RENOUNCING THE ROTTEN --- Murwillumbah, N.S.W. Australia 14.1. 2000.
Oṁ viṣṇupāda paramahaṁsa parivrājakācārya aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja
vāñchā-kalpa-tarubyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ
I offer praṇāmas unto the Vaiṣṇavas, who are just like wish-fulfilling desire trees, who are an ocean of mercy, and who deliver the fallen, conditioned souls.
namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te
kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ
I offer praṇāma unto Śrī Kṛsṇa-Caitanya, who is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself. Having assumed the golden hue of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, He is munificently bestowing kṛṣṇa-prema, the rarest of all gifts.
gurave gauracandrāya rādhikāyai tadālaye
kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-bhaktāya tad-bhaktāya namo namaḥ
I offer praṇāma to śrī-gurudeva, Śrī Gauracandra, Śrīmatī Rādhikā and Her associates, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His devotees, and to all Vaiṣṇavas.
You know that everyone wants to be happy; all living entities want happiness. But Kṛṣṇa has arranged that no one will ever be happy in this world. They cannot be happy. You should realise that there is no happiness and no tranquillity in this world. Even if a man has wealth and all facility for happiness, still some dangerous sickness or some problem will disturb him. A person may not be weak when he is young, but so many diseases appear in old age. Even if one has no diseases, there are many other problems. His wife becomes sick, another friend or relative has cancer, another has tuberculosis and someone else has another disease or some other problem. Kṛṣṇa has arranged that we always have some rope around our neck, and at some point it always starts to tighten [he places hands around his own neck]. This is because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. If you are not endeavouring for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you will be more and more unhappy, with more problems, for so many lives. We cannot understand all this, except by the grace of the Guru-paramparā. That is called:
Āmnāyaḥ prāha.
Whom can we believe regarding what is good and what is bad?
We must have some authority in whom we can believe, an authority who is very kind and selfless. The Vedas, Upaniṣads, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam are like that; but they cannot speak directly to us.
To whom can they speak?
They can only speak directly to great souls who are on a higher platform than we are; to personalities like Vyāsa, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Vālmīki, Parāśara and others like them. If you read Śrīmad Bhāgavatam by yourself, you may be troubled by lust and ignorance. But if you attend their classes and hear something from them, and if you read under their guidance, then you can understand something. For example, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī only gave classes to Parīkṣit Mahārāja after he had heard the entire Śrīmad Bhāgavatam from Vyāsa. Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī first heard all these Vedic truths so many times from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and he was also inspired by Baladeva Prabhu. After that, he could read Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, and so many realisations came. The Bhāgavatam inspired him. We should try to follow their example, so that we can have firm faith in scriptures such as the Vedas, the Upaniṣads, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-Gītā. We can realise something especially if we study the scriptures which have been accepted by our Guru-paramparā, from Brahma to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Gosvāmī Ṭhākura, and after that by our Gurudeva and by others such as Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja-by being in their guidance. The scriptures have stated conclusively that Hari, or Kṛṣṇa, is the Supreme Absolute Truth (parama-tattva). In other words, Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the ocean of rasa. He has all kinds of potencies-all kinds of powers. He is also very merciful, and we came only from Him.
We, spirit souls, are not of one kind but of two kinds-liberated souls and conditioned souls. The liberated souls do not know what this world is. They never forget Kṛṣṇa. They are always serving Him with love and affection. Unfortunately we have forgotten Him; and He sends us this Māyā [illusory energy], and sends us to this world. Māyā says:
"Oh, you want to taste this world, imitating Kṛṣṇa?
That is why you are forgetting Him?"
She then says to us:
"I will give you all kinds of wealth, good females, good males, brothers, sisters and so many things."
Our attachment, love and affection in this world is vaikṛtī, a perverted reflection. In this world we think, 'I am the owner of all; I am the doer; I am a father; I am a son; I am a mother; I am a husband; I am a king'-like this. Sometimes we go up; sometimes we come down. By the influence of Māyā-piśācī, the witch of Māyā, we are going up and down. She has created so many rogas, so many problems. One may be Hitler or Mussolini, he may be a poor person, or he may be of middle class-but everywhere there are problems.
Everywhere!
If you cook something in the morning, by the evening it will start rotting and you cannot eat it. After two days, oh, you will have to reject it. It will be rotten. And by this, by the juices of these rotten things, this body has been made. The body is also like that-a moment after the soul has gone, it will also rot.
Understand?
We are thinking that we are very powerful, but it will take only a second; in one ten-thousandths of a second our body is rotten.
What is there in this body?
Stool, urine, blood, mucus-oh, such bad things. And yet we are always engaged in collecting all these things which are rotten. Especially, men and women are collecting each other. This is the main thing. Kṛṣṇa has arranged this and it is called Māyā. We know all these things. And we know that we will die. But even so, we are not thinking that everyone will die.
If you know all these things, then why are you not always chanting and remembering?
Those who are lucky are in this line-but not fully in line. You cannot control your mind. Gurudeva has given a seed of prema-aprākṛta prema-that is, transcendental love and affection. He has given the seed, but we are not satisfied. We want that it should become a tree at once, and fruit should come. But it will take some time in the process. So you should try to know what Gurudeva has given. These mantras given by Gurudeva are Kṛṣṇa Himself.
These mantras are love, the embodiment of love. Everything is in the mantras, especially in the Mahā-mantra. Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and all the Sakhīs, all the Vrajavāsīs-everything is there in the Mahā-mantra as a seed. Therefore always chant and remember in the guidance of high-class realised souls. Always remain in Vṛndāvana, chanting and remembering:
tan-nāma-rūpa-caritādi-sukīrtanānu-
smṛtyoḥ krameṇa rasanā-manasī niyojya
tiṣṭhan vraje tad-anurāgi-jana anugāmī
kālaṁ nayed akhilam ity upadeśa-sāram
[While living in Vraja, as a follower of the eternal residents of Vraja, who possess inherent spontaneous love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one should utilize all his time by sequentially engaging the tongue and the mind in meticulous chanting and remembrance of Kṛṣṇa’s names, form, qualities and pastimes.
This is the essence of all instruction.
(Śrī Upadeśāmṛta 8)]
These are the essence of all teachings. We should try to know this, and to follow this. We should try to realise these things. We should not waste our time. It is not certain after this life where we will go, or what we will do. Though this Kali-yuga is full of problems, and life is very short, still the mind is not fixed. It is full of rogas and all kinds of bad things [e.g. hṛd-roga, the heart disease of lust]. But yet there is some good in it. That is why the devotees of Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga and Dvāpara-yuga want to be in Kali-yuga.
Why is that?
By somehow chanting and remembering Kṛṣṇa, we can attain something.
We can have this seed; and then we will have to put it in the soil of our hearts, always hearing Hari- kathā. Then rasa will come. And then, once rasa comes, you will not be able to give up chanting. If a man has some taste in any good preparations which is given to Ṭhākurji, and his stomach is very big, and taste is coming, then he will take mahā-prasāda with relish. He will not give it up. He will eat, eat, eat.
When will taste come?
When rasa, juice will come from Hari-nāma.
What is that juice?
He will see in the Name beautiful Śrī Kṛṣṇa with beautiful Śrīmati Rādhikā. Then he cannot take his eyes from there. More juice; Madhumaṅgala will come and do something, and you will see. All the gopīs will come and defeat Kṛṣṇa-so many pastimes you will see.
In His life, especially in His last days Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would hear the flute of Kṛṣṇa, and He would at once gallop (quickly pass through) three or five doors, although they were so high and tightly closed. He saw Kṛṣṇa playing the flute in a garden of Vṛndāvana, and He became ecstatic. And when Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara and Śrī Rāya Rāmānanda came and did kīrtana, then His external sense would come. Then He would weep bitterly, saying:
"Oh, why have you called me?
I was serving Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa there, seeing their forms and their vilāsa (pastimes).
And you have called me here?"
All the things that Caitanya Mahāprabhu has shown in His own life, Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs also realised, as did Śrīla Kṛṣṇa dāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has written:
"My name is Kamala mañjarī; my marriage was in Yāvat. I am a kiṅkarī (maidservant) of Śrīmati Rādhikā. Viśakhā is my guru, and Rūpa mañjarī is my mistress.
We will see all this vividly. This is called svarūpa-siddhi, and then vastu-siddhi. We all have the chance to attain this, so I request you to follow the process, and have so much strong faith. Don't lose your time and energy, here and there. Be like Śrī Rūpa-Sanātana, Śrī Rūpa-Raghunātha: always chanting and remembering and weeping-in the process.
What process?
ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahādāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ
śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyāvadhū-jīvanam
ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ
sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam
[Glory to the Śrī Kṛṣṇa saṅkīrtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years, and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This saṅkīrtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the white lotus moon of good fortune. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.
(Śrī Śikṣaṣṭaka 1)]
Nowadays I think that somehow, by good fortune, some devotees came in vaiṣṇava association, but unluckily, they went in bad association, and began to do again what they used to do: making money and all these things. They have made so many groups and they say:
"Oh, no one can go from our group."
If someone tries to go in good association, all will come and say:
"Why are you doing this?
Why are you taking this association?"
Karṇa, Duḥśāsana, Duryodhana and all will come and be against you. If you are bold enough, you can kick them [their misconceptions, not literally!].
Raghunātha dāsa-what did he do?
He left his home, his father, mother and beautiful wife, and went to Lord Caitanya. Mahāprabhu first warned him not to come. He said:
"Be mature in your house; you should stay there."
Mature means renounced. When he finally came, Mahāprabhu told him:
"O, you have come out from the well of stool. Kṛṣṇa has arranged this. And Mahāprabhu put him in the hands of Svarūpa Dāmodara. So you should be strong like this. Don’t be worried. Even if any roga (disease) comes, be happy. Know that Kṛṣṇa has given you time to always chant and remember. Otherwise we would not have the chance to always chant, and always remember. If we become blind, no one will tell us:
"Oh, do this, do that, do this"
So don't worry. Śrīla Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura was blind, and Kṛṣṇa asked him,
"Should I repair your eyes?
Should I make them good?"
What did Bilvamaṅgala reply?
"Never, never, never. I have seen You by these eyes. And I don't want to have eyes that look over the whole world. Then so many worldly desires will come:
‘Oh, this is beautiful; she is beautiful; he is beautiful.’
And
‘This I want; oh, these are my plans-this is my house, this is my car, this is my dog, these are my children.’
And others will always abuse me, saying:
‘Have you not done this?’
And they will rebuke me.
But if I have no eyes, then you can say:
What can I do?
Only to repeat:
'Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa.'”
I was also a person like this-always doing this and that, here and there. But then I became sick and I was operated on. At that time, my Guru Mahārāja put me in charge on Mathura Maṭha and said:
"You should only write Bhāgavata Patrikā, and you should translate all other books. And you should not go here, there, there and there."
I had so much time to read and everything, and gradually I was cured. Again I became somewhat sick, and again operated upon-so many operations, about ten operations. Now no one can tell me:
"You should do this and that"
Because I have heart disease. Day and night I can chant and remember. Now Kṛṣṇa has again made me somewhat healthy, and I am coming here. So I am losing my Vṛndāvana. So we should not be worried for any roga, or any problem. Even if death comes, we should try to embrace it, because then a more beautiful, young body will be there. Don't be worried for this. Problems may come, death may come-no harm.
Who has sent these problems?
Yes, Kṛṣṇa has sent them, and He will also manage to solve all problems. You should try to hear Hari-kathā. Engage your mind. If your mind is not engaging while chanting, you can even walk and sing, here and there.
Somehow be engaged. Then a taste will come, and there will be no death.
Gaura premānande.
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