The following is a transcription of a discourse delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Badger, California, on June 1, 2002

 

na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye
mama janmani janmanīśvare
bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Antya-līlā 20.29)

[“O Lord of the universe, I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers, a beautiful wife or fruitive activities described in flowery language. All I want, life after life, is unmotivated devotional service to You.”]

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Madhuram means very sweet. Kṛṣṇa is very sweet. If He is naked as a small child, He is more sweet. If the dust of cows covers him, He is very beautiful and sweet. And, when He glances from the corners of His eyes, greedy for something, He becomes more sweet. He steals the devotees’ hearts, especially the gopīs, and the gopīs forever give their hearts and all else to Him. Everything about Kṛṣṇa, like His glancing and walking, is increasingly sweet.

Kṛṣṇa is very sweet, but you should know where His sweetness comes from. It comes from Śrīmatī Rādhikā. If Rādhikā were not with Him, His sweetness would not exist. All His sweetness is coming from Her. If He did not always keep Rādhikā in His heart, He would be like the impersonal Brahman. If you also want to be sweet, you must chant and remember the sweet pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. For example, you can sing Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s Vibhāvarī Śeṣa – End of Night:

yāmuna-jīvana, keli-parāyaṇa,
mānasa-candra-cakora
nāma-sudhā-rasa, gāo kṛṣṇa-ĵaśa,
rākhô vacana mana mora

Vibhāvarī Śeṣa (8)

He is the life and soul of Yamunā, He is absorbed in amorous pastimes, and He is the moon of the gopīs’ minds, like cakora birds, subsisting only on moonlight. O mind, always heed my words and sing Kṛṣṇa’s glories in the form of these holy names, which are full of nectar.

Kṛṣṇa-nāma is yamunā-jīvana. Nāma contains all the pastimes expressed in this song. Why is Kṛṣṇa going to the ghāṭa by the Yamunā? All the gopīs have promised to meet Him there, and He has promised to meet them there. They meet at Keśī–ghāṭa, Bhāṇḍīravaṭa, and Panaghaṭa, and they consider that they meet very rarely and with great difficulties. There are also many difficulties and many problems in your bhajana, but the gopīs are different from you because they don’t consider their problems. They have given up their fathers, mothers, and all kinds of traditional rules and regulations and religion as though such things were dry straws. You must follow the example of the gopīs. Give up attachment to worldly things. How can you remember all these spiritual subject matters if you don’t? Try to be always engaged in remembering twenty-four hours a day.

How will you maintain your life if you are absorbed in remembering Kṛṣṇa? This seems to you to be a very, very big problem. Try to realize that all problems will go away by chanting. Then ruci will come; otherwise, it will not come. If you have worldly attachments and you want ruci, you will then have ruci only towards worldly things. How will this one single ruci be able to go here and there – to both sides? It is impossible. A person cannot blow up his cheeks and laugh simultaneously. That is why Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has prayed:

na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye
mama janmani janmanīśvare
bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Antya-līlā 20.29)

[“O Lord of the universe, I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers, a beautiful wife or fruitive activities described in flowery language. All I want, life after life, is unmotivated devotional service to You.”]

Caitanya Mahāprabhu is weeping and uttering this and the other jewel-like verses of Śrī Śikṣāṣṭakam. Everything – all moods and all objects of our life – are in these eight ślokas. All the Vedas are present there, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is there, and Caitanya-caritāmṛta and the essence of all the books of our Gosvāmīs are there. But how can you realize this? It will not be possible if you have worldly attachments and want this mood simultaneously. So, give up all material attachments. Teaching us by His own example, Mahāprabhu says, “I don’t want that.” What is the meaning?

Puṇḍarīka dāsa: In this verse, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is praying, “I don’t want any worldly wealth. Na dhanaṁ na janam. I don’t want any followers or any adoration in this world. I don’t long for any worldly beauty in this world. Kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye (ordinary knowledge expressed in mundane poetry and literature). I don’t want to be honoured and don’t aspire to have a high position in this material world. Mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi, I only desire that life after life, unconditional devotional service may arise in my heart for the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: If you are bhajana-parāyaṇa, if you are absorbed in bhajana and ruci is coming, especially the second stage of ruci, even if the kīrtana singers have very thick, raspy voices and are not in tune, you will still become inspired by hearing that kīrtana. Whether or not the Deities are decorated, you will be inspired in bhakti by seeing Them. Vaṁśī dāsa Bābājī had so much love and affection for his Deities that he used to quarrel with Them. He would tell Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “Today I will not give You any prasādam. You are very naughty. Nityānanda is okay, but You are very naughty. Nityānanda is very saintly. I will worship Him, but not You. Today, I will make You starve. You can cook Yourself, and You are quite able to do so. I will not do it. Earlier today, when I went to pick flowers from a garden, a boy pushed me, and I fell down and was injured. You did not save me, so I will not worship You. You should see to all Your matters Yourself.”

Vaṁśī dāsa Bābājī was always in a mood of intimacy with Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You, on the other hand, are always engaged in maintaining your life. Sometimes, business is very good, and you think, “Oh, this is very good.” And sometimes it is down, and you think, “What to do? What to do? What to do?” You forget to chant, and you forget to worship. This is not ruci. If you are in the stage of ruci, all items for your maintenance will come to you automatically. If anything is not coming for your maintenance, like money, food, or anything else, don’t worry. When Śrīla Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja was in Govinda-kuṇḍa, he saw many people eating very delicious food at a picnic. He thought, “I should also have some delicious food.” And then he replied to himself, “You want delicious food? Very good. I will arrange that right away.” He took some nima leaves, ate them, and told himself, “You should take this and be satisfied.” Sometimes, he used to eat the mud of the kuṇḍas and thus became blind, but he didn’t care. He was simply absorbed in chanting, “O Rādhe! Rādhe! Where are You?”

[kothāya go] premamayi rādhe rādhe
[rādhe] vṛndāvana-vilāsinī, rādhe rādhe
[rādhe] vṛṣabhānu-nandini, rādhe rādhe
[rādhe] kānu-manomohinī, rādhe rādhe
[rādhe] aṣṭa-sakhīra śiromaṇi, rādhe rādhe

He prayed, Tomāra kāṅgāla tomāya ḍāke rādhe rādhe. I am a very poor beggar, begging Your darśana.” He was always chanting, “O Rādhe, O Rādhe,” and he was always in a mood of separation from Her. If you, on the other hand, are worried about your maintenance, thinking, “Today, there is no food!” “Our business is down!” “My relative has died!” and you are busy with those thoughts; how will kṛṣṇa-prema come? You should follow Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita. During kīrtana, one day, his only son died, and his wife and relatives wept. He told them, “If you disturb the kīrtana, I will jump into the Ganges immediately. Mahāprabhu had also been participating in that kīrtana, and when He understood what happened, He entered the son’s room and told that dead boy, “Why are you sleeping? Wake up.” The boy then opened his eyes and spoke. He said, “I am doing very well in the place where I have just taken birth. It is favourable for doing bhajana there, and here it is not.” Mahāprabhu then told him, “Acchā, you should go.”

In this world, it is essential to maintain our life. Without this, we can’t do our bhajana. But don’t be worried about this. Your maintenance will come automatically, according to your previous activities. If something comes, that is okay, and if something that you have collected is lost, still you should not worry. Suppose you have deposited many thousands of dollars in a bank, but somehow, your business failed, and your money was lost. Don’t worry about that. You cannot achieve kṛṣṇa-prema, or anything else, by money. You cannot eat your bank money. You can only eat two capātīs or two slices of bread – nothing more. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura quotes in his Bhajana-rahasya:

alabdhe vā vinaṣṭe vā
bhakṣyācchādana-sādhane
aviklava-matir bhūtvā
harim eva dhiyā smaret

Padma Purāṇa

“One who is devoted to hari-bhakti should remain undisturbed and continue remembering Śrī Hari, even if he is unsuccessful in obtaining food and clothing, or if what he has obtained is lost.”

Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa without any worry. Remember Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita and his four brothers. They chanted throughout the night, “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare” and “Hari haraye namaḥ kṛṣṇa yādavāya namaḥ.” There was nothing to eat in Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s house, and Mahāprabhu told him, “You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa day and night, but you should also try to maintain yourself. Make some money by working or by begging. Somehow or other, you should maintain yourself and your family.”

Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita replied, “We will not do so. We will only chant.” Then he clapped three times, saying, “One, two, three.” Mahāprabhu asked, “What are you doing?” Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita replied, “I will wait one day, and if there is no food, I will wait for another day, and then for a third day. Then, if nothing comes by the third day, I will jump into the Ganges. I will say, ‘Hare Kṛṣṇa’ and jump.” Mahāprabhu then told all the devotees that those who have sincerely taken shelter and are sincerely chanting will never have to beg. Lakṣmī (the Goddess of Fortune) may beg, but My devotees will never have to do so. I will take responsibility for their maintenance on My head and arrange everything for them. I will maintain them; this is My promise.” Have strong faith in this.

Devotee: Gurudeva, you described some of the glories of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. You said he was not even concerned when his little son died during the kīrtana. Caitanya Mahāprabhu told him to come back, but he said, “No, I am in a better place now.” My question is, what better place could he be in? He was already in Mahāprabhu’s kīrtana with Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Kṛṣṇa had called him to participate in the pastimes He was performing in prakaṭa Vraja in one of the universes. He was playing with Kṛṣṇa and His associates there, and he was very happy. He, therefore, told Mahāprabhu, “Let me stay here; I am very happy here.” It may be that, due to his sādhana-bhajana, he had become a gopī and was residing with all the gopīs. He may have been with Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī. Why would he want to return? His new situation was the fruit of his serving Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

śokāmarṣādibhir-bhāvair
ākrāntaṁ yasya mānasam
kathaṁ tatra mukundasya
sphūrti-sambhāvanā bhavet

Padma Purāṇa

[“How can Śrī Mukunda manifest in the heart of a person who is filled with emotions like grief and anger?”]

What is the meaning?

Śrīpāda Mādhava Mahārāja: This śloka concerns one whose heart is afflicted by lamentation and anger. Amarṣa means anger, and śoka means sadness. If you lose material things, you become very sad. If you are always absorbed in these two things, then Mukunda, meaning Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, will not manifest in your heart.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: If your mind is disturbed, if your heart is disturbed and thus contaminated by these two things, Kṛṣṇa will not manifest there. Therefore, try to keep your heart very pure in all circumstances. If you lose anything in this world, what harm is there? Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī were highly posted officials in the government, but they left their positions. Why? We want to engage all our property in Kṛṣṇa’s service, but they left their property. So, if your property is later stolen or lost, why lament? Don’t lament. Otherwise, your heart will be impure, and you will be unable to remember Kṛṣṇa.

Nāradīya Purāṇa

[“The bare necessities of life must be accepted, but one should not superfluously increase his necessities. Nor should they be unnecessarily decreased. One should simply accept what is necessary to help one advance spiritually.”]

For whom has this śloka been told? It has not been told for the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī. The kaniṣṭha-adhikārī should engage his money and everything else for Kṛṣṇa, but this śloka is for those who have ruci. It is for those like Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita. They think, “Whatever comes is okay.” They chant the holy name and remain undisturbed, and even if death comes, they are not disturbed. Rather, they think, “Many diseases may come, or a relative may die; no harm.” They are always satisfied, and they are always chanting.

bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir
anyatra caiṣa trika eka-kālaḥ
prapadyamānasya yathāśnataḥ syus
tuṣṭiḥ puṣṭiḥ kṣud-apāyo ’nu-ghāsam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.42)

[“Devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from other things — these three occur simultaneously for one who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the same way that pleasure, nourishment and relief from hunger come simultaneously and increasingly, with each bite, for a person engaged in eating.”]

Śrīpāda Araṇya Mahārāja: This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam states that if someone unconditionally surrenders to Guru and Vaiṣṇavas and engages in devotional service, there must be three results. Bhakti, pareśānubhava, and virakti. When we eat, every time we take a bite, three results gradually come. First, we feel some satisfaction. Also, our bodies were weak before but eating makes them strong and energetic. And at the same time, our hunger goes away. Similarly, three results will come as one progressively engages in bhakti and becomes more absorbed. The first result is bhakti. His śraddhā (faith) will condense into anartha–nivṛtti, niṣṭha, ruci, aśakti, bhāva, prema, and more than that. Also, his sevā-vṛtti (service mood) increases more and more. This is the first result; if one engages in śuddha-bhakti, his faith and service mood will grow. The second result is pareśānubhava. Realization will come. At the time of his sādhana-bhajana, the devotee will realize his nitya-sambandha (his eternal relationship) with Kṛṣṇa, and he will begin his devotional service. Finally, the third result, virakti (detachment), will come. When one engages in pure devotional service, detachment will come. All varieties of material desires and attachments will go away, and the devotee will no longer hanker for the contact of his senses with sense objects. In this way, his mind can be absorbed in hearing, chanting, and remembering.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: If you are chanting and remembering but if there is no vairagya (renunciation), it means there is some ‘leakage’ in your bhakti. There is some leakage if you are chanting and remembering but are unsatisfied and always hankering for worldly things. Try to repair that leak. Otherwise, it will be as though you are pouring water into a pot, but all the water is pouring out through the many holes in that pot. Anarthas and offences are like holes. You should try to repair the problem. Otherwise, if you do not do so, you will not be able to do bhajana.

yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā
sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā
manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.18.12)

[“All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavour of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord’s external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man?”]

What is the meaning?

Atula-kṛṣṇa dāsa: If a person has bhakti, all the qualities of the demigods reside in him. He will have all the good qualities of the demigods. If someone is not a devotee, he cannot have any good qualities. He may be learned, he may have wealth, and he may have beauty, but it will all be for nought. Why? Manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ. He is running a race, and the chariot of that race is the chariot of the mind that is very swiftly pulled by the five horses of the five senses. This person is bahiḥ. They are ‘outside’, under the influence of the material energy.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: If a person is very youthful, his muscles are large, he is about twenty to twenty-four years old, he is very smart, he is a champion in sports, and he has all other good material qualities, will he be happy in life or not? If he has no bhakti, will he be happy? Will his health be permanent? One day, he will have to die. You should all remember this. Body construction and other material qualities will not give you happiness. This is the best life if you have no material qualifications but are chanting the holy name and have bhāgavata-bhakti.

On the other hand, if you have all kinds of material qualities, like a beautiful body and intelligence, and you are an expert in politics, duplicity, and hypocrisy – everything is there except kṛṣṇa-bhakti – then all is zero. The mṛdaṅga will play, “Dhik tvam, dhik tvam. Fie on your life.”

You have come from many places to hear this class, so hear my instructions on how to be happy in this life. Begin from today to follow them.

Devotee: Gurudeva, our translation of this verse states that not only do the qualities of the demigods manifest in such a pure devotee’s heart, but the demigods themselves manifest in the devotee’s heart and body. Can you explain that?

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Yes. The demigods know what good qualities are and what bad qualities are. They are everywhere as air (Pavana), fire (Agni), and all other material elements. They are everywhere, in everyone’s bodies. They are very happy if someone is a bhakta because that devotee will chant and remember Kṛṣṇa, and he will engage that demigod’s energy. The demigods will be very happy and think, “By my energy, he is doing bhajana. He is performing kīrtana and hearing hari-kathā.” Thus, the demigods are always very happy to be in the devotee’s body. Do you understand? They are greedy to be there in the devotee’s body – to get his association. The demigods are obliged and bound by the order of Kṛṣṇa to be in others’ bodies, to maintain the lives of all beings. But they are very happy to be in the bodies of pure devotees who are chanting and remembering. They are eager for the devotees’ bhakti to come to them.

Gaura-premānande!

Source(s): Purebhakti.com, Serve Love – Bhakta Bandhav (Bhakta Bandhav Anthology transcribed and edited by the Bhakta Bandhav Team)

Image(s) made possible by Pixabay.com, Krishnapath.org.in and/or Bhaktiart.net
Unless indicated differently, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)