suffering which are born of the dualities and the desires and the aversion of this world. Brahmananada or the bliss of Brahman, where one realizes ‘Aham Brahmasmi, I’m not this body, this body is subjected to so many anxieties.’
Radhanath Swami elaborates on the true nature of all of us and the nature of Absolute Truth
We are trying to enjoy because we are part of Krishna; we are meant to enjoy, Ananda-mayo-bhayasat. Our nature is to enjoy – unlimitedly, ecstatically, eternally. That is our nature. That’s who we are. – Radhanath Swami
But we try to enjoy through this frail vulnerable, little bodies in this world. It’s incredible! When you travel a lot, you see so many people suffering of diseases, cancer, heart disease, hepatitis, broken hearts. So many of us are suffering from heart disease, financial crises, just epidemics, what to speak of suppressive, depressive governments, tsunamis, hurricanes, droughts, floods. We are trying to enjoy.
kamaladala jala jivana tala mala
Govind Das says, we are trying to enjoy anything in this world, and whatever there is, is like a drop of on a lotus leaf – soon to slip away. Mukti, no more suffering, total peace, om shanti; that’s the extent. But to realize our eternal deepest instinct of Prema, intimate ecstatic love, to infinitely love an object, the supreme all-attractive object of Krishna and to feel Krishna’s infinite love – that’s the nature of the soul. That cannot be attained by our own powers. Krishna says in Gita –
bhaktya tv ananyaya sakya aham evam-vidho rjuna
“It is only by undivided devotion, bhakti, that I can be understood as I am standing before you.” muktanam api siddhanam narayanaparayanah
sudurlabhah pras’antatma kotisv api mahamune
Out of many people who achieve mukti, liberation and out of many people who achieve this incredible, supernatural, powers of siddhis, it is very rare to find one who is a pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Only such a person is totally satisfied because it is our natural position.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu established his whole teachings to Sanatana Goswami for the whole world on the foundation of one principle, jivera swarupa hoya, krishnera nitya dasa, that we are eternal servants of Krishna. But under the clutches of maya we have forgotten. We are struggling to enjoy, and when we are frustrated, we try to escape suffering. The absolute truth is one. But that absolute truth has, for all eternity, not within the confines of our conceptions of material time, has separated into two for the purpose of loving relationships – Krishna and Radha.
Krishna is the Supreme Predominator, and Radha is the Supreme Predominated. Krishna is the Visyaya; he is the ultimate object of love. Radha is asraya; the supreme ultimate abode of love. Krishna is the supreme beloved; Radha is the supreme lover. Krishna is the Shaktimaan, the source of all potencies, and Radha is the supreme shakti, Lhadini shakti, the source of all the Lord’s energies, the energy of lhadini, of ananda, of bliss. As the feminine aspect of one Supreme Absolute Truth with all the power, there is no difference between Radha and Krishna. They are the one truth. But for love, they are two. And all the jivas, all the living entities, have been created by them for the purpose of being a part of sharing their infinite love for each other. That’s the ultimate fulfillment of every atma. Because Sri Radha’s love is very powerful, it conquers Krishna. Because we are part and parcels, our potential is a part and parcel of Radha’s love, that is our nature. The love of each and every one of us has the power to conquer the all-conquering ajita Krishna. That is the nature of love.
We read in the pages of Sri Chaitanya Caritamrita, how Krishna is seeing himself for reflection in a jewel pillar and he is thinking, ‘How beautiful I am! But I can’t appreciate the beauty. Only Sri Radhika fully appreciates my beauty. What is the nature of her love that even conquers me? What is it about me that even gives Srimati Radharani such happiness that even I cannot comprehend? And what does she feel when she tastes the sweetness of my love?’ In order to taste the sweetness of Radha’s love and to distribute that love to the world, at the time of the greatest time of need, the Kali Yuga, radha bhava subhalitam, naumi Krishna svarupam, Krishna takes the Maha-bhava, the supreme ecstasy of Radha’s love and assumes her divine beautiful golden complexion. Radha Krishna become one in the form of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, to spread the sweetness of the love of Vrindavan, through the congregational chanting of the holy name –
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Radhanath Swami illuminates us about the grace and mercy of Sri Radha
Sri Radha is the full unlimited Supreme power of grace. It is only by that grace that Premabhakti can awaken in our heart. It is only by that grace that we can ultimately be free from the bondage of Maya. It is only by that grace that we can be thoroughly forgiven, thoroughly cleansed, thoroughly empowered.
daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante
māyām etāṁ taranti teIn the Gita Krishna tells, this material energy consisting of the three modes of nature, tamo guna, rajo guna, sattva guna, is very powerful. It is very difficult; it is impossible to overcome for a jiva. But for one who surrenders to me can easily cross beyond it, sharanagati. To the degree we surrender, we can access Sri Radha’s grace.
The analogy is given of the absolute truth like the sun. In the darkness of the night, if you want to find the sun, what could you do? Even if you have multi-PhD’s in technology and science and astronomy and astrology, you can create the most unbelievable lighting systems, the most piercing lasers, the most incredibly powerful telescopes, but can you find the sun? Whatever extent the knowledge, the power of humanity, we can never find the sun in the dark. We can only find the sun when the sun of his own accord rises for us.
And similarly, by the power of our knowledge, by the power of our austerities, by the power of our piety, our philanthropy, by the power of our yajnas, by the power of our yogas, by the power of our influence over others, we can never find Krishna as he is. It is possible only by grace. You see, when the sun rises, how are we able to see the sun? Through the sunlight, without sunlight we cannot understand the sun. We see the sun through the sunlight. Similarly, we cannot approach Krishna except through His hladini sakti, through Sri Radha. Radha dispels all darkness, and reveals, Krishna. And the power of Radha is the power of grace. And there is only one way to access grace, and that’s through Saranagati, through our humility, through our surrender, and through our service attitude. This is how we understand the holy dham. This is how we understand the holy name. This is how we understand the truth of the beautiful murti that stands before us in the morning. This is how we understand the Lord within our own hearts; through grace.
Srila Prabhupada explained that in bhakti we are factually performing the functions that are eternally done in the spiritual world. Sometimes Prabhupada says that you are liberated and devotees would look at him and think, ‘We are liberated? What’s in my mind? What’s in my heart?’ “No, you are liberated because when you are engaging properly in the path of bhakti, you are engaged in liberated activities: chanting Krishna’s names, doing seva for Krishna whatever it is, and these are the activities of the spiritual world.” He said, “You are liberated in what you are doing, but you just haven’t realized it.” Through purification we realize it and that is only possible though the association of people, satsangh
sadhu sanga, sadhu sanga, sarva sastra koya
lava matra sadhu siddhi, sarva siddhi hoya
By the association of true sadhus, it opens the doors; it opens the faith to the shraddha in our hearts to take to the path by which we learn the sweetness of saranagati. – Radhanath Swami
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Krishna with the love of Sri Radha, with the grace and the compassion of Sri Radha distributing it to the world through this harinaam sankirtan, through devotional service.
When Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya asked Lord Chaitanya, “Of the nine processes of bhakti, which is the most important?”
Lord Chaitanya replied “Kirtan, the chanting of the holy names,” and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu quoted his own guru instructing him, which is very, very important.
sri krishna chaitanya, radha krishna nahin anya
Lord Chaitanya is Radha and Krishna together, in one form, the most munificent, the most magnanimous. But coming in the role of a devotee to teach by his example, he humbled himself in the before a guru in parampara. Here, in Navdvipa, he was Nimai Pandita, he was the greatest scholar on the planet and he was still a teenager. As a teenager boy, he defeated Digvijay Pandit, Keshav Kashmiri, the world champion debater. He defeated everybody else that just stood before him. Why? Because he was the greatest scholar of the scriptures. You see it is not by learning that we can understand Krishna. It’s by grace. He humbled himself to serve his guru, Sri Ishwar Puri Pada, and it was then that he manifested his ecstatic love. He came back to Navdvipa.
Radhanath Swami glorifies the Holy Names of Lord
There is a beautiful story. After he took initiation from Ishwar Puri in Gaya, he was in that ecstasy of love of God, and manifested the love of Radha. He was running to Vrindavan and the devas spoke to him. They said, “My Lord, you have descended in this world to expand this love of God in your heart to the world. You have come to manifest the Sankirtan movement in Navdvipa. So, don’t go to Vrindavan. Now, go to Navdvipa.” And he came here. He came back to his home in the house of Saci Devi. He established the kirtan in the house of Srivasa, and he explained that his guru gave him this wisdom, the essence of all knowledge –
harer nama, harer nama, harer namaiva kevalam,
kalu, nastaiy, nastaiva, nastaiva gatir anyatha
“In this age of Kali, for this highest aspiration of Prema bhakti, it’s easily accessible. The only way that the people of Kali can come to that platform is through chanting of the names of Lord Hari.” The names of the Lord –
naam naam akari bahuda, nija sarva saktis
The Lord said that Krishna, or God, the absolute truth, Para Brahman, has many many, many names, and in each of them has invested all of his potencies. There are no hard and fast rules for this chanting.
kaler doso nidhe rajan asti eka mahan guna,
kirtananada eva krishnasya, mukta sanga param brajet
Kali yuga is an ocean of faults. We read the news. We see what’s happening around us and how it even affects devotees. It is an ocean of faults. But there is one benediction that anyone who sincerely, earnestly, honestly, takes the name of Krishna will attain the perfection of liberation.
param vijayate sri krishna sankirtanam
The sankirtan is the prime benediction of humanity at large. What is the origin of this Sankirtan?
golokera prema dhana, harinaam sankirtan
It has descended from Goloka. It is not like the songs that we hear on the radios, or on our IPods, or whatever that we use. It is a transcendental sound vibration and Krishna is so merciful that he has descended in this sound vibration that can be heard even with our material ears, and our minds, and hearts become cleansed. It is non-different from Krishna.
Srimati Radharani shows the ultimate expression of her love for all of her children. She is ultimate mother of all of us. We know that even in this world what the love of mother is and the sacrifices mother will do for her child out of love. The supreme ultimate mother of every soul is Sri radha. She expands herself as Laxmi, queens of Dwarka, she expands herself as Parvati, Durga the goddess, and mother of material nature, as Bhumi, mother earth who supplies everything. On the highest spiritual platform Sri Radha is our mother. Out of her infinite love for us, seeing us in this desperate condition covered by maya, forgetting true wealth of soul, she comes to this world as Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to give gift of her grace through the chanting of Holy names.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Radhanath Swami highlights the glories of Navadvip Dham
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in Navadvip Dham. Navadvip is compared to lotus flower, an 8 petal lotus. There are 9 islands of Navadvip and Antardvip where Mayapur situated is the whirl of lotus. Each of these petals represents each of 9 processes of devotional service, these are the islands of Navadvip. Antardvip represents saranagati, surrender. Along with Holy name Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu taught us how to chant. We will be discussing these stories as the yatra continues as I am overtime now.
At Srivas Angan there is a beautiful historical episode revealed in Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita where devotees are chanting throughout day in Kirtan, Hari Katha, hari Kirtan and Vaishnav seva. Lord Chaitanya one day told them, “Why are wasting time sleeping at night in sleeping? Human life is so precious. Why waste a moment? We should continue kirtan every night throughout the night.” All the devotees cried out, “Hari Bol, Hari Bol!” But then he explained how could this be done –
tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror api sahiṣṇunā
amāninā mānadena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
“To be humble like blade of grass, to be forgiving, fore bearing and tolerant like a tree, to offer all respects to others and devoid of false prestige, not expect honor and respect for ourselves.” How is that possible? When we taste the sweetness of Holynames, we are so happy glorifying Krishna that we do not need anything for ourselves. Any glorification we get for ourselves usually just agitates our false ego. It seems like satisfaction. But Prahalad Maharaj says that these kind of material satisfactions are like scratching the itch of a rash, feels good, but actually we trying to relieve the itch, and the more we try scratch the more it itches, and the more we scratch the more it itches, and the more it itches the more we scratch, the more it itches more we scratch, the more we scratch the more it itches, the more it itches and the more it itches and that is material life birth after birth after birth. But when we taste the sweetness of appreciating Krishna’s unlimited beauty, tasting Krishna’s unlimited love, hearing Krishna’s unlimited pastimes, chanting Krishna’s unlimited names, then we do not these things, we don’t need these artificial pleasures. When we truly honestly earnestly strive for these qualities in our life and strive in that spirit, we can chant Krishna’s name constantly. By our service attitude, by our humility, by our sincerity, by our faith, we can open our hearts to Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s infinite grace, the ultimate benediction. That is why we have come to Mayapur. It is not holiday, but a holy day. I think it is supposed to be same thing, but they are not understood like that. We not come here to enjoy our mind and senses, we have come here to be enjoyed by Krishna. And by serving other Vaishnavas we give the greatest joy to Krishna because Krishna is very pleased in the hearts of the devotees when we please those who love Krishna, Krishna is most happy. Therefore Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave this principle –
gopi bharta padakamalayor dasa dasa dasanudas
“Servant of servant of servant. To really live by principle of servant of servant of servant.” That’s why we have come here, to really live by the spirit of the servant of servant of servant, to pray for mercy, to beg for mercy, helplessly desperately beg for mercy, beg for mercy upon ourselves, beg for mercy upon our loved ones, beg for mercy upon vaishnavas, and beg for mercy for all living beings. That’s what we have come here for, get mercy that liberates soul and awakens Krishna Consciousness and pure love. By rising our arms together and chanting the holynames in this spirit there can be divine transformations in our life.
Srila Prabhupada invited us here, even during his time when there was just straw hut, shell of one little building, Srila Prabhupada invited all the devotees from all around the world, whoever possible to come for Gaur Poornima. There was very primitive situation: lot of mosquitos, lot of fields everywhere. Here also we are close to a field and there are mosquitos, I see some of you itching. It was one of his primary orders to build this Temple of Vedic Planetarium. At that time when there was a little straw hut, a little building, and a little temple at ground floor of a little guesthouse with little brass deities of Radha Madhav and Lord Chaitanya, he was talking about large sized Radha Krishna deities, asta sakhis and a pancha tattva. What we see in the temple is Prabhupada’s plan for the Pancha-tattva. HG Janannivas Pr, HG Pankajanghri Pr were there from that time, watching how things evolved under Prabhupada’s compassionate will. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu compared himself to a gardener. He said, “I have come here with fruits, the fruits of love of God. If anyone tastes a single fruit, they will be satisfied forever and I have so many fruits, unlimited fruits, I cannot distribute myself.” He requested his devotees to assist him. First the Six Goswamis established in Vrindavan the foundation for our whole sampradaya. Then all of the great acharyas like Thakur Narottam, Shyamananda, Srinivas Acharya expanded outside of Vrindavan. Other acharyas developed the whole culture of it and the siddhanta and bhakti of it in such a merciful compassionate ways. Thakur Bhaktivinod began to actually activate the will of Mahaprabhu descend to the world. Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur organized and gave that eternal will to Srila Prabhupada to fulfill. Srila Prabhupada to fulfill that will has asked us to build this temple. I think in this yatra there are around 5000 of us. During Gaur Poornima far more people come from all over world. But Srila Prabhupada’s idea was that through this temple and the vaishnava behavior of the devotees that he has attracted, and through the quality of our kirtan, the quality of our values as vaishnavas, 10’s and 10’s of millions of people will come for generations and sit in Sri Mayapur and understand the supreme glory of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s munificience. We rise our arms together as brothers as sisters on spiritual platform, with all gratitude and humility to chant the holynames –
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
jiv jago jiv jago gaura chandra bole kotha nidra jaye maye pisachera kole
This is Mahaprabhu’s message. He would sing this song going town to town, village to village, bathing ghat to bathing ghat here in navadvip, “Wake up wake up sleeping souls, you are sleeping in lap of maya, wake up. Mukunda madhava Hari, chant these Holynames.” Vrindavan is the madhurya dham with the intimate highest lila of the Lord was revealed. Mayapur Navadvip is audarya dham, place where that same madhurya raas of Vrindavan is being distributed to everyone in world. Let us bow our heads in gratitude to Srila Prabhupada, to all our previous acharyas, to Panchatattva, to Sri Sri Radha Madhava and all the assembled vaishnavas for unimaginable causeless blessings of being together in Sri Navadvip Dham.
Sri HariNam sankirtan Ki Jai !!!
Srila Prabhupad Ki Jai !!!
Sri Panchattatva Ki Jai !!!
Sri Prahlad Narasimha Dev Ki Jai !!!
Sri Asta Sakhi Radha madhav ki Jai !!!
Srila Prabhupad Ki jai !!!
Sri Ananta Koti vaishnava Vrinda Ki Jai !!!
Hare Krishna Mantra (3 times)
